Jr. Chamber members at the Great Pumpkin event held in Kearny at Halloween.
If you attend any public community events, you more than likely will run into local high school students who help make sure the events go off without a hitch. These kids are all a part of Junior Chamber, a mentorship program for local teens run by the Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce.
Students from Ray Jr/Sr High School, Hayden High School and Winkelman Prep have all formed groups within each school. To join and participate, each student enters into an agreement to maintain a “C” average and commit to at least 50 hours of volunteer work per year. They meet once a month during their one-hour lunch break to discuss all the upcoming events and past performances. Students are involved in a group chat and the “group me” app and must communicate on all levels.
For the past three years, this program of young volunteers has been led by Emilia Rutledge. Emilia, who works for Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce, also serves the community by holding “Emilia’s Community Events” as well as working with AZYP (Arizona Youth Partnership), Copper Corridor Community Substance Abuse Coalition, along with any other activity that may need a lending hand. Others who also selflessly volunteer their time are high school representatives, Megan Corder and Germain Borne, and sponsor, Nannette Moreno.
In the past year, these students have volunteered for more than a few events, such as the Elks Dinner and events, Kearny Car Show, Kearny Pumpkin Patch, Kearny’s Great Pumpkin, Ray School Concession Stand, Winkelman’s Haunted House, KSP Roping’s and Gymkhanas, Fire Department training and events, Kearny’s Polar Express, Winkelman Xmas, and Set Free Church’s Christmas Event. They also help educate the community on anti-bullying, teen substance abuse, and just try their best to better the lives of other teens and residents in the community. These are just a small number of events they are involved with.
“Throughout the year,” Emilia said, “all students receive awards based on performance, communication, relationships, and integrity. I feel students should always be acknowledged for their hard work, especially if they stand out.”
In fact, on March 25, 2025, several students from Junior Chamber were recognized by Copper Corridor Community Substance Abuse Coalition. The coalition said they were awarded “for being All-Stars volunteering at all events and meeting or exceeding volunteer hours in a semester.” There will also be another awards ceremony from Kearny Elks B.P.O.E 2478 on May 1, 2025. The program also gives each participant $100 per year that they are active and complete all requirements. Seniors in the program are also eligible to apply for a $1,000 Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce Scholarship as well as a $250 scholarship, the Art Padilla Scholarship, which is awarded to the student from both Ray and Hayden schools, who has completed the most volunteer hours.
Spending the time to give back to their communities is not something most teenagers even think of, let alone setting time aside out of free time without expecting anything in return. So, the next time you see these teens volunteering their time, make sure to stop and thank them for all they do.
Sponsors of Junior Chamber include Dunn Ranch, ARC, Norm’s IGA, Elks B.P.O.E 2478, Asarco/Grupo Mexico, Wernett Properties, Bella Pools, Eddie Tire, Moose Knuckle Prints, Kearny’s Hand-Me-Up Shop, Town of Kearny, Town of Winkelman, Marge Jones, Frank and Angela Buso, Joanne Lerma, and Tyler Bingham.
Hayden-Winkelman High School Participants: High School Rep. Germain Bohrn, Kristin Alvarado, Karla Anaya, Selestina Sosa-Quintana, Josiah Ramirez, Marcos Oropeza, Gabriel Sandoval, Lucas Gonzalez, Alejandro Waddell, front: Isabella De Los Reyes, Jallissah Pacheco, Raquel Quesada, Sandra Sosa-Quintana, Jacklyn Francisco, Abigale Bailey, Mallory Lord, Maria Sanchez, Yvana Waddell, Sienna Gonzales, Dallas Mariscal, Kyleigh Aguirre, Nevaeh Ramirez. Then me. Not pictured is Kaiden Weber, Dominique Karl and Alijah Aguirre.
Ray Jr/Sr High School Participants: Asher Warren, Xavier Granillo, George Wade, Jaxon Cude, Seth Wade, RJ Nunez, Seth Wade, Brayden Boyd Flores, James Furstenberg, Kylie Jenkins, Kaylee Servant, Jocelyn Garcia, Veronica Baez, Gianah DeLosReyes, Isabella Montijo, Erika Montijo, Benji Bui, Izzy Stacy, Krishel Sims, Jillian Figuerora, Lexi Reige, Anmalina Whillock, Analina Montijo, Vanessa Bui, Gracie Rivera. Not pictured: Harmony Westfall and Lili Solis.
Winkelman Prep Participants: Jazmin Hernandez and Kyleigh Adkins; not pictured is Kimberly Taylor.