Newly elected JCI president Carol Sheridan is looking forward to a year of transition as they catch up with the changing face of the organization.
The club began welcoming women members in 2004, and with that Sheridan said comes a change in focus of what the members want the organization to represent.
“The types of projects we want to be involved in, because of the types of members joining, are different, “ said Sheridan. “We have a lot of young professionals and we are trying to re-examine what our image is in Penticton. We want to make sure the image is that of a business organization, a training organization, community service and young professionals.”
Sheridan joined JCI Penticton in October 2009 and was awarded the Rookie of the Year honour at the annual president’s dinner held in January, where local members Stephanie Tofin (Jaycee of the Year) and Mike Porter (Executive Member of the Year) were also recognized for their contributions in 2010.
Sheridan, who is the Oliver recreation department program manager, has previously been the chair of the board for the Children’s Festival, the founding member of the Penticton ultimate Frisbee Federation and volunteers at Ironman and the Peach Classic triathlon.
While still wanting to financially support worthwhile projects in the community and leave a legacy behind, JCI Penticton will be investigating new projects and perhaps moving away from others such as the Mr. Muscle and Miss Bikini contest that has been running for 28 years. Sheridan said JCI has received an offer from the Driftwood Festival, holding its inaugural event this summer at Skaha Beach.
“Right now I don’t think we would do both events, it would be either the Driftwood Festival or the Mr. Muscle and Miss Bikini. While that has been our signature event, and we would love to see it continue, our group wants to investigate other options. If there is a group that wants to take it over, we would support them in transition, but we would want to step away from that event,” said Sheridan.
Last year over $5,000 in donations were raised to help support projects like the JCI Summer Day Camps offered through the Penticton Community Centre.
The next meeting of the JCI Penticton is on Feb. 24 at 216 Hastings Ave. starting at 7 p.m. Sheridan said the focus of the meeting will be talking about what projects they want to be involved in over the next year.
For more information on JCI visit www.jcipenticton.com or email jcipenticton@hotmail.com.