With the close of summer the Jaycees are switching gears to more volunteerism!  This year we are departing from our normal activities for fall. Unfortunately, we are unable to hold our annual haunted house. We do hope to continue the tradition next year. This does leave us open for other activities.

Please make a note that our 2^nd meeting in November will be held on November 29^th --the 5^th Tuesday of the month. This is due to the Thomas Center being closed for Thanksgiving on our normal meeting night. We will be holding our annual officer elections at this meeting. Please begin thinking about what office you would like to run for next year!

We have a number of volunteer opportunities in the next few months. We kick this off with a casino night for an international non-profit Un Mundo on Friday, September 30^th from 6:30pm to 9:30pm in the Trotter Building.  We will be dealing blackjack and roulette. Dress code is white button up shirt and black pants. Please come out to help them continue the wonderful work they are doing around the world. For more information about this charity see their website. http://www.unmundo.org/ 

On Sunday, October 2^nd from 1pm to 5pm we will be helping TROSA with their annual Family Day. For some residents this will be the first time they have seen their families in a long time. For more info on TROSA see their website. http://www.trosainc.org/support/index.htm

Are you an early bird? Then come out on Sunday, October 16^th from 6:30am to 10:30am to volunteer for the Rambling Rose Half Marathon. The Emily K center is looking for volunteers to help direct the runners and cheer them on. Our own Catherine will be running in the race so come support her! You can sign up to volunteer at this website: http://bit.ly/peyNb2

Our final Ronald McDonald House dinner for the year will be on Thursday, November 17^th at 5:30pm.  Come serve and have dinner with some inspiring people. 

Following the Thanksgiving holiday we are jumping right back in. Since we are not holding our annual haunted house, we will be doing several projects to support the charities that depend on us for their survival. One such charity is Silent Birth. This charity was begun by a former Durham Jaycee and receives its ENTIRE modest annual budget from us. For more information on Silent Birth please see this article: http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Article/Silent-Birth-Helps-Grieving-Parents-2.aspx

On Monday, November 28^th get your friends, family, co-workers, and anyone else you know away from the leftovers! Blue Note Grill will be giving us a percentage of their sales for anyone who mentions they are there for our community day. We will be giving the proceeds from this to Silent Birth. Please help us help grieving families. 

We will have our monthly social on Tuesday, Oct 18^th at 7pm. The social location is TBA. If you have somewhere you would like to go please let Catherine know. We are always open to suggestions! Check your inboxes for more information closer to the date.  It’s sure to be a good time!

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL? Bring your family and friends out to the Duke football game on November 19^th. Tickets will be $15.  We will of course be tailgating before the game. It should be a lot of fun! We have been invited to set up an information table at the game. Help us spread the word about our organization so that we may continue to serve the community!

Please let us know if there is something you would like to see on the calendar. We’d like to see YOU!

Don’t forget to invite friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc to visit a meeting or event. All are welcome!  Service to humanity is the best WORK OF LIFE! 

Karen Rowell

President Durham Jaycees