By Sean C.W. Korsgaard

Special to The Farmville Herald

What began with a group of just 25 young men in 1940 now 75 years later stands as a Farmville civic institution, shaping the lives of generations of Farmville residents, business owners and community leaders.

In the words of its members, one only needs to look up and down Main Street to see the impact that the Farmville Jaycees have had on the Farmville community.

The organization was formed as the Farmville Junior Chamber of Commerce — only open to men — and was later renamed the Farmville Jaycees. In 1985, the organization began accepting women as members.

According to the Jaycees, their mission is to “provide developmental opportunities to empower young people in Virginia to create positive change.” In Farmville, they’ve had an impact on everything from enlistment drives during World War II to the creation of the Prince Edward Volunteer Rescue Squad in 1969, to the annual Farmville Christmas Parade. Such community service has always been a Jaycee benchmark, according to former Jaycee and local business owner Gene Watson.

“The Farmville Jaycees are known for the Christmas parade, but we’ve done far more than just the parade,” said Watson. “I can recall when the Jaycees have run haunted houses in the fall, sold apple butter to raise money for a camp for handicapped kids in Bedford, and used to organize a bluegrass festival at the Farmville fairgrounds.”

Watson, owner of W.A. Watson and Sons Insurance Agency, was a member of the Farmville Jaycees from 1978 until he “aged out” in 1993, and like many other former Jaycees, looks back at his membership days fondly.

“The Jaycees are a great way to meet people, to learn leadership skills, to make Farmville a better place and have fun doing it,” said Watson.

For others like Bill Poulston, owner of Poulston’s Appliance, the Farmville Jaycees have become a family tradition. He was a member from age 21 until at 36, he became what the Jaycee’s nicknamed “an exhausted rooster” and aged out of the organization.

Alongside his late brother Ray Poulston, who was president of the Farmville Jaycees, he published calendars the Jaycees sold to local businesses. His daughter, Jennifer Poulston Townsend, and her husband, John, were both presidents of the Farmville Jaycees.

“I got a lot out of being a Jaycee,” said Bill Poulston. “We got to know community leaders, to learn from them, to meet people, and to make lifetime friends and connections, and you don’t forget camaraderie like that.”

Poulston was also quick to lament to decline of civic organizations like the Jaycees, specifically the lack of new blood and youth involvement.

“For one reason or another, young people just don’t see the need for volunteerism the same way we did,” said Poulston. “Groups like the Jaycees were about so much more than just that, though; it was about getting a proper perspective, giving back to the community, working hard together, and playing hard together too.”

It’s a trend that Cameron Patterson, president of the Farmville Jaycees, hopes to reverse.
“We are working hard to expand our membership and involve folks from all parts of our community,” said Patterson. “They provide such an important service for not only the community, but its members as well.”

Patterson joined the Farmville Jaycees in 2011 after getting a job with Longwood University, seeking a way to get more involved with the community. What he discovered was the same thing that has been drawing members to the Farmville Jaycees for 75 years — a way to connect with both young professionals and the community. He’s been with them ever since.

The Jaycees have played a tremendous role over the past 75 years in Farmville — Patterson is far from alone in seeking to continue that role for a new century and a new generation in Farmville.

“It gives me great pride that our organization still plays a role 75 years later,” said Patterson. “I am even prouder of our members, what they do, and the support this community has shown them.”