History

Jaycees: Young Men at Work

The Burlington Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) was chartered April 26, 1961. Young men between the ages of 21 and 35 were eligible to join. 

In its early years, Burlington Jaycees community service projects included a seat belt campaign, bowl for youth, junior golf, tennis and track meets and a teenage street dance. 

Later projects included working with the Burlington Conservation Club to clean and restock Echo Lake, sponsoring an annual soap box derby, and participating in the city's Halloween activity committee.

Charter members

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Burlington Jaycettes also published a city directory, which listed addresses and phone numbers of local residents and businesses.

The Burlington Jaycettes held their first meeting Aug. 29, 1961. Jaycettes were an auxiliary organization of the Jaycettes, made up of wives of young men who were Jaycette members. The Burlington Jaycettes elected their first officers in October 1961 and received their charter May 5, 1962.

 

 Burlington City Directory 1965-1966
Kent Zahn, special education teacher at Burlington Junior High School, holds a tape recorder presented to the special ed class by Mrs. Newell Easley, right, of the Burlington Jaycettes (1965). Burlington Jaycee projects included an annual Toy  Drop, baby sitting clinic, and supporting the community swimming pool. In 1965 the Jaycees began hosting an annual art fair in conjunction with the Lions Chicken Barbecue in July. Safety Town, a preschool education program, was initiated in the 1970s.

Today, the Burlington Jaycees are made up of young men and women,
many of whom are living and raising their families in Burlington.
They donate their time, energy and skills to projects
that serve children and families in the community.

Photos courtesy of Burlington Historical Society


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Burlington, Wisconsin, USA