July: What a Month!

The unfathomable experiences continue. In addition to seeing how much other FFA members are also thriving in our agricultural leadership organization, building influential partnerships is significantly rewarding.

It was the summer of 2005 when I first arrived in Washington, DC for an FFA conference. Going back to my premier FFA experience in our nation’s capital, now three years later, I joined with younger FFA members at the Washington Leadership Conference. I didn’t give a speech, facilitate the conference, deliver directions or have any “officer” responsibilities; I was asked to be a participant with the 120 high school students as we discovered what it means to be an authentic leader. After making some great friends and doing a community service project for an inner city school, my teammates and I joined for our following FFA conference in DC.

State Presidents’ Conference (SPC