Browning & Harvell Train for Service at Annual Education Conference

President LaRoyce Browning and Treasurer Brandy Harvell gained valuable skills needed to better serve their community through hands-on service by attending the nonprofit association’s Annual Education Conference April 27-28 at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, AL. Members took part in seminars that focus on service to children and families to fulfill the organization’s mission and exemplify its slogan of “Care Today—Character Tomorrow.”

“The Annual Meeting of our Association is the time that members from our 94 chapters around the southeast come together for learning, motivation, and a little business,” said NAJA Executive Director Merrill Greenlee of Greenville. The meeting speakers and workshops energized members as the local chapter begins its summer and fall service projects.

The meeting’s featured speakers included

Kim Gravel of Atlanta, an entrepreneur with a passion for people and hearing their stories. A certified Life Coach, Gravel is a sought-after keynote speaker specializing in women’s empowerment, inspirational motivation, and beauty and image perception.

Jane Jenkins Herlong of Edgefield County, South Carolina, a professional singer-songwriter who speaks on life skills, helping audiences work smart, laugh often, and live their dreams. Her latest book, Bury Me With My Pearls, is an Amazon bestseller.

Haley Kilpatrick of Atlanta, the author of the bestseller The Drama Years and founder of the national nonprofit Girl Talk. That organization strives to inspire all girls to develop the confidence to lead and to become women who support and encourage each other.

Jessica Lahey of Lyme, New Hampshire, an educator and bestselling author of The Gift of Failure, which advocates allowing children to experience failure as an integral part of becoming successful, resilient and self-reliant adults. She’s an expert and thought leader on how parenting styles affect students’ motivation and learning.

“AEC offers something for all Junior Auxiliary members: leadership training, officer workshops, motivational speakers, ideas for new service projects and networking opportunities,” said Charlott Jones, NAJA’s national president and a life member of the Junior Auxiliary of Jonesboro, AR. “Training our volunteers allows them to make a larger impact in their communities.”

Last year, the Junior Auxiliary of Arkadelphia performed over 800 hours of service impacting Clark County. Its signature project is Angel Tree, where members help provide Christmas gifts for more than 300 of the community’s children. Out of NAJA’s 94 Chapters, the local Arkadelphia Junior Auxiliary was awarded NAJA’s 2017 Martha Wise Award for this service project.

Browning summed up the experience by saying, “Meetings like this are renewing. We were able to network with other chapters and come back to Arkadelphia renewed and ready to embark on our busiest season of the year.”

Browning reminds community members to be on the lookout for fundraisers to support JA projects like Camp Kaleidoscope, Breakfast with Santa, and the Angel Tree. She added that there are several fundraisers coming up in the next few months and invites community members to become involved.

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