A Winning Year for Junior Auxiliary Hattiesburg

While so much has changed in the last year, one thing that remains the same is the strong way JA of Hattiesburg has served the Pine Belt! We served differently, met virtually, raised money with less dancing (who's ready for Charity Ball 2021?!), and had a real award winning year!

Our year ended in April with an amazing awards ceremony to celebrate all the success that 2020-2021 year held for JAH! We honored this year's 2021 Crown Achievement Award winner, Leigh Ann Underwood. Leigh Ann is the epitome of a community servant, and she has served on the boards of various service organizations including the United Way, Southern Miss Partners for the Arts, and Forrest General Spirit of Women. Leigh Ann is a champion for the underserved and underprivileged, and she promotes the ideals of JA in all that she does in our community.

We also celebrated all of the 2019-2020 successes that were left without their in-person toasts, welcomed lots of lifetime members to celebrate with us, and passed the gavel to our 2021-2022 president, Lindsay!

A few weeks later, JAH was able to celebrate this year's success AGAIN at our NAJA National Conference! Our chapter was awarded for our successful fundraising year, our outstanding Crown Club, and we were recognized as a model chapter! Junior Auxiliary of Hattiesburg was given the Award of Excellence as one of two outstanding chapters in the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries which is comprised of over 100 chapters.

Additionally, our 2020 Crown Award Winner, Connie Keene, was given The Betty Robbins Volunteer of the Year Award! The Betty Robbins Volunteer of the Year Award is an annual award presented by NAJA to a member who has made a difference in the lives of the children in their community and exhibited all of the purposes of the Junior Auxiliary mission towards enriching the lives of children in the community.

Connie is a stand-out lifetime member of JAH, and we love the way she continues to serve alongside us and beyond!

Stay tuned!!! Junior Auxiliary of Hattiesburg has big plans for our 2021-2022 year!!! We can't wait to welcome our community back to this year's Charity Ball on November 5 at the Barn At Bridlewood! Follow along with us on our social media to see how you can be involved in an amazing year with JAH!

A Message from our President

The faces of the many thousands of individuals whose lives are touched by the efforts of nearly a hundred women of the Junior Auxiliary inspire us to fulfill our mission of dedicated service.

The Junior Auxiliary of Hattiesburg continues a journey we began in 1943, to strategically invest ourselves in making Hattiesburg, Mississippi a better place for women and children.

We know we are not alone on this journey. Rather, we are accompanied by countless local organizations and individuals who work with us. Together, we are improving conditions in the community, and continuing the tradition of volunteer community service in meeting the needs of the underprivileged. We are many things…women , mothers, teachers, students, doctors, lawyers, CEOs, and more. We come from different walks of life, but we share one common goal…to serve those less fortunate.

Today, we are facing a grave nationwide threat to our health and economic stability. We know that each day is bringing significant challenges and pressures on the operations of nonprofit organizations. We also know that our organization must keep our promise to our city and rise to challenges every day with ingenuity, compassion, resilience, fortitude, and integrity.

Times have changed, but throughout our chapter’s history, we find some recurring themes that are still with us today. We have remained true to our mission of service as we volunteer thousands of hours of service and provide the citizens and agencies of Hattiesburg with intelligent, efficient, educated volunteers, not just “willing hands.”

We honor and continue the journey begun by our 37 founders who were innovative and strategic in developing responses to emerging community needs. So, how do we fuel this journey? We do it with patience and perseverance and through partnerships with individuals and organizations who share our mission, passion, and determination to make meaningful, systemic change.

2020 was a record year for JA of Hattiesburg. We reached a new milestone in food, feminine hygiene supplies, and diaper distribution. That’s a testament to the commitment and compassion of our partner agencies, our financial supporters, and our members. It hasn’t always been easy. We’ve had to adjust our processes and make hard decisions. We’ve asked more from our supporters than ever. But the result of all that effort is undeniable.

Our journey continues and is always a work in progress, and we are committed for the long run. The faces of the many thousands of individuals whose lives are touched by the efforts of nearly a hundred women of the Junior Auxiliary inspire us to fulfill our mission of dedicated service.

This way of thinking is embodied in our vision for Hattiesburg , as a place in which all of our neighbors are nourished and empowered.

We know that vision is attainable — if we work together. Together, we make an impact. Together, we make a difference. Are you with us?

Sincerely,

Whitney Hinton

2020-2021 Chapter President