SCVNews.com | Opinion/Commentary: Cindy Curtis | New JCI Santa Clarita Chapter President

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January 24

1888 - Acton post office established; Richard E. Nickel, postmaster [story]

Cindy Curtis | New JCI Santa Clarita Chapter President

Press Release | Monday, Jan 2, 2023

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Dear Community Members,

Happy New Year! I am so excited to kick off 2023! The executive committee has already been working hard to provide incredible opportunities for the year.

For those who do not know me, my name is Cindy Curtis and I am serving as the 26th President of JCI Santa Clarita for 2023.

I have been a member of the chapter since 2019, served on the executive committee since 2020 and chaired projects like Santa’s Helpers in 2020 and Pack to School in 2021. I am beyond excited to take on this new role! I love this organization and appreciate all of the growth and opportunities JCI has given me and look forward to continuing the legacy of excellence our chapter is known for.

In December, Christina Dronen, Executive Director of Finally Family Homes spoke to us about their housing project for aging out foster youth. JCI Holiday at the Park gave members a chance to bring family and friends to Gilchrist Farm, where they got to see the animals, meet Santa and ride the tractors.

Our final 2022 social event was our Ugly Sweater Crawl, starting at Tim and Jenny Ketchepaw’s home and ending at Alex Hafizi and Arnold Bryant’s home. We had the chance to bond with past Jaycees, see Jenny’s elusive shoe collection, count who had more Christmas trees in their home (there are about 87 between the two houses), eat, drink and be merry!

Thank you to everyone who attended our Chat n Chill, JCI Holiday at the Park, and our Ugly Sweater Crawl, and a special thanks to Christina Dronen for speaking with us, and to Alex Hafizi, Arnold Bryant, and Tim and Jenny Ketchepaw for opening your homes to us.

I want to welcome our new members Heather Moylan, Jessica Escorza, and Artur Mnatsakanyan. If I have not had the chance to meet you yet, I look forward to it. Welcome to our Jaycees family!

I also want to take the time to congratulate our 2022 Santa’s Helpers chairs: Aimee Fishwick, Katie Collins, and Nicole Fauth. This year, we were able to serve 711 children in the Santa Clarita Valley! This was our biggest Santa’s Helpers event to date and what a success! Congratulations to the three of you, your committee and your volunteers on another incredible Santa’s Helpers, you should all be incredibly proud of what you accomplished this season.

Your executive committee will be meeting at the end of January to plan out the year, so stay tuned! If you are interested in joining a project, looking for ways to give back, or want to start a project of your own, please reach out to myself or any member of the executive team!

Yours in Jaycees,
Cindy Curtis
2023 President, JCI Santa Clarita

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