In an age when memberships in many organizations has been in decline, local community service and civic clubs are utilizing modern means of communication in order to maintain an active presence in East Mississippi.

While nothing can replace old-fashioned face-to-face encounters, these groups also employ social media and electronic communication to both keep current members engaged and attract others by highlighting their activities.

Junior Auxiliary

Junior Auxiliary of Meridian is one of 98 chapters of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries, which, according to its website, “represents a serious endeavor on the part of women to be active and constructive community participants and to assume leadership roles in meeting community needs.” (www.najanet.org/who-we-are/)

The local organization’s biggest fundraiser is its charity ball, which takes place every February and helps sponsor five service drives. Those include Reading Is Fundamental, the Mississippi Children’s Museum in Meridian, Helping Hands, teacher mini-grants and Junior Auxiliary Mentors, for which information can be found on the chapter’s website, jameridian.com.

Kim Knight, president of the Meridian chapter, said women who wish to join the organization must be at least 23 years old and a Meridian resident for at least six consecutive months. Some current members are in their 40s, and the chapter is made up of women predominantly in their 20s and 30s. Membership has seen an uptick in recent years, Knight said.

“We’re at about 52 members now, and historically the chapter has been at 35 to 40,” Knight said. “Being at 52 makes us one of the bigger chapters in the country, though there are definitely some that are bigger.”

To become a member, a woman must be nominated by a current member and take part in the provisional class for the first year.

“We use (social media) some in the recruiting process,” Knight said. “We’re heavy on social media, and a lot of times people move here and want to plug into us, and they reach out to us. Social media also helps tremendously with our projects and recruiting people for those projects.”

In being active on Facebook and Instagram, Knight said she hopes it serves as a means of making people more aware of the group’s presence in Meridian.

“If you look back to our social media (accounts) you’ll see who we brought into our provisional class, so hopefully other women will be intrigued,” Knight said. “It also serves as advertising, something that is hopefully contagious and what people want to be a part of.”

New members are nominated in August and introduced in October then go through provisional training until April. A six-year minimum commitment is required before you become a lifetime member.

Civitan Club

Chartered in 1941, the Meridian Civitan Club is the local chapter of Civitan International, which has a mission of building “good citizenship by providing a volunteer organization of clubs dedicated to serving individual and community needs with an emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities,” according to the club’s Facebook page (https://bit.ly/2DDQqwI).

Misty Hollingsworth, president of the Meridian chapter, said as part of its mission, they sponsor the Civitan International Research Center located at UAB in Birmingham, Alabama. The center is dedicated to better treatment of disorders such as autism, cerebral palsy, brain cancer and other human brain illnesses, Hollingsworth said.

“Membership in our Civitan club goes beyond making a difference in the lives of others,” Hollingsworth said. “Civitan membership provides opportunities for personal growth, leadership training and organizational experience. Many also join Civitan to meet civic-minded people, enjoy fellowship and do something fulfilling with their free time.”

The local group has approximately 15 members and meets at noon Tuesdays on the third floor of Rush Hospital’s private cafeteria dining room for lunch and a program hosted by local business employees, Hollingsworth said. Members range from ages 20 and older, with one member, Doc Braswell, who last year celebrated his 50th year of service with the group.

The club has a Facebook account it updates to show what goes on in the meetings.

“We use Facebook as a way for recruitment or for anyone to see our weekly speakers or what we have going on in the future,” Hollingsworth said. “We have membership drives where each member invites guests to join us. Our member occupations range from bankers, councilmen, medical field workers to retirees.”

Hollingsworth said current members mostly got involved by being invited to a meeting or being interested in the group’s mission and inquiring about how they can help.

Rotary

Meridian Rotary Club “represents a cross-section of the community’s business and professional men and women” with opportunities to “become connected to your community” and “work with others addressing community needs,” according to the group’s website, meridianmsrotaryclub.org.

Wade Sims, president of the Meridian chapter, said current membership is at approximately 85 people who gather weekly to encourage each other and make an impact on the community.

Sims said the club supports numerous charities and members are active in volunteering throughout the year, including school volunteering opportunities. It also supports international relief efforts, and Rotary is one of the organizations credited with humanity being close to eliminating polio, Sims said.

“We are a diverse club, and we welcome everyone who has an interest in making an impact in our community,” Sims said. “Our ages range from retired members who have been in the club for more than 50 years to young leaders in the community in their 20s. We are represented by women and men, and we welcome everyone.”

In relation to the last three years, membership is down slightly, Sims said, but in the last 12 months membership has started to grow. Recruitment, he said, is most effective when it’s done by having members reach out to interested people.

“We do have people who are unsolicited that ask to join rotary,” Sims said. “It’s also not uncommon to have transfers of membership for people who move here from other areas, but the most effective way is to ask someone to come experience a meeting.”

The club’s social media chairman, Aa’Keela Hudnall, manages its Facebook page, while the club’s website isn’t quite as active.

“The focus is to just keep the community and those interested informed with what’s going on in Rotary,” Sims said. “Rotary International also has a centralized database that helps us communicate effectively. It’s helpful, because you’re able to log on and email everyone or the officers or whoever you need to.”

There is a process of being accepted into the organization that is outlined in its bylaws, with the main focus being making sure interested parties want to help make an impact in the community, Sims said.

Downtown Optimist Club

Founded in 1941, the Downtown Optimist Club is a local chapter of Optimist International that has assisted youth programs in Meridian such as youth baseball, the Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts, Crestwood T-ball and junior golf, according to its website, dtoc.org.

Lee Thaggard, president of the Downtown Optimist Club, said people who join have a passion for seeing young people succeed. It also helps that weekly meetings are lively, he added.

“Our focus is supporting youth and youth activities in our community, and it’s hard not to get excited about that,” Thaggard said. “When they come to our meetings, they have a good time. It’s not a straight-laced group. We come from all walks of life, and that includes small business owners, doctors, lawyers, bankers, insurance, auto repair and people from the hotel industry, and Walmart has had their management folks be involved. We’re laughing every single meeting and are always in good spirits.”

Meetings range from between 25 to 30 regular attendees, and as of mid-February the club had gained two members. Most of the recruitment effort is by word of mouth.

“If you’re interested in rolling up your sleeves and helping youth, then you’re going to fit in,” Thaggard said. “We’re striving to recruit people of all genders and races.”

Paul Tarver, the club’s treasurer and social media manager, said it has a website and Facebook page, with the website being used mostly for press releases when the club makes donations to local organizations. Facebook is used to help alert members and the greater public for events like the club’s annual pancake jubilee every February.

“It’s very useful,” Tarver said. “Once you create the event on Facebook, it can be shared and people can be tagged, so it gets out to a fairly large audience. We have a history built up on our website of all the good work we’ve done in the past, and that becomes beneficial for other organizations looking for assistance or people looking to get involved in what we do.”

Email also serves as a useful tool to help let people know when events like the pancake jubilee, T-ball or junior golf are taking place.

“We have an email list for members when we need to let people know about something outside of a regular meeting, but since we meet on a weekly basis we use it less frequently,” Tarver said.