Hero and Mentor Rick Gutierrez dies at 56

Rick is the guy in the middle of the front row with the tie. 

I had a conversation with my Mother who lives in Powell, WY today and found out that a very dear friend died. Rick Gutierrez died on May 30, 2012 at the age of 56 at St. Vincent’s in Billings, MT.

I owe Rick an extreme debt of gratitude. In 1986 when I lived in Worland, WY Rick was President of the Worland Jaycees. After months and months of his badgering phone calls he convinced me and several others to join the Worland chapter in January of that year. In the beginning of my Jaycee career Rick was right there encouraging and supporting me every step of the way.

Joining the Jaycees was a real turning point in my life. I learned so many things in the Jaycees that sent me on a totally different life path. I learned how to be a better public speaker, how to manage projects and gain a ton of self confidence that translated to my personal and professional life. I could write an entire book on the tremendous impact the JC’s have had on so many areas of my life.

Rick with his Granddaughter. 

Less than 5 weeks ago I was in Powell to see my Mother who was ill and run into Rick at one of the local grocery stores. He looked great, I shook his hand when I saw him and thanked him for being so a good friend and being the man who led me to the Jaycees. He invited me for a get together while I was there but I told him since my Mom’s situation was so bad I couldn’t commit to seeing him. I told him the next time I came to Powell we’d get together and have a beer. And so it goes…

It came as a real shocker to hear this news today. Rick was only 56, way too young to be taken at such an early age. Rick was very well liked by many and was a real community service oriented person his whole life.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Laura his wife of 31 years and his children Chad, Mandy and Ryan. He’ll be missed; he was a fine man and good friend. God speed Rick and thank you so much for what you gave me, I’ll never forget it.

Grateful for this glorious Community Service Honor

Jeff Jacques: US Junior Chamber International Senator #69657

Here's the definition of what a JCI Senator is:

"The United States JCI Senate is an independent organization, with its own constitution and bylaws, associated with the United States Junior Chamber and Junior Chamber International.

The purposes of the US JCI Senate are twofold. Foremost, we seek to build and promote fellowship among our Senators through our publications, meetings, and social activities. Second, but just as important to us, is to promote the Junior Chamber program. We do this by offering our assistance and the knowledge and experience of our members to the Junior Chamber organization. The United States JCI Senate stands ready to help the United States Junior Chamber and any local chapter, district, region, or state officer. This assistance is always available for the asking.

A JCI Senatorship is the highest honor which can be bestowed upon a current or past member by Junior Chamber International for outstanding service to the organization. It provides a unique means for recognizing a member’s outstanding achievements, and also confers upon that individual a “Life Membership” in Junior Chamber International.

A JCI Senatorship may be given to any local Junior Chamber member in appreciation of services rendered at any level of the organization, and is subject to the approval of the local, state, and national Presidents. Current local members must have a minimum of five years of membership before they may be nominated for a JCI Senatorship."

I had a very wonderful surprise waiting for me this morning when I came home from work. It’s seems my wife Jenny gave me a great belated birthday present.

I guess she tried to get it to me by my 50th birthday but it didn’t quite get here on time but trust me this is one of those precious gifts that even though you get it late, it was well worth the wait.

My wife, with the help of Frank Sowder the current State President of the Wyoming Jaycees, submitted a Senatorship application in my name to the US Jaycees and the JCI. They accepted it. This award is the highest honor a Jaycee can receive and it’s such a great privilege to be selected. I’ve been out of the JC’s for 9 years but the 15 years that I happily served were some of the best years of my life.  

The instant I joined the Worland, WY Jaycees in 1986 I began to experience immediately all the community, management, and individual development educational lessons the organization would teach me over the next 15 years in several different JC Chapters around Wyoming. I had a fantastic experience in the Jaycees getting involved in a wide variety of projects and meeting all kinds of exceptional people in the organization and outside of it. The experiences I gleamed from the JC’s also helped to advance my business career in management because during those years I ran 2 different businesses.

