Chamber of Commerce introduces 2017-18 Junior Leaders

Every year a few dozen high school juniors take on the challenge of volunteerism with the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. These intrepid helpers take on everything from serving dinners at the Cattlemen’s banquet, to doling out candy for gingerbread houses at Holly Day, to cleaning up trash after the Watermelon Festival.

They are the Junior Leaders, and for a new group of participants, the fun and work have just begun.

The Junior Leaders program begins every year with a get-to-know-you teambuilding day. Because the students come from across the county, many of them don’t know each other prior to the program. That will all change, given the extensive time they will spend together over the next year – beginning with their first event, held this year Thursday at Dismals Canyon.

“Today is the new group’s first outing together. They’re getting to know each other and learning to work as a team,” said chamber director Cassie Medley. “They have to work together a lot from here on out, the next ten months. Every project, every function, they have to work together.”

In this year’s group of 42 Junior Leaders, the largest representation is from Russellville, as a natural result of the student body size. “But we’ve had great participation from Tharptown and Red Bay and Phil Campbell,” Medley added.

And after ten months spent working together, “they will have 41 new best friends by the time this is over.”