My First Virginia Jaycees State Convention

I spent several years in Virginia Beach when I served in the Navy and even went back a few times for work since then. However, last month I returned to the beach for something other than work, the Virginia Jaycees Year-End Convention. As a relatively new member of the Alexandria Jaycees and first timer at the convention, I was very excited to attend and see what the Jaycees were all about, outside of the activities I had been involved with locally. Well I had an absolute blast, got to meet a lot of great people and look forward to attending another state convention when the weather is a little warmer and there is less of a chance of being snowed in by a blizzard! Yes, the blizzard hindered some of our fun, but it didn’t stop us Jaycees from doing what we came to do, which was celebrate a great year, learn some new things and have some fun. And fun was certainly had by all. But it wasn’t just about the fun, there were some good training sessions where I learned some things about the Jaycees that I had not known, as well as learned about the traditions and regulations of the organization. As a former military guy, learning about and understanding history and traditions means a lot to me. One of my favorite events to participate in was the First Timer’s Program, in which all the first timers were asked to participate in a scavenger hunt type of activity which doubles as a great way to meet as many Jaycees at the convention as possible. Unfortunately I was triumphantly beaten in the competition by a West End Jaycee, but it was not from a lack of trying on my part! I took my defeat in stride and with honor, as the Alexandria Jaycees took home oodles of awards including the Local Chapter President of the Year and the Virginia State Cup (aka The Number One Chapter in the State)! For anyone who has not been to a state convention, I highly recommend attending one soon, especially for those Jaycees that are new to the organization. I will be at one in the near future, and if you need advice on how to win the First Timer’s Award, I’ll be happy to help.