January 2025 From the President's Deck

Greetings and Happy New Year to all John J. Wright Alumni Association members and to family, friends and community!

A new year brings great opportunities for new beginnings, new friendships, new partnerships, and new successes. As we look back over the years our hearts hold love and gratitude for those who had the foresight to conceive of and establish the John J. Wright Alumni Association (JJWAA) in the mid 50’s.

We applaud and salute past presidents, Mrs. Thelma Pryor, Mr. William “Big T” Taylor, Ms. Connie Braxton and Ms. Lena Henderson for carrying the John J. Wright Alumni Association torch and, who lived up to the challenges of the school’s Alma Mata, experienced and then shared the rewards of having been John J Wright students and staff!

With the election and installation of the new John J. Wright Alumni Association Board of Directors, we make a sincere promise to the membership and community to uphold The Primary Objectives and Specific Purposes of the John J. Wright Alumni Association, and to enjoy opportunities for fun-filled comradery while doing so.

Since many have recently asked what the JJWAA does, we can start the year off by sharing this:

Primary Objectives:

• Retain connections among John J. Wright Alumni and community, Preserve and disseminate the history of African Americans in Spotsylvania County:

• Promote, enhance and foster education and community welfare in the county in a charitable manner; and,

• Promote fellowship among the alumni of Spotsylvania (Snell) Training School, John J. Wright Consolidated School and John J. Wright Middle School.

Primary Purposes as outlined in the by-laws:

To promote academic excellence in communities served by JWAA, Inc., promote community awareness in education and JJWAA, Inc.; support lifelong learning; engage in any activity that a Virginia nonprofit association may lawfully engage and, provide financial assistance to post high school students enrolling in undergraduate studies or technical school. We accomplished fund raising goals in the past by sponsoring a springtime Bingo Game and Sock Hop, a mid- summer Friends and Family Day and the Annual Dinner Dance as autumn leaves began to fall. I am so happy to say that these activities will all continue, with enhancements!

Methodology: A Successful Two-Year Campaign for Membership Increases and Expansion –Upholding the original steadfast objectives and purposes of the John J. Wright Alumni Association requires that the Board of Directors join hands, minds, body and efforts with the extended John J. Wright School family, JJWAA membership and community to accomplish this critical goal. Doing so in a dedicated partnership will ensure successful continuity and sustainment of the JJWAA organization along with its impactful services to the community. I take this opportunity to emphasize that successful services and benefits to the community can only be attained by building a strong, empowered membership and encouraging meaningful participation in JJWAA activities. Since the organization was created in the mid-50s, many have passed on to their final reward. The youngest JJW Consolidated School

alumni, JJW Middle School attendees and members have already been blessed to reach their 60s and 70s, however, we still exemplify that JJW Wildcat spirit and want to pass on the history, accomplishments and opportunities to the next generations!

The goal of the 2025-27 Membership Campaign is to recover the membership of those who have left the organization and to more actively recruit, include and increase the number of younger extended family members, the sons, daughters and grandchildren (who are our legacies) of alumni, of other current members and other contributing community members. Similar goals have been established over the past years with some successes and some less successful attempts. We pledge to have overwhelming success in meeting that goal with your assistance and input.

We are not all talk and no action, therefore, the JJWAA Membership Application and return contact information is available with this newsletter. An electronic registration form is under discussion/development by the Membership Committee. We will orchestrate several memberships challenges this year with the help of the Ways and Means Committee and the JJWAA members themselves for instance, which family can register the most family and friends for membership? There could be an awesome prize waiting for you!!

I have solicited the expertise of the newly elected JJWAA Vice President, Jacqueline “Jackie” Woodward Washington to lead the 2025-2027 John J. Wright Alumni Association Membership Campaign. Mrs. Washington is a 1968 John. J. Wright Consolidated School graduate and has been an active contributing member for numerous years. Based upon her leadership and dedication to the association and community, she was selected by Melvin “Butch” Lewis to be Co-chair of the JJWAA Ways and Means Committee along with Shirley Minor from 2021-2022. Along with raising a commendable level of scholarship funds and increasing activities attendance, membership increased substantially during her tenure.

Mrs. Lillian (Hart) Brooks has seen the critical need for the continuation of the association and has put her hopes of continuity into action by joining the JJWAA Membership Committee. We are excited and we welcome her ideas and input, the first of which is her offer to include alumni association information, membership applications and activities announcements in her church’s bulletins! She challenges other members to do the same! Three Wildcat cheers for Mrs. Brooks!!!

That leads us to the next goal…Goal: Solicit and utilize ideas and input from the membership to improve services and to sponsor meaningful, purposeful and productive membership activities Action on this goal starts with the very first JJWAA meeting on January 11, 2025. Members as well as prospective members will be invited to attend meetings. All meeting attendees will be extended the opportunity to provide input and to offer suggestions for future activities, etc. The Members Comments and Suggestions Form will be handed out at each meeting and JJWAA activity and it is also included in this newsletter for your use. You may email comments to Shelby Robinson at robinsonshelbyj@gmail.com and you may pass information on through one of the board of directors or committee members as well.

No, these are not the only actions planned for the next two years, but they are a great start to this New Year! There is much more to come my friends. The New Board of Directors, the Ways and Means Committee, The Scholarship Committee and Membership Committee are all on full speed. Get ready for the next two fun years ahead!

Shelby J. Robinson