CLAYTON -- Jeff Jennings believes in having a clear purpose for raising money, communicating that purpose to folks, and then showing them how their money is spent.

He’s not running for political office, but that spirit, plus his commitment to running hour-long meetings, has earned him the trust of his PTA peers at not one, but two schools.

And recently, the Johnston County school system chose Jennings as its Volunteer of the Year for 2007-08.

“It was quite a surprise and a very nice honor,” Jennings said. “They made it sound like I did a lot of things, but I didn’t.”

Jennings said he has to share credit with his board members.

Jennings and his wife, Lou, are volunteers at East Clayton Elementary, where daughter Lindsey is in fifth grade, and at Archer Lodge Middle School, where daughter Courtney is in eighth grade. Paula Coates is principal at Archer Lodge.

“I told [her]that I would be interested in the PTA, and when they found out I had experience, everyone looked at me,” Jennings said. “I was very lucky to have a good board.”

Lou works for a Christian bookseller from home, and typically volunteers during the day. Jennings works for the N.C. Department of Agriculture in Raleigh, and volunteers after hours through the PTA.

The last two years, he was president of East Clayton’s parent group and stayed on in a secondary role this year, when he was the first PTA president at the newly opened Archer Lodge Middle.

Last Thursday night was Jennings’ last big fund-raiser for East Clayton, Spirit Night at McDonald’s in Clayton.

Next year, Lindsey will move up to Archer Lodge, and Courtney will start Clayton High.

Lindsey said she appreciated how hard both her parents worked to make her school better. She likes getting to have lunch with her mom sometimes. Also, she enjoys using the computers on the technology cart the PTA bought following a legendary basket auction two years ago that raised $40,000.

Following in her parents’ footsteps, Courtney was named Archer Lodge’s student volunteer of the year.

“If you truly want to see change, you’ve got to be involved,” Jennings said. “The rewards come when you start from scratch and then you see something come from it.”

For Archer Lodge’s first-ever fund-raiser, the PTA brought in $18,000 through catalogue sales. Jennings said the school needed outdoor benches, and the money raised paid for those.

“What makes it successful is when you tell people right off the bat what the money’s going for,” Jennings said.

Jennings thinks parents need to keep up with what’s going on at their child’s school. Also, they need to know what’s going on at school board and county commissioners meetings.

Parents who come to PTA meetings to hear their kids sing in the chorus will get to hear some songs, but first Jennings is going to give them the latest news.

Amanda Hill does the newsletter for East Clayton’s PTA, and she said Jennings’ organizational skills had left the PTA in good standing.

“He’s a great advocate for PTA and how important a role PTA plays in our schools,” she said.

Lynn Rodgers, secretary for the group, said Jennings was always willing to help, was knowledgeable, and her family liked that PTA meetings didn’t keep her out all night.

“He’ll be greatly missed,” she said of Jennings.