For Chelsea Hite, the idea of being involved with the Jefferson City Jaycees began in 2011.
"They were out raising money for an organization, and I thought, 'Why not? I might as well be a part of this,'" Hite said.
Hite, who grew up in Osage County, is the Jaycees' 2020 chapter president.
One of the things that attracted her to the Jaycees was that they'll help any local group looking to raise money as a way to put funds back into the community. This includes the Trunk or Treat event at the Jefferson City Jaycees Fairgrounds every year, from which the Jaycees donate the proceeds to Operation TOYS (Take Our Kids Shopping), an event where law enforcement personnel take disadvantaged children shopping for Christmas.
However, this year, Hite and the Jaycees are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, the Jaycees announced they plan to hold the 70th annual Cole County fair this summer despite uncertainty around the public health crisis.
"It really was a hard decision to make," Hite said. "We took a lot of people's concerns into consideration to make a decision. In the end, we thought it was best so we could give our community something good after all we've gone through."
The fair is scheduled July 27 through Aug. 1.
Hite said it usually takes a year to plan an event like the fair, so the uncertainty of what could come in the next few days has made this difficult. Some other Missouri counties have decided to cancel their fairs; while the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia will take place, it will not include concerts.
"You have thousands of people coming out to something, so we try and be as prepared as possible," Hite said. "We already know we'll have signage around the fairgrounds to address social-distancing requirements and more hand-washing and hand-sanitizing stations.
"The fair is a great opportunity for people to come out and have fun, and it's also a time to let people know what the Jaycees are all about," Hite said. "There's people that don't know we exist, and that's what I want to bring out because we do a lot for the community."
Hite, who has twin 7-year-old boys, said having activities for children was another reason the Jaycees wanted to hold the fair this year.
As chapter president, Hite oversees projects the Jaycees run.
"I have people that manage the fairgrounds and make sure the rentals are taken care of, but probably the best way to say it is I help out wherever I'm needed."
Despite dealing with issues stemming from the pandemic, she doesn't see her serving as this year's chapter president as bad luck for her, Hite said.
"It's something I wanted to do," Hite said. "I was a little scared at first because you really are involved in many things, but I'm glad I did it. I still have some butterflies about some things with the fair, but I think we'll be fine."