Today the need for the Jaycees in America couldn’t be greater. It’s the best young person’s organization in the world and has helped launch many of today’s successful businessmen and women and political leaders. If you have never heard of the JC’s and are between the ages of 18 and 41 I encourage you to check it out. Here’s the link to the US Jaycees website.

http://www.usjaycees.org/

Many of my friends on facebook are people I met in the Wyoming Jaycees. To this day they are some of the best friends I’ve ever made in my life and for that one thing alone I’m eternally grateful. I can also thank the JC’s for helping me meet Jenny who I met at the last State Meeting I could attend as a regular member (at 41 you age out) back in 2001 in Thermopolis, WY. She turned out to be my best friend and eventually my wife.

Jenny is the single greatest gift I ever received in the Jaycees. Thank you my love for making this happen and thank you to all the great friends I have in the JC’s and for your love and friendship over the years.

I love the Jaycee Creed and I sincerely believe that if any young person joined the Jaycees today they too would see that service to humanity is the best work of life.

St. Patrick's Day and the Wyoming Jaycees

St. Patrick's Day has a very special place in my heart. In January of 1986 I joined the Worland, WY Jaycees.  It was the beginning of a huge growth experience which began almost immediately. After being a member for just a month I was approached at one the meetings and asked if I wanted to chair the Multiple Sclerosis Ugly Bartender Contest.

The contest was a U.S. Jaycees nationwide program to raise money to help people afflicted with MS. The contest was also sponsored by the Wyoming Jaycees and at that time there was 33 Jaycee Chapters in the State with most participating in the contest.

The contest was really a local competition between bars to see which one could raise the most money for MS by whatever means possible. It kicked off on St. Patrick's Day and ended a month later on April 17.

In the beginning I really had no idea how to chair a project since it was my first and didn't have a clue how I was going to convince anyone to participate. I was 25 years old at that time and didn't have all that much confidence in my abilities to sell the idea to bar owners. I was at that time a very shy introverted person who feared public speaking so much I just couldn't imagine someone with my personality type selling the idea to anyone.  During that time the Worland Jaycees only had about a dozen members who were active in the chapter so I knew if I took on the project I was really taking it on myself.

The previous year the Worland Jaycees ran the contest they had 3 bars that participated and raised $300.  I felt like I had to reach for a higher goal.  I somehow had to prove to the guys in the Chapter that I was worthy of being a member of their group.

I felt like the only chance I had at success was to just walk into each bar, be myself, tell them what the contest was about and were the money raised would be spent.  I also knew that in order to have them gain trust in me I would have to be there for any of the projects or fundraisers they tried and help them promote their events in any way possible.   I also knew that the important key was constant follow up. The most important thing I felt I had to do was just make each person I met a friend.

Ultimately I convinced 23 bars from Worland, Ten Sleep, Manderson, Basin and Greybull, WY to participate.  In all the 23 bars raised over $4,300 in the month long fundraising event.

The contest was the beginning of a rebirth for me and helped me come out of the shell I had been in for most of my young adult life.  I made so many new friends, learned so much about people and organization from the contest it was like going to and graduating from a Carnegie Program. In fact most of the principles I put to use came from his book, "How to win friends and influence people."

The contest launched a lifelong 15 year career in Jaycees for me. The friends, projects and all the wonderful learning experiences I gleamed from the Jaycees have meant the world to me.   

I don't have an advanced college degree in Business or Psychology but I put my learning experiences in the Jaycees equal to any degree from any college. What I lacked in education, I made up for in just hard work and determination to succeed.  There are so many unbelievable stories of men and woman just like me that understand that giving just a little time to a worthy cause can bring back so much in return. 

So many of the highly educated in this country talk a good talk but it seems few put their time and their talents were their mouths are to a cause or a community service organization. The people I most admire are the ones who "do", who "act" and who “risk” going outside their own comfort zone to do something for someone other than themselves.

March 17, 1986 was the day I began to come to some understanding of these principles. I only hope that anyone who reads this will be inspired to go out and actively participate in some worthy community cause whatever it may be. If you are under 41 the Jaycees are a great place to start.

Happy St. Patrick's Day