JCI Penticton opens doors
Photo: Contributed
JCI Penticton is looking for young professionals and community-minded individuals who want to step up, get involved and make an impact.
With a mission to empower people aged 18 to 40 to create positive change, JCI Penticton offers a welcoming hub for those who want to contribute to the community but may not know where to start.
“It’s a great opportunity for anybody who wants to give back to the community but doesn’t know how to get involved,” JCI Penticton president Kriss Campbell says. “We do do a lot of work with a lot of different programs. It’s a nice hub for people who want to go into a certain type of volunteering but don’t necessarily know how to get there.
“We do everything from HaHaHa KidzFest to Business Gives Back to the Channel CleanUp. We do food sustainability projects like the Valley Food Drive and stuff like that. So it kind of tackles a bunch of different things, and if people are passionate about something specific we probably have something for that.”
JCI Penticton has already signed up to participate in a long list of community events over the next 12 months. That includes its flagship volunteer mission, Community Spoons, which is held on the second Tuesday of every month and provides soup for South Okanagan Women in Need Society, which supports those in abusive relationships.
Beyond community service, JCI offers personal and professional development opportunities, with many training sessions provided for free or at a significantly reduced cost. Topics range from effective speaking to first aid and cooking classes. Members also gain access to a global network of more than 150,000 active individuals and millions of alumni, opening doors to valuable connections and experiences.
“Regardless of what your career is or what you want out of life, there’s an immense network of individuals that are always willing to engage and help and be a resource for any member, whether they’re from the same country or not,” JCI Penticton past president Stuart Knott says.
For those with a love of travel, JCI provides international opportunities through conferences and events. Campbell says one of her mandates as president is to fundraise to help members attend global gatherings. She says these conferences offer life-changing experiences and connections.
“It opens up a lot of doors that you didn’t even know potentially needed to be opened or existed,” Campbell says.
One of those major conventions will be held in Penticton this year, as the Peach City will host the JCI Canada national convention from Sept. 10-14. JCI members from the U.S., Turkey, Germany and South America have already committed to attend, and Campbell has invited JCI president Keisuke Shimoyamada of Japan to come to Penticton as well.
Chapter meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of each month, with August and December as the only exceptions. JCI Penticton invites anyone interested to join, learn more, and make a difference.
For more information about becoming a member or supporting JCI Penticton’s work, visit jcipenticton.com/membership.
This article is written by or on behalf of the sponsoring client and does not necessarily reflect the views of Okanagan Edge.
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