8/4/2019 Who Are The Jaycees? What Do The Jaycees Do,
Anyway?
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WHAT ARE THE JAYCEES?By J. Terryl BechtolNational Vice
PresidentUnited States"J aycees1978-1979
I AM THE UNITED STATES JAYCEES. My birth certificateis dated May
1915, SI. Louis, Missouri. Iwas conceived to provideleadership and
I am dedicated to the goal of communities ofAmerica joining
together to ensure the advancement of freedomthroughout the world.
I am Henry Geissenbier with an idea,anidea of people helping
people.I am opportunity for all men. The blood of the worldruns in
my veins. I am hundreds of thousands ofactive young men striving to
become morethan they think they can, and the voiceof millions of
men who have goneon before me to provide the idealsby which I live
today, and which Istill make possible for those whofollowme.I am a
fabulous organizationof many things and many people.I am the
Indians of Oklahoma, thebright orange coats of Florida,
thevolunteers of Tennessee, a cowboyfrom Texas, the sunflowers of
Kansas, and the Eskimos of Alaska. Iam the 49'ers of California, a
Vikingfrom Minnesota, the liberty bellsof Pennsylvania, a
light.house fromNew Jersey, and a Georgia peach.I am Jaycettes,
Special Olympics,Shooters Safety, Haunted Houses, BigBrothers, Boy
Scouts, Telethons, andSanta Claus to thousands of needy childrenat
Christmastime. I am Speak-Up, Spoke,Springboard, and Spark-Plug. I
am trulyLeadership in Action in 10,000 communities inAmerica and in
86 countries throughout thefree world. I am men joining together to
helpthose who cannot help themselves, by first buildinga better
me!I can be found in sleepy, rustic villages and large,
roaringcities, from the swamplands of Louisiana to the mountaintops
of Colorado. I am a strong group of men wherever I am!I search for
America in every project J undertake and Iam busy atthis very
moment building a better tomorrow, today!!I am meeting tonight in a
small country church, in a skyscraperIn new York, in a tavern in
North Carolina, and in my own building, built with love and sweat.
I am a farmer, a preacher, asalesman, a mechanic, a Christian, a
Jew, a Hindu, a Buddist,and, yes, even a convict. J can be found
everywhere you look: acollege campus, a ghetto, a nature trail,
hospitals, orphanages,and a prison cell; J am there.Iam a letter to
a Senator, a ballot in an election, the excitement ofa National
Convention, the tears of joy when I win, the silence ofdefeat when
Idon't. I am growing through all that I undertake. Iam never a
loser!!I am pins, patches, vests, coats, bumper stickers,
newsletters, agavel at a podium, backrooms, long drives home, late
hours,yearend books, awards, certificates, trophies, plaques,
TOYM,and winners teaching winners to bewinners!!
I have always been with the Spirit of America. Iwas the spirit
thatwould not let Columbus turn back, I was there when
GeorgeWashington knelt in frozen prayer at Valley Forge, when
PaulRevere raised his hand at a committee meeting and said,
"I'LLRIDE AND TELL THEM." It was the Jaycee spirit that gaveyoung
Nate Hale the guts to look'um in the eye and say, "Iregret that I
have but one life to lose for my country."
J was the group that collected scrap metal and helpedFDR spread
his message that "THE ONLY:THING WE HAVE TO FEAR IS FEARITSELF,"
and I was already doing whatJohn Kennedy asked when hesaid, "Ask
not what your countrycan do for you, but rather whatyou can do for
your country!"I was on the boat when AdmiralFarragut said "Damn the
torpedoes, full speed ahead!" I builtthis country with faith,
courage,and a spirit that can only be calledJaycees!!!I led the
fight for the draft whenwartime America needed it and alsoled the
cause for its abolishment
when it didn't. J am Change! I amfor what is right and against
wrongand injustice. I am white, black,yellow, red ... and I never
judge manby the color of his skin, but rather by thecontent of his
character!!I have established and introduced manyyoung men to the
Red Cross, M.D.A., theUSO, volunteer fire departments, Boy'sClubs,
City Hall, state governments, and eventhe Congress of the United
States. I move, Itravel to spread Jayceeism. I have
presentedBillyGraham inMadison Square Gardens, the greatPhoenix
Rodeo, Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon,Independence Hall, the
Statue of Liberty, Disney World,the Alamo, and the Golden Gate
Bridge. I marched withMartin Luther King to Washington, have walked
for Mankind, traveled the badlands of the Dakotas, the bluegrass
ofKentucky, and the snow-filled valleys of Ohio to pass on this
feeling of brotherhood and love.I have made my mark on time with
men like Seldon Waldo,Clayton Frost, Keith Upson, Dennis Hamilton,
Clint Dunnagon,and Don Cavalli, men wno made a difference by giving
all thatthey had. I am Bill Brownfield writing the Creed, Durwood
Howedesigning the SHIELD, and John Armbuster editing the "Log";I am
millions of young men who have graduated from my ranks,who are the
leaders of this very world today!!I am the JAYCEE CREED. I believe
in God, brotherhood, freeenterprise, law and order, human
personality, and service tohumanity. I am what is good about
America. Within my spirit liesthe very basis of the future of my
country. I am freedom and willfight to my last breath ifnecessary
to see that it is preserved. MayI always possess the integrity,
courage, and strength to keepmyself unshackled and to remain a
beacon of hope to all meneverywhere.
I am an American, building my country in the UNITED 5TATE5
JAYCEE5.Be proud, be great, be still, and know that I AM YOU, a
JAYCEE.
