Junior Auxiliary of Brookhaven is celebrating National JA Week this week, April 3-9. This annual celebration is a time to pause and thank the community, sponsors, and volunteer members who work so hard year-round to make a positive difference.

The week begins with the Junior Auxillary of Brookhaven’s Spring Banquet.

JA of Brookhaven works to serve the entire community of Brookhaven, with the anchor project of Wish Tree, benefiting an estimated 200-250 children. JA of Brookhaven has been a part of the Brookhaven and Lincoln County community since 1954 and has 34 members who donated over 1000 hours in the fiscal year 2021–2022 to the Chapter’s various projects. The chapter raises funds each year through its annual Shrimp Dinner, which is held in October every year.

“This is an exciting week for us, because it gives us a chance to thank all of the citizens of Brookhaven and Lincoln County, Mississippi for supporting us in this work, and to recognize our wonderful corporate sponsors who finance these projects,” Lindsey Abdalla, PR chair, said. “The families and children we serve are so deserving and thankful for this assistance, and none of that would be possible without the support of the entire community.”

Entering the second half of the 80th year for the National Association of Junior Auxiliary, the group is sharing its challenge and theme this year put forth by National President Gayle Brown. She asked us all to give “Hope for the future.” This message has tremendous opportunity during JA week to spread hope, and share is done in local chapters. Let it serve as an inspiration for others to get involved. There is no better subject to receive hope than the children that benefit from Junior Auxiliary and its projects.

Junior Auxilliary of Brookhaven is a part of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries (NAJA), a non-profit organization founded in 1941 with headquarters in Greenville. NAJA has 15,406 active, associate, and life members in approximately 100 Chapters in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Junior Auxiliary members volunteered 216,516 hours in their communities in 2020-21, and invested $2,500,000 in seven southeastern states in 2021-21.

The NAJA slogan is “Caring hearts. Helping hands. Changing lives.” Junior Auxiliary chapters are working more than ever to provide care to those less fortunate in order to make their tomorrows better.

For more information, or to make a tax-deductible donation to JA of Brookhaven, email jabrookhaven@gmail.com. For more information on NAJA, visit www.najanet.org or call 662-332-3000.