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Coming Back From
The Brink
New Haven Jaycees try to rise from the near-dead
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Business New Haven
10/6/1997
By: Linda Mele
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The moribund New Haven Jaycees, which holds the state's oldest Jaycees charter but which has been idle for two and a half years, is in danger of losing that charter unless new life is breathed into the group. President Bob Betlinski, who is also a member of the Greater Hartford Jaycees, says he doesn't want to see that happen. “Because the chapter was inactive, everything was turned over to the state Jaycees last June,” Betlinski explains. “But we're working to increase membership enough to keep the Chapter No. 001 designation.” Betlinski says that when he moved to the New Haven area and found out the chapter's status, he decided to try and help get it resurrected. The chapter ceased activity in the spring of 1995.
The non-profit Jaycees, whose name is an abbreviation of “Junior Chamber of Commerce,” was founded in 1920 “to provide young people the opportunity to develop personal and leadership skills through local community service and organizational involvement while expanding the Junior Chamber movement.”
Membership is for young professionals from 21 to 39 years of age. Wallingford Jaycees president Joseph Budrow says his chapter recently was in similar straits to the New Haven group, but its membership has grown to 19 from 13 just a year ago. “We had a core group of members who each got involved in other things several years ago, and we nearly lost our charter, too,” Budrow says. According to Betlinski, members need to actively and constantly recruit others to join the group. “Since membership includes age restrictions, the active members need to plan for the future by getting new people interested,” Betlinski says, “and not allow things to stagnate.” Budrow says there are about 50 Jaycees chapters in the state and each stages a major annual fundraiser. “The Greater Hartford chapter has the Greater Hartford Open [golf tournament], and for 18 years we had a huge auto show we would like to get going again,” Budrow says. Individual chapters also sponsor events such as Easter egg hunts and Halloween parties for children, food and clothing drives and other social and civic activities in their respective communities. “It's a great way to meet people in your community and get involved in a lot of meaningful activities,” says Budrow.
To recruit new members, the New Haven Jaycees will hold an open house at the Elk's Club of New Haven, 522 State Street, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15. The meeting is open to the public. More information is available by calling Betlinski at 203-469-2848.
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