The 1970’s major fundraising activity was initiated in the Gold Rush. Originally sponsored by the Canton Jaycees and the Wilderness Center, the Gold Rush was one of the first Walk-a-thons in the area. Hundreds of volunteers solicited pledges to support their walking efforts to support their own charities, as well as the designated charity for each year. Over $40,000 was collected annually.

In the community action area, the Jaycees of the 1970’s followed in the footsteps of their predecessors and participated and organized community-wide campaigns to provide for the restoration of McKinley Monument. The Jaycees were the co-sponsor in the fundraising activity for the renovation of Fawcett Stadium, which helped to preserve the annual Hall of Fame game played in Canton.

The Jaycees further took the forefront in preserving historical structures in Canton and in 1979 voted to accept ownership of the Palace Theatre, saving it from the auction block and potential demolition. But the acceptance of the ownership of the Palace was contingent upon commitments to purchase the structure from the existing owners and the creation of a revenue base for the renovation. An army of Jaycee volunteers, as well as area businesses, donating time, labor and materials, were able to achieve the funding and resources necessary to renovate and restore the Palace Theatre. The Palace Theatre Association was formed to assume ownership of the structure and to operate the Palace as a separate non-profit organization. To this date, many of the members of the Palace Theatre Board are either current or former members of the Jaycees.

Jaycees of the 70’s initiated two fundraising programs, which to this day are the mainstay of the revenues for operation of Jaycee charities, as well as other Jaycee projects. In the 70’s, the first Canton Jaycee haunted house was organized in which, for a modest fee, every man, woman and child in Stark County could pay for the opportunity of having the scare of their life. The first haunted house was located at an old office building on the Plaza next to Harter Bank’s downtown. The haunted house was then moved to the old Belden mansion at 1400 Market Street, North, which, according to some Jaycees, was scary enough even without any "improvements". Now located at the parking deck at the Mellett, the haunted house remains one of the major projects for fundraising activities for the Jaycees in the 1980’s.

Another ways and means project had an inauspicious beginning in downtown Canton on the square. It grew to be the mainstay of the funding for chapter operations of the 1980’s – Summerfest. After a very meager beginning, the project was nurtured in the early 80’s and grew to the point where it provided up to 60% of the chapter revenues, even in years when other successful ways and means projects were operated.