Fonds F0363 - Calgary Jaycees fonds

The Calgary Junior Chamber of Commerce was established in Calgary, Alberta in 1927 by W. Gordon Egbert, Dr. E.R. Upton and T.J. Hutchings. The organization consists of people between the ages of 21 and 40 dedicated to improving their community through leadership training. One of the organization's first projects was the operation of a tourist camp from about 1929 until 1942. During the Second World War the Jaycees ran a salvage campaign and also provided canteens for servicemen. It also sponsored campaigns for a city incinerator, a citizenship program for immigrants, Christmas lights, little league baseball, city clean-ups, and traffic safety. It staged numerous film shows for children. It has also operated projects for community betterment, effective speaking, international relations and leadership training. In 1956 and 1959 it received the award as best Jaycee city in Canada and in the latter year won the world award. After the organization of a national Jaycee organization in 1936, a number of Calgarians were national presidents, including W.F. Reid, Ed O'Connor, Donald Mackay and Roger Flumerfelt. For more than a decade after 1977 the Jaycees ran the Pot O' Gold lottery at the Calgary Stampede. They were also heavily involved in the national Outstanding Young Farmer competition.