Members give and grow with the Jaycees

They gather every month beside the tracks in the tiny, brick builiding in Superior's East End that formerly housed the senior center.

Families spill out of cars and while the children play with a sitter and toys in the front room, further in, their parents meet to plot their next event.

Bidding wars, tons of sand, sales of spirits and "sponsors" are on the agenda each year. Once members hit 40, they are "aged out."

They go by the name of the Superior Jaycees, but what do they really do? As one member put it, "Jaycees -- Mafia or service organization?"

Steve Kirk felt pressure to join the organization.

"My boss was the president at the time," he said. "He convinced me it was a good thing to do."

Krisi Paterson began as a babysitter in the front room, but her boyfriend urged her to become a member.

Both said it was a good move.

"I love it and I wish I would have done it earlier," Paterson said.

Kirk said he enjoys the chance to network, meet people and help others.

Chris Stenberg has been with the Jaycees for three years.

"Most of what we do is projects and events that raise money," he said, then "we give all our money away."

Last year, the Jaycees poured $22,000 into the community. Every year they fill dozens of sandboxes and encourage Superior residents to spend a night together cheering for the Duluth/Superior Huskies. Proceeds from their 2008 Brewfest provided new radios for members of the Douglas County Volunteer Search & Rescue team. A fall golf tournament netted more than $4,000 to provide starter equipment for Superior Amateur Hockey Association members ages 8 and younger. The Jaycees also purchased Christmas presents for families in need, helped send high school students to Japan and provided funds for the Center Against Domestic and Sexual Abuse in 2008.

Along the way, they grow.

"We all gain experience in the process," Stenberg said. "We network with different people, meet new people, make new contacts."

There's more to do behind the scenes than people think, he said, from advertising to coordinating volunteers to choosing a logo for something like "Pink the Rink."

"It's all really good experience for running bigger things in the future," Stenberg said. "That's kind of what we're all about."

"I think the idea is to jump into the chamber," Paterson said.

The Jaycees are also known as the Junior Chamber of Commerce.

"We've got things going ... one or two things every month," Paterson said. "Most of them are family-friendly too so it's definitely encouraging."

And, Stenberg said, "A lot of what we do is for kids, which is huge for me."

The organization is accepting new members between the ages of 21 and 39. For more information on the Superior Jaycees, contact Kirk at (715) 394-8361, e-mail skirk@uwsuper.edu .