February 23, 2016 • Page 14 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Supporting Our FFA Tabor Lumber Company Utica Grain, Inc. Here for you, before, during and after harvest. We support our Future Farmers of America A U T O PA R T S Tabor, SD Lumber Co-Op 463-2565 Petro Dept. 463-2251 Lesterville Dept. 364-7522 1509 E. Hwy. 50 • Yankton, SD www.sturdevants.com 605-665-3693 • 800-658-3388 Proud to Support FFA Locations in Utica, Tabor & Meckling (605) 655-5748 NATIONAL FFA WEEK! LEARNING TO DO, DOING TO LEARN EARNING TO LIVE, LIVING TO SERVE FEBRUARY 20-27, 2016 Food Insecurity: Everyone’s Issue More than 2,100 FFA members throughout the country converged for a week during the summer months of June and July in Washington, DC to analyze their personal skills and interests, develop leadership skills, and create a meaningful communityservice plan that promises to make a difference in their home communities. Career and Technical Education (CTE) students who are members of FFA, through a hands-on service partnership with Meals of Hope, packed over 420,000 highly palatable meals this summer. Learning about civic engagement, FFA student members packaged meals that were delivered to various areas in and around Washington, D.C. that are food insecure. FFA student members packaged meals to send to the food insecure. FFA members attending the Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) analyze the needs of their local communities, develop a wideranging and high-impact community-service initiative, and implement their plan with the help of their FFA chapter upon returning home. “FFA members attending the WLC develop a personal mission, learn the value of people and the importance of living to serve,” said National FFA Advisor and Board Chair Dr. Steve A. Brown. “They develop their knowledge and the confidence to help others in their local schools, com- munities and the nation.” Agricultural education teachers attend the Washington Leadership Conference as well, learning how to motivate and help develop their students’ personal growth and leadership potential. The teachers also learn how they can maximize their local FFA chapters’ community-service initiatives throughout the year. Upon returning to their local communities, students in recent years have created food and clothing drives, volunteer campaigns, educational outreach initiatives, and more. The Washington Leadership Conference was created in 1969 and is held annually in Washington, D.C. The 2015 National FFA Organization’s Washington Leadership Conference is sponsored through the National FFA Foundation by title sponsors Monsanto and CSX and by weekly sponsors TransCanada, Crop Production Services, Farm Credit and BNSF. About the National FFA Organization The National FFA is a Career and Technical Education Student Organization (CTSO) of 610,240 student members as part of 7,665 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico 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 FFA student members package meals to send to the food insecure. and career success through agricultural education. The National FFA Organization operates under a federal charter granted by the 81st United States Congress and it is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs. For more information, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org, on Facebook, Twitter and the official National FFA Organization blog. National FFA Awards $2.7 Million to Students In 1984, sixteen FFA members received the first awards given through the newly established collegiate scholarship program. In the 31 years since then, National FFA has given more than $41 million in scholarships. These scholarships are provided by businesses and individuals through the National FFA Foundation to reward and encourage excellence and enable students to pursue their educational goals. This year, National FFA awarded more than $2.7 million in scholarships to 2,158 students. Over 80% of these students are attending four-year universities in the fall, and 63% of the scholarship winners are female. The winners included 313 high school valedictorians. The infographic to the right provides an overview of the 2015 scholarship recipients. Smithsonian Welcomes FFA Jackets During a special presentation on July 25, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History welcomed the jackets of five former FFA members to its collection. The familiar blue and gold jackets will be featured at the American Enterprise exhibit, that opened July 2015. The exhibit will tell the nation’s business story, centered on the themes of opportunity, innovation, competition and the search for common good in the American marketplace. Five FFA jackets were dedicated at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Maverick Recruiting is a Proud Supporter of FFA “Placing people in the world of agriculture...it’s the Maverick way!” Call John at Maverick Recruiting today! 605-360-6504 John@MaverickRecruiting.com YANKTON 665-3762 “Your Home Town John Deere Dealer” Proud to Support our FFA FREEMAN 925-4241 WAGNER 384-4580 MITCHELL 996-6633 Locally Owned and Operated Since 1972 Yankton, SD: (888) 514-0149 Wagner, SD: (800) 693-1990 Or visit us at: www.marksinc.com Investing in Tomorrow’s Leaders, We Support Our Local FFA! Carson Family Dentistry C. Nolan Carson III, DDS, MA Kelsey Pudwill, RDH Proud to Support FFA 707 Chestnut St. Springfield, SD 57062 605-369-2226 Hours: 8am - 5pm • Mon - Fri servicing your GROWING needs Proud to Support Future Farmers of America Locations in SD: Winner, Pierre, Philip Locations in NE: Bloomfield, Hartington, Wayne