I always tell prospective new members to think of two-or-three pet projects they would like to do in the community. If you help with those projects, then you've gotten what you wanted out of it. Everything else is a bonus.

They've been trying a fluctuating schedule to find a time when the most people can show up. Again, the club tries to accommodate its members.

When I first moved here to get married, I didn't know anyone. It was a social outlet for me to get to meet people. Through the programs you get involved in, though, you gain those leadership and management skills, sometimes without even realizing it.

Some Jaycee chapters are heavily involved in all the regional and national events the parent organization hosts. Others never send anyone. No one dictates that you have to do it. But the opportunity is there for some wonderful experiences.

We are telling veterans they must sacrifice to pay for the pet projects and contracts to campaign donors of powerful members of Congress.

I don't think [Amazon's prospective store] is a threat at all. There are a lot of things that Amazon would have to get right for this to work.