JATC members Ronni Haston, Linda Lewis, Nina Grayson and Paula Gillispie attended the annual meeting of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries.

Giving Love, Growing Legacies was the message to members of the Junior Auxiliary of Taney County (JATC) at the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries’ 72nd Annual Education Conference held June 7 & 8 in Memphis, TN. More than six hundred women were in attendance at this year's event, four of them from Taney County.

Junior Auxiliary is a national non-profit organization that encourages its members to render charitable services which are beneficial to the general public with particular emphasis on children. JATC was chartered by a group of caring, enthusiastic women in 1996 and continues to grow and thrive throughout Taney County. Volunteers work tirelessly throughout the year on a variety of projects that focus on local children and families in need of assistance.

JATC is a part of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries (NAJA), a non-profit organization founded in 1941 with Headquarters in Greenville, MS. NAJA has more than 15,500 active, associate and life members in 101 chapters in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.

This year's conference was packed with entertainment, education, and networking with other chapters from across the Mid-South. JATC representatives enjoyed speakers such as Mike Robbins, author of Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation; Craig Scott with Rachel's Challenge, sharing his personal story as a survivor of the Columbine School shooting with a focus on finding meaning in tragedy; and Stacey DeWitt of Connect with Kids, addressing ways to help kids and families navigate today's online world.

Junior Auxiliary chapters all over the Mid-South are working more than ever before to increase awareness of children in need and the benefits of caring today to create character tomorrow.

For more information on JATC visit Junior Auxiliary of Taney County on Facebook or call Linda Lewis at 417 527-3963. For more information on NAJA, visit www.najanet.org.

Published: Branson Tri-Lakes, 7/6/13