| Contact: | April 15-18, 2009 Joyce Cutright at 573-882-0866 After April 18 at 417-887-9844 |
| Email: moffaconv@missouri.edu | |
| Web: http://agebb.missouri.edu/news/moffaconv/ | |
TRENTON FFA WINS TOP CHAPTER AWARD
COLUMBIA , Mo., April 16, 2009 – Trenton FFA placed 24th out of 317 chapters in the state, earning a Top Chapter Award at the 81st Missouri FFA Convention. Only 10 percent of state chapters receive the Top Chapter Award each year.
Chapter activity awards, sponsored by FCS Financial, are given to chapters achieving excellence in student, chapter and community development. Trenton FFA Chapter advisors are Erika Swindler, David Nowland and Brook Kreatz.
The Trenton FFA student development activities included several chapter officers who participated in the Washington Leadership Conference. At the conference, Congressman Sam Graves showed students the leadership opportunities provided by agriculture. Many members also participated in the Supervised Agriculture Experience program at the Missouri State Fair, staffing a booth demonstrating to the public the various programs of economic importance involving agriculture.
Chapter development activities are designed to promote excellence within the chapter. Recruiting new members is essential for the success of an FFA chapter. An eighth grade recruitment program helped the chapter identify individuals interested in agricultural education and FFA. Using the data they received they hope to better meet the needs of potential members.
Trenton ’s community development activities raised money for cancer research through Relay for Life. By hosting a kiss-the-pig fundraiser, the team helped raise more than $450. The chapter also took part in operating the cook shack at the North Central Missouri Fair in Trenton . Serving quality food at a low cost, the chapter used their income to fund improvements and promote the fair activities.
The top chapters are submitted to the National FFA Organization where they compete for the National FFA Chapter Award. The competition will be this fall at the National FFA convention in Indianapolis, Ind.
The Missouri FFA has 24,410 members representing 317 chapters. The national organization has over 507,000 members representing 7,439 local chapters in 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands .
The FFA Mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
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CAA-24-Trenton-RH
205 Jefferson St
PO Box 480
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480
Phone: 573-751-3544