Comment of the Week

"I must say that I was very disappointed when I read the article in the News & Record; not because the reporter (Robert Bell) did his job, but because the Jaycees maybe didn't do their job.

When I finished the article, I felt hollow. When money is misused, whether it is the Jaycees or some other public trust, it makes me mad. Many people, past Jaycees and present, have worked very hard to promote our community, and give something back to the place we all love to live. Unfortunately, when someone betrays the trust of the organization, its members and community, there can only be one result—people will instinctively want to distance themselves from that entity.

The newspaper is probably right, the short term net result will probably be that the Jaycees will have a harder time recruiting, and will possibly see a drop in current membership.We do not have to look far for a good example of the effects of bad press on a Jaycee organization. Anyone from Hartford will tell you that their non-Jaycee related issue with a sitting president caused immense harm to their club.

After talking to some Green Coats and a couple current board members, I still do not know what really has transpired. I understand the Jaycees’ position of allowing the monies to be paid back; as long as the money in question could have been a legitimate Jaycee expense that has just remained undocumented.

However, in the event that money was misused (as reported in the News & Record article, for personal utilities) then I personally feel that harsher steps should have been taken. The Jaycees must protect the public trust.

I do feel a little better that the Jaycees took immediate steps to prevent credit card misuse from happening in the future. I hope that the community can forgive the Jaycees quickly, and we all can get back to building a better community."

Kevin von der Lippe
1998-99 Greensboro Jaycee President