CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi is home to several active volunteer and civic groups, but some struggle more than others to recruit new members.
"We've been here organized for 79 years. It is a challenge to bring in various ages," said League of Women Voters President Alice Upshaw Hawkins.
As the name suggests, the League is focused on promoting knowledge of voting throughout the local community. Hawkins said she has noticed some roadblocks when recruiting members.
"They're punching time clocks. That is an impediment for them to be part of the group because much of what we do is done during the day," she said.
Hawkins said that after the impacts of COVID-19, she began to notice a trend.
"Many young people now are working from home," she said.
Hawkins said this created new ways for younger members to be involved while still tending to their day-to-day obligations, with some holding leadership positions. However, Junior League of Corpus Christi President Misty Ash said recruiting younger members requires a more tech-savvy approach.
"We're doing a huge push with social media campaigns and things like that to not only get recruitment, but to be able to talk about those events," she said.
Ash said involvement in the Junior League can start early, something she's seen with her own kids.
"My daughter is 10. She was six months old when I joined the League, and my son—it's all he knows," she said.
In the meantime, Hawkins said the League will explore new forms of outreach while continuing its civic duty.
We have people of every ilk. Those are the people that are tapping younger voters and say 'Hey, why don't you come over here.' and getting them involved," she said.