One local nonprofit organization is feeling the repercussions of the closure of the Branson Tri-Lakes News in a significant way. When the door to the newspaper closed, it left Junior Auxiliary of Taney County without a space to call home.

“We had an office at the Branson Tri-Lakes News for about three years and had another two years on our lease, beginning September 1, 2026. We had approximately 600 square feet,” explained JATC’s Sheryl Schiller. “We were also allowed to use their community room for meetings and activities. We had already paid our $600 monthly rent to them for August of 2026 and doubt that will be refunded to us. We were given no notice that we needed to vacate or that they were closing.”

The Junior Auxiliary of Taney County is a women’s nonprofit organization that focuses on improving the lives of children in the county. They hold several events for the children in our area throughout the year, as well as various fundraisers to help make those events and JATC projects continue to happen.

One of JATC’s favorite programs is Celebrate Reading. Said Schiller, “It is a year-round project where members go to low-income housing, as well as CAM, Options, and Boys and Girls Club with a delivery of books that children can take out and bring back and get another book. But, more importantly, we have Story Time at one or two of the low-income housing locations each month and read a story to children and do an activity about the story with the children. Each child receives a snack and a book of their own to take home.”

“We will be sending checks shortly to several Taney County students. We will also have a booth at Grape Stomp in Hollister, where we will provide a couple activities for children and distribute information about JATC for community member,” Schiller noted.

One of the Junior Auxiliary’s biggest fundraising events is their annual trivia event. “Our major Trivia sponsors this year were Doug Baker State Farm Insurance and Binswanger Glass, but we had numerous businesses donate items for our silent auction. You can find the entire list on our website, jatcmo.org, on our Trivia page.” Said Schiller. “We don’t have a date set yet for Trivia 2027, but it is usually the end of March or the beginning of April. This year will be our 25th Annual Trivia event.”’

Others who sponsor Junior Auxiliary and their events include Mr. G’s Pizza, Belk, Motley Law Firm, Evan Bradley and Associate at American Family Insurance, Mulberry Mill, Michele’s Floral & Gifts, Ozarks Family Vision Centre, and anonymous donor including a former ScholarCare recipient who is paying it forward after receiving help from JATC while in college. Others sponsor special activities or provide the organization with general assistance such as Central Bank, Table Rok Community Bank, Cole Currier, 417 Consultants and more. The JATC is also the grateful recipient of grants from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Stanley and Elaine Ball Foundation, White River Electric Trust, Neighbors and Friends of Table Rock Lake, etc.

Junior Auxiliary is always looking for more businesses or individuals who are interested in sponsoring their projects.

“This organization does a lot to enrich the lives of children in our community,” said Schiller. “Some of what we do is necessities, some is just a way to encourage children to be the best they can be. Our motto is ‘Caring Hearts – Helping Hands – Changing Lives’. We are always looking for new members. Our members are teachers, businesswomen, housewives, etc. We are a broad-based group. Watch for the next informational meeting on our Facebook page, Junior Auxiliary of Taney County.”

Junior Auxiliary is hopeful that someone in the community has the perfect spot for their organization to rent—at a price the group can afford. “We need storage space, room to work on projects, and an open area for meetings,” Schiller explained. “We have moved most of our thing into storage at the U-Haul Mount Branson Storage are and have that secured for three months. We finished the rest of our moving on Tuesday, July 28.”

If you have the perfect office space for JATC, want more information on their organization, or are interested in sponsoring one or more of their projects, please reach out to them at jatcmo@gmail.com.

Published by: Branson Globe, K.D. Michaels, July 31, 2026