The Sikeston Young Professionals, otherwise known as SYP, is a group comprised of working people between the ages of 21-40(ish). SYP meets every other month in an ongoing effort to Connect, Develop, & Serve. 

Most recently, SYP met up for an event designed to showcase a variety of ways they could get involved with their community. We put out the call to local civic groups and clubs or anyone in the area who may be looking for new members or volunteers and were so happy to have 9 organizations sign up. If you've been looking for a way to get involved yourself--here is some more information from the participating groups below.

                                                                                                    


Light Up Sikeston with the Hope of Jesus

Since 2020, we have hosted a multitude of displays from Thanksgiving through to New Years Day. We invite churches, organizations, and businesses to use our event as their Christmas Card to the community. We started with 24 displays in 2020 and in 2023 we had almost 100! We expect to be even bigger this year.

There is no cost to participants for this event. But, donations are collected in a drop box to be presented to a local charity that has been decided upon by the LUS committee. One hundred percent of the money collected in this drop box is given to the charity, during January, immediately following the event.

We are asking for volunteers to help with fund raising efforts, set up and tear down event displays, and to help feed our work crews. We try to meet once per month during the year and as needed during the construction phase to get everything ready for the lighting ceremony-which takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving.









The Southeast Missouri Food Bank

Southeast Missouri Food Bank has volunteer opportunities at our Sikeston Volunteer Center and Good Neighbor Pantry! The volunteer center is a great opportunity for groups of 8 to 15 to pack our senior food boxes. Justin Mann, our volunteer manager, can work with you to schedule a time. You can also access a volunteer calendar at https://www.semofoodbank.org/volunteer-sikeston/. Contact Justin at 573-471-1818 or email jmann@semofoodbank.org.
 
At Good Neighbor Pantry, volunteers help pack and distribute food to neighbors facing hunger in Sikeston. Distributions are 10 a.m. to noon the first Tuesday and Wednesday of the month and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Friday (except 5th Fridays). If you’re interested in volunteering at Good Neighbor Pantry, please contact Jessica Espinoza, programs coordinator, at 573-471-1818 or jespinoza@semofoodbank.org.













The Sikeston Jaycees

The Sikeston Junior Chamber of Commerce is composed of young community members who share a common goal of making Sikeston and surrounding areas a better place. A volunteer organization, the Sikeston Jaycees work on various projects throughout the year to raise money to donate to charities and non-profit organizations. While there are many service organizations in the area, the Sikeston Jaycees stand out as having one of the most significant economic impacts in the region, as well as having the honor of hosting one of the region’s largest and most well-known events, the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo.

Reach out to info@sikestonrodeo.com if you are looking to get involved.
















The Sikeston Hot Air Balloon Festival committee

The Sikeston Hot Air Balloon Festival is coming back for a second year and the committee needs your help to make it another success. We are currently seeking volunteers to assist with working admission, t-shirt sales, hot air balloon crewing, and more. Proceeds from this year's event will benefit the new Sikeston Rodeo Museum.

Please reach out to us via our Facebook page Sikeston Hot Air Balloon Festival if you are interested in helping with this fun event that is quickly becoming a community favorite!













The Lions Club

Lions of Sikeston have been a positive force in the development of Sikeston for over 100 years. Locally, we raise funds with the long-running chili day, golf tournament, and Bulldog football program book projects as well as with our newest fundraiser, the Cotton Ramble bike ride. 

Proceeds from these projects are used to fund scholarships and to provide financial support to numerous humanitarian community groups. Most recently, our Sikeston Club has begun to tap into the resources of Lions Clubs International Foundation by applying for an $84,000 matching grant to assist the Missouri Delta Medical Center with the acquisition of early onset lung cancer diagnosis.
 
The Lions Club motto is "We Serve" and we do by packing boxes at the SEMO Food Bank, picking up trash, participating in vision/hearing screenings, assisting with the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home, and more. We are always ready to welcome anyone who would like to join, and invite those with an interest in finding out more to have lunch on us the first or third Wednesday of each month at the Fox Haven country club.







The Rotary Club

We are a local group who put Service Above Self. We are here to serve our community in the Sikeston Area. We also have water wells in countries all over the world. One of our largest fundraisers each year to help us serve the community is our annual Chili Day which has been held for well over 50 years.

We meet at the country club every Tuesday at noon--everyone is welcome to join us!
















SEMO-NASV & The Green Bear Project

Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence (SEMO-NASV) is a local nonprofit that provides advocacy, forensic care, and counseling to those that have faced sexual violence, as well as prevention education to communities in eight counties in southeast Missouri.

We are always looking for volunteers who have a passion for assisting children and families that have faced trauma, in a friendly and calm environment. Those with high ethical standards and the ability to maintain confidentiality. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and complete a criminal background check. Our needs are always changing, so we encourage those that are interested to reach out!













Historic Downtown Sikeston

We need you! Volunteers make up our Board of Directors, our promotions, design, organization and economic vitality committees, and our Events Crews. Whatever skill you bring to the table, we can put it to work for Historic Downtown Sikeston.

Visit https://downtownsikeston.org/volunteer/ to fill out an application about volunteering. You can also support Downtown by your attendance at our events!















The Kiwanis Club

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. The Sikeston Kiwanis Club’s signature service project is the Flag Project.

For an annual fee of $50, the American flag will be proudly displayed on a pole in an approved location on your front lawn.  Members of Sikeston Kiwanis Club will be responsible for raising and removing the flags during the five designated holidays, weather permitting, the designated holidays are as follows: May - Memorial Day, June - Flag Day, July - Independence Day, September - Labor Day and 9/11. November - Veteran’s Day.

If interested reach out to the Sikeston Kiwanis Club at (573)258.2347. Funds from this program help support different children’s projects and local community projects.








Thank you to Americare Properties for helping make this SYP session possible!