|
|||
 |
|||
|
Chamber volunteer stays in mix
JaLynn West makes it sound so easy. "I just jump in, and if I see there is a gap, I fill it," she said. "I just try to reach out to people and help them."She's done this many times for various agencies. The Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce reciprocated by naming her Volunteer of the Year at the Mardi Gras Ball this year. Her reaction? She's not finished giving. "I'm so about the community and giving back to the community," she said. "Because, you know, a community is only great when you give back." Her list of accomplishments includes breathing new life into the chamber's networking and mixer groups. "When I started, there were only a handful of members," she said. "Now there are 80 members." She did it by hosting group meetings and mixers and by being herself. "She has done so much in terms of her ability to teach people how to market themselves," said Harold Shepard, a chamber member who works with Ms. West on the networking group. Chamber board member Cheryl Smith went one step further. "On your worst day, JaLynn can make you smile," Ms. Smith said. "She's normally upbeat. She makes you feel good about yourself." Ms. West is glad to help. She volunteered for the nonprofit Christian Community Action, which helps families in need, and was on the board for Paul's House, which reaches out to at-risk boys in the Dallas area. She also was chairwoman for the Flower Mound and Lewisville chambers' Casino Night. Her involvement belies her once-shy nature. "People can't believe I was ever shy," she said. "I meet people and try to be a friend." Age may have something to do with it. "I don't think of myself as old," the 47-year-old said. "I love this stage of my life. I have finally figured out where I am and where I am going." When she's not volunteering with the chamber or with some other organization, she can be found in her home photography studio. She took up photography after spending more than a decade teaching in The Colony and being an instructor at Camp Goddard. The career change wasn't planned. She'd taken a photography class and practiced by taking pictures of her students and their projects. Before long, she had her first paying job. "I was asked to photograph a wedding," she said. "I charged $100 and couldn't believe I was getting paid for something I absolutely loved doing." Photography has evolved into a full-fledged business. She is pleased with the turn of events. "I'll probably never get rich at this," she said. "But at the end of my life, I'm content to know I've made a difference in the lives around me." |
