ABOUT THE COCONUT GROVE JAYCEES (FLORIDA)
The Coconut Grove Jaycees (JCI) is an organization of young men and women (age 21-39) with a large diverse membership that comes from all over Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. "Jay-Cees" simply stands for Junior Chamber and we are proud to be a part of Junior Chamber International (JCI). Our Junior Chamber in the State of Florida has been providing Community Service, Business Opportunities and Leadership Training to this community since 1976.
This year's Board of Directors, of course, follows a rich tradition in our organization of setting high expectations and reaching our goals. Our Chapter, known around the world as the "Champagne Chapter" has been recognized as "The Best Chapter in the Country" in 1986, 1989, 2001 and 2002. In addition, the Coconut Grove Jaycees were proclaimed "The Best Chapter in the World" in 1988 and in 2002, we were named the "Most Outstanding Chapter in all of the Americas". The Coconut Grove Jaycees organize the annual Bed Races in Coconut Grove and we also were the host of the Miami Leadership Conference in 2003.
In the Present
Presently, the Coconut Grove Jaycees have been on the rise looking for new faces to lead the organization into the future. We are consistently regarded as one of the strongest chapters in the country because of our commitment to community service, business networking, personal development and charity fundraising. As a member of the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Junior Chamber International, Coconut Grove is proud to be leading the way in this great organization to create positive change in our members, our chapter and the community at large.
All of our projects and events are run by our members. Similar to "The Apprentice", our events are run by various members who take turns being a Project Manager in the organization. The Board of Directors then helps the Project Manager to develop a Plan of Action, budget and analysis of the project details. We work with our members to develop their speaking skills and abilities to motivate other people. The Jaycees offers the perfect opportunity for young professionals to test out their career skills and life skills in a place where the consequences are not fatal to your career if things do not go as planned. We care about the devlopment of our members and we work hard to make sure that everyone has a positive learning experience, while we also have a lot of fun.
Of course, it is not all learning and work. The Jaycees run a lot of fun social events to allow our members to meet new people and network. We host monthly happy hours, quarterly networkers, and even the annual Pub Crawl through the bars of Coconut Grove. You may have also seen us on the beach for Beach Volleyball every few months or at Salsa Lovers where we have a group that takes weekly lessons. Snorkel trips, sky diving and canoe trips are also organized periodically.
PAST MEMBERS, TODAY'S LEADERS
Some of Junior Chamber International's more famous past members have included U.S. Presidents (Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Clinton), UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Bob Hawke (former Prime Minister of Australia), Jacques Chirac (former President of France), Ted Turner (founder of CNN), Larry Bird (Boston Celtics), Poul Schluter (former Prime Minister of Denmark) and Chen Shui-bian (10th president of Taiwan). In addition, the Coconut Grove Chapter has produced such leaders as Tom Gallagher (Fla. Insurance Commissioner) and former Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas. Utilizing the skills learned in the Jaycees, many people go on to successful careers in politics, business, teaching and the legal profession.
Through JCI, there are 5,700 chapters in 110 countries around the world. This gives you an excellent opportunity to network with Jaycee members globally as you attend conferences like the World Congress, which is held annually in such exotic locations as: Barcelona Spain, Las Vegas, Copenhagen Denmark, Seoul Korea and Vienna Austria. The Conference of the Americas and the United States Jaycees National Conventions also allow you to meet people from our hemisphere. The international opportunities are certainly available, but it is up to you to get involved and reap the benefits.
