Portageville resident, Les Vannasdall, leads Missouri's Jaycees

Thursday, March 15, 2018

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. - Les Vannasdall is a man on the move.

On Jan. 1, Vannasdall, a resident of Portageville, took office as president of the Missouri Jaycees. Almost immediately he began traveling the state, heading to Jefferson City and Hannibal.

In the first two months his travels also took him to Jackson, where he is working with local residents to revive the Jaycee chapter there. That is a project near and dear to his heart.

"I am extension focused, adding new chapters or reigniting old chapters," said Vannasdall. "That is my biggest goal."

In the case of Jackson, Vannasdall said the chapter went from one of the biggest in the state to disbanding several years ago. In January, he met with two individuals interested in learning about the Jaycees.

"We started out and we had three people at our first meeting. That three actually turned into seven, seven turned into about 16 and 16 turned into 23 in four meetings. It is just people talking to people," he said about the chapter's revival.

By mid-February, the number of Jaycee chapters in Missouri officially grew to 30 with the addition of the Jackson chapter. According to Vannasdall, there are just under 1,000 men and women Jaycees in Missouri.

Vannasdall admits his interest in the Jaycees, which is open to those ages 18 to 40, came later in his career. In 2013, Vannasdall, who is the assistant street superintendent for the city of New Madrid, joined the New Madrid Jaycees.

The next year he and others formed a chapter in Portageville.

His enthusiasm for the organization drew notice. In 2015 Vannasdall was asked to run for region director, which extends from Ste. Genevieve to Kennett.

"I was hesitant but I went ahead and did it. That got me started on the state level by getting to meet people," he said.

Vannasdall continued moving up, serving two terms as a state vice president. Then he was asked to run for president of the state organization.

"I was really hesitant because of the time that it takes and the travel," said Vannasdall, who with his wife, Tonya, has two children and two grandchildren. "Anyway, a good group of friends talked me into it. And now in '18 here we are."

The goal of the Jaycees, Vannasdall explained, is to be the leading global network of active young citizens. Through that network, the Jaycees provide development opportunities which empower young people to create positive change in their communities.

On his part, Vannasdall said it has helped him grow as a leader.

"I definitely didn't set about to be the state president or on the state team when I joined. It was just helping my community," he said.

But the Jaycees like to push people out of their comfort zones. It often takes that push for members to discover their abilities, he explained.

Vannasdall said in his case it was public speaking. While never shy, he admitted making a presentation can be a bit scary.

"It may start with a little something at the local level, some kind of presentation or training. And then first thing you know, like myself, you are giving speeches in front of hundreds of people," he said.

His work at the state level is a team effort, Vannasdall said. The executive state team along with their executive director, Joe Jerkins, work to support Missouri's chapters and serve as the liaison between the local chapters and the national Jaycee organization.

Jerkins praised the work Vannasdall has done.

"He has come on strong and is doing good," Jerkins said. "He brings a desire to see our chapters and members excel, to be successful and to grow our organization."

Working with Vannasdall as a state vice president and now as president, Jerkins said he has watched Vannasdall's skills continue to develop.

"Les has been very open to learning the position. He has been very good about following up with team members and other chapters," Jerkins said. "He has become much more confident and a great communicator with people."

As president of the Missouri Jaycees, Vannasdall said it is all about communication. He described his job as all about answering questions on things ranging from membership to extension to conflict resolution.

Also it is about getting the message out to the public about what the Jaycees do.

"They know that Sikeston does a rodeo and they know that Cape does golf and barbecue but they don't know what we do behind the scenes as in the toy drives, the food baskets and the scholarships to schools," he said. "Every chapter does something different."

The chapters also work together for two major events - Wonderland Camp at the Lake of the Ozarks and Access Day at the State Fair. Both are for mentally and physically disabled children and adults.

The Jaycees provide the muscle to ready the camp each spring and in the fall to close it down for the year. Throughout the year, they raise funds for the camp's operation.

Access Day at the State Fair enables the disabled to have lunch on the fair grounds. For those who want to the rides. Jaycees are on hand to make sure they have that opportunity.

"Both of these projects are things that all Jaycees in the state hold dear to their hearts," he said.

The events are also an opportunity for Jaycees from across the state to mix and mingle. That networking even extends across state lines.

When flooding hit Texas, Vannasdall was aware the Houston Jaycees were very involved in the relief efforts. The Portageville chapter gathered relief supplies and Vannasdall delivered them to Houston.

"I wouldn't be scared to say all 50 states helped Houston when that happened," he said.

When his presidency comes to an end next December, Vannasdall noted he will be nearing 40 and aging out of the organization, or what the Jaycees describe as becoming an "exhausted rooster."

That is my regret - not learning about Jaycees earlier - you benefit more the younger you join," he said. "We need to starting to see more younger people (involved). It is a great organization and they need to check us out."

Those wanting more information about the Jaycees or forming a chapter can contact Vannasdall at 573-391-4073.

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