On October 12, 2022 at The Grand in Picayune, the GFWC-MFWC Juniorette Diamonds hosted a
special banquet to honor local Veterans with over 35 in attendance, including Stacey Hobgood
Wilkes, MS State Representative District 108. As the Juniorettes served guests dinner and
dessert, attendees heard from the Veterans themselves, as well as two special guest speakers.
The speakers shared their experience serving their county, suicide awareness, and what the
community can do to help suicide prevention, a substantial problem among Veterans.
The first speaker was Kevin Cuttill, a disabled Vietnam Veteran, who started “Crusaders for
Veterans” following the death of his son who at the time was serving in the Navy. The second
speaker was Dawn Mucha Jonson who has served as the suicide prevention coordinator with
Veterans Administration in Biloxi, MS since 2020. The Juniorette Diamonds honored the two
speakers with an honorarium donation to “Crusaders for Veterans.”
The Juniorette Diamonds are a subsidiary of the local federated club, GFWC-MFWC Civic
Woman’s Club of Picayune, for girls in 7 th -12 th grades chosen through a selection process, for
leadership development, promoting civic duty and opportunities to serve their community.