Junior Auxiliary replenishes school supplies in January with the idea that all schools get lots of donations in August when school starts, but halfway through the year supplies start to run out, particularly for the smaller schools.

Mark Twain Elementary is not quite the one room school some of us may remember, but it is a very small school with seven teachers and approximately 54 students in grades K-8. JATC recently dropped off a variety of school supplies there which included: composition notebooks, wide-ruled paper, wide ruled 1-subject notebooks, 2 pocket folders, 3-ring binders, crayons, pencils, colored markers, ink pens, colored pencils, glue sticks, scotch tape, scissors, index cards, highlighters, rulers, etc. Other items designed to help keep the kids healthy such as hand sanitizer, Kleenex, and Clorox wipes were also donated. Each of these seven teachers was also given a $50 gift card to buy things that they might need for their individual classrooms.

JATC also made comparable deliveries to Bradleyville Elementary School with approximately 95 students in grades K-6, Kirbyville Elementary School with approximately 100 students in grades K-3, and Taneyville Elementary School with approximately 167 students in grades PreK-8. All schools received the same variety of school supplies that were given to Mark Twain Elementary, and teachers at each of those schools were also given $50 gift cards to purchase items for their individual 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. Members donate many of the items and the budget allotted for this project helps purchase extra things schools need at this time of year such as hand sanitizer, Kleenex, and Clorox Wipes and to purchase a total of thirty-two $50 Gift Cards. Teachers really enjoy the Gift Cards. Teacher, Sharon Jennings, plans on using her gift card for new books! Lara Ernsting, Principal at Kirbyville Elementary said “We get lots of items in the fall, but these items give us fresh life to finish out the year.”.

School Supplies is 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 Women’s 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. If you would like to learn more about our organization, please visit us at jatcmo.org.

Members raise money for this and other projects through one major event - a fun Trivia Challenge with dinner, and a Silent Auction. This year the 20th Annual Trivia Challenge and Silent Auction will be held at the Chateau on the Lake in Branson on April 4, 2020. Come join us at “JATC Trivia Goes Platinum, Celebrating 20 Years of Trivia”. We hope you will save the date and come help us support the children of Taney County.

JATC raises money from other events such as Belk’s Charity Days, Mr. G’s Pizza Annual JATC Days, and JATC Market Days, as well as donations from corporate charitable giving (e.g., Amazon Smile, Microsoft, Walmart, and White River Electric), generous local businesses and churches (e.g., Branson’s Cowboy Church located at God & Country Theatre, Doug Baker State Farm Insurance, Ozark Mountain Ear Nose & Throat, 417 Fundraising, Branson Bank, Central Bank, Ollis, Akers & Arney Insurance, Edward Jones-Mitch and Jennifer Holmes, Edward Jones-Mac McGregor, and Lowe’s.)

Donations for this project and others that JATC provide 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 98 chapters located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Their slogan is “Care Today-Character Tomorrow”.

Published by: Branson Tri-Lakes News, Saturday, February 1, 2020