Nearly A Century of Leadership & Community Impact In Arvada (and Colorado)
Since 1936, the Arvada Jaycees have helped shape the community through leadership development, civic engagement, and service-driven initiatives.
Who Are The Jaycees & What We Do
The Arvada Jaycees operate as a local chapter of Junior Chamber International (JCI). JCI provides the mission, the membership framework, and a global community of like-minded leaders. What it does not do is tell local chapters how to show up for their communities. That part is entirely up to us. Every program we run, every initiative we support, and every leader we develop is a reflection of what this chapter believes Arvada needs. We are connected to something much bigger, but our focus has always been right here.
For nearly a century, the Arvada Jaycees have played an active role in shaping this community through leadership development and hands-on service. Founded in 1936, the chapter has contributed to local programs, civic initiatives, and community traditions that Arvada still benefits from today. But the Jaycees have always been more than a service organization. From the beginning, this chapter has been a launching point for real leaders who went on to shape Arvada in business, government, and civic life. This page is a look at that history, where it started, what it built, and why it still matters.
Jaycees In Action
The Arvada you know today has a little bit of Jaycee in it. Here are some of the more notable achievements from the Arvada Jaycees
Arvada Harvest Festival (celebrated its 100th year in 2025)
Operation Poinsettia for nearly 40 years
Helped establish the first Arvada Public Library
Helped form the North Jeffco Recreation District
Four members served on Arvada City Council
The Arvada Jaycee's Hall
The Arvada Jaycee Hall has been the heartbeat of this chapter since 1944, when members purchased what was then a modest Seventh Day Adventist church on Yukon Street for just under a thousand dollars. Over the decades, members rolled up their sleeves and transformed it into a true community gathering place, adding plumbing, a kitchen, restrooms, and eventually the brick facade that still stands today. It has hosted countless meetings, events, and community gatherings, and has served organizations beyond the Jaycees including the Boy Scouts, Toastmasters, and the Arvada Harvest Festival committee. In 2025, it marked 100 years of that festival, a milestone the hall has been part of almost from the very beginning.
What makes the hall truly special is that it is still here at all. In 2006, a former member returned to find it in serious disrepair and on the verge of being lost to tax foreclosure. He worked to reclaim it, restore it, and in 2011 earned it a place on both the Jefferson County and Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. Today it stands as the last remaining Jaycee Hall in Colorado and one of the oldest non-residential structures in Arvada. It is more than a building. It is a living piece of the city’s history and proof that this chapter has always been worth fighting for.