Junior Auxiliary of Taney County’s major focus for their projects is to improve the welfare of our children. Throughout the year, JATC supports the schools in numerous ways, but our major project for the schools is to deliver school supplies for elementary students in the outlying communities of Bradleyville, Kirbyville, Mark Twain, and Taneyville. The schools receive these donations in January when school supplies are low and need to be replenished.

On January 28, JATC members Paula Eighmy and Shanna Tilley delivered a variety of supplies which included composition notebooks, wide-ruled paper, wide ruled 1-subject notebooks, 2 pocket folders, crayons, pencils, mechanical pencils, pencil sharpeners, colored markers, ink pens, colored pencils, glue sticks, scotch tape, scissors, index cards, highlighters, rulers, erasers, Expo markers, etc. Other items designed to help keep the kids healthy such as hand sanitizer, Kleenex, Lysol spray, paper towels, and Clorox wipes were also donated to help provide our children with a healthy learning environment. Junior Auxiliary was pleased to provide $50 Walmart gift cards to teachers in Bradleyville Elementary, Kirbyville Elementary, Mark Twain, and Taneyville schools to purchase additional items they need for their classrooms.

Junior Auxiliary members collect high demand items all year. They shop the sales and save them up for this time of year when the schools run low. The budget allotted for this project allows JA to purchase extra things schools need at this time of year, along with purchasing the teacher Gift Cards, and JA Members supplement the supplies with their donations.

Major donations for various projects were received in 2020 and 2021 to provide support for our projects. Special thanks go to The Tri-Lakes Board of Realtors Good Neighbor Fund, White River Electric, Liberty Utilities, Branson’s Cowboy Church located at God & Country Theatre, Mitch and Jennifer Holmes at Edward Jones, Ozark Mountain Ear, Nose, & Throat, and Doug Baker & State Farm Insurance.

School Supplies is just one of many service projects that JATC members provide for the community. Other JATC projects include Tender Critters for children in trauma; Prom Dresses for girls in need; financial and labor support for the Crisis Center including birthday parties and child care for the children so moms can attend counseling sessions; Santa’s Gift House; Book Swap for children who live in extended-stay motels; and Scholarships for each of the four high schools in Taney County.

Donations for this project and others that JATC provides to the community can be sent to JATC, PO Box 862, Hollister, MO 65673. More information can be found on the Junior Auxiliary website JATCMO.ORG, their Facebook page, Junior Auxiliary of Taney County or via email at jatcmo@gmail.com.

JATC is more than a nonprofit organization, it’s a group of women united by a single cause. We are dedicated to helping and making a difference in the lives of the children of Taney County. That’s the magic of JATC. It was chartered by a group of caring, enthusiastic women in 1998 and continues to grow and thrive throughout Taney County. Approximately 50 members annually contribute more than 4,000 volunteer hours as they strive to improve the mental, physical, social and emotional well-being of children in Taney County.

JATC is part of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries (NAJA), a non-profit organization founded in 1941 with headquarters in Greenville, Mississippi. NAJA has more than 15,500 active, associate and life members in nearly 100 chapters located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Their slogan is “Caring Hearts—Helping Hands—Changing Lives”.

Published by: Tri-Lakes News, Friday, February 25, 2022; Branson Globe, Sunday, February 27, 2022