A couple of years ago, my husband and I made the decision to move our three youngest children over to the rural public school district closer to our home. There were many advantages to this move.
I was a proud mama when our daughter joined the Elkins FFA Chapter. I have a long history with the blue and the gold that dates back to my own FFA high school experience in Mountain Grove, Mo. I have long attested that the leadership skills I obtained from that experience have made me the person I am today.
As I have shared before, I am participating in the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture & Research 18-month program, Lead AR. One of the aspects of this program is developing a service project for each participant’s community. I truly believe the investment we make in the young people in our community now will bear fruit in our community later. It took me no time to decide that I wanted my service project to support FFA students in agriculture and in their quest for leadership development.
Last summer, I met with the current ag teacher, a former ag teacher and a fellow FFA Alumnae to start the conversation around supporting FFA members and agriculture education. Over a long lunch, we discussed the needs for the chapter, fundraising ideas and how to get more community members involved.
From that meeting, my service project idea was born. I wanted to re-launch our local FFA Alumni booster club chapter. Knowing the impact this organization had on my own education and career experience, I wanted to work with other community members to support our FFA members locally.
Our first order of business was to host a fundraiser. The FFA advisor discussed it with her officer team, and they thought they would like us to host a shrimp boil on the night of the annual homecoming football game. We set to work creating some flyers to advertise the event on social media. We were able to restart our Facebook page and began to gather names of supporters for our local chapter.
We pre-sold about 70 tickets for a meal that would be hosted in the parking lot of the high school ag shop prior to the big homecoming game. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from volunteers and donors who made this event a success.
We were able to shop in bulk for all the items to serve shrimp, potatoes, corn, dirty rice, drinks and a dessert. It was topped off with a special recipe for homemade cocktail sauce that a friend generously shared with us. Volunteers brought cake, cookies, and banana pudding.
When it was time to host the event, we set about cooking and serving hungry supporters. Some folks came by and took their orders to go, and others sat down at table to visit and enjoy their meal. I had to take a minute to soak it all up. It was fun and supported an organization I love very much.
It wasn’t until the following week that we had a chance to debrief and review the financial impact this first fundraiser will make. We are looking forward to supporting our local Elkins FFA Chapter with scholarships and programs for many years to come.
As an FFA alumnae, I still believe in the future of agriculture. I know you do too, neighbor.
Jody Harris is a freelance communications specialist, gardener, ranch wife and mother of four. She and her family raise Angus beef cattle and other critters on their northwest Arkansas ranch. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Jody, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’
