In honor of JA Week, the Junior Auxiliary (JA) of Hope hosted todays Business After Hours for members of the community at the Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce. Tasty treats were provided to guests while they mingled with JA members and learned more about the organization's mission. JA is a volunteer group made up of local ladies who hope to make a lasting difference in the lives of the community's citizens, especially children. They host and participate in multiple projects in the community, as well as plan events and raise funds to directly benefit local youth.

At today's After Hours, JA Vice President Linsey Kirkpatrick said she and fellow JA members were excited about hosting the event. "We are pleased to be able to share our mission with the community and also, hopefully, recruit a few new members to add to our group of ladies," Kirkpatrick said. "One thing we want people to know the most is that we work with all ages of children. Many know about our programs for elementary children, but not what we have to offer high school age children. We are trying to establish with our high schoolers that we offer help with scholarships, creating resumes, balancing checkbooks, anything that will help them with college and/or life after high school."

Kirkpatrick and the rest of the ladies had a list of the many JA projects that take place throughout the year, as well as the number of hours completed by members so far in 2023, to show how active this group remains within the community. While they shared this info and mingled with guests, all in attendance appeared to be having a joyous time swapping stories over late afternoon snacks.