Ladies of the Miss-Lou we are looking for you.

The National Association of the Junior Auxiliary was founded by enthusiastic women representing organizations from 10 towns in Mississippi and Arkansas. Since that time these groups have been assisting their communities in the systematic care and welfare of underprivileged children and in civic endeavors dealing with suffering and poverty arising out of economic depression beginning in 1929. The original idea of sharing has continued to grow through the years just as the organization and its diversity has grown. The Natchez Chapter was chartered in 1951.

We are a group of women from different backgrounds all joining together for the greater good of our community children in the Miss-Lou area. We service both sides of the river of Adams and Franklin counties and Concordia Parish. We work on community service projects, primarily relating to the needs of children and just this year, we have added in servicing our elderly in local nursing home facilities. We are a non-profit, Christian, organization, therefore, all of our funds are strictly from donations or fundraising. Such fundraisers include our annual shrimp boil which we usually host usually in the month of April — we just celebrated our 20th year — and our Angel Tree located inside Concordia Bank and Trust lobby which provides a gifts for the under-privileged children of our community.

Over the next year, we have lots of fun and exciting things planned. Our JA ladies are working on fundraisers to help us raise money to assist our area children’s needs. These projects include the Yankee Candle fundraiser we just finished, service projects working with our community children or working with the schools on both sides of the river. We have added such projects as Breakfast with the Grinch which will be on Dec. 3, and Say YES to the Dress which will allow Miss-Lou young ladies to be able to come to our Canteen Building, which will be set up as a dress shop. Each lady will be able to select her prom dress for a flat fee of $25. In December, we will begin seeking donations from area ladies of formal wear in all sizes to be used in our temporary dress shop. These are just a few of new fun and exciting projects for our community.

Keeping up the tradition of our annual shrimp boil in April, each year we have added such fundraisers as our Yankee Candle orders. We will be selling tickets for an overnight getaway to The Myrtles Plantation Bed and Breakfast in St. Francisville, La., in September. The drawing will be in October, then we will roll into October selling tickets for a live Christmas tree to be drawn in November.

If you are a female over the age of 21 years old and would be interested in volunteering your time, heart and dedication to a wonderful organization, we would love to talk to you. Please feel free to contact our President Paige Dickey at 601-807-7403 or our me at 601-870-0195. You can look us up on Facebook, too.

 

Chassity Cannon is the Chassity Cannon, Junior Auxiliary vice-president/treasurer of the Natchez chapter of the Junior Auxiliary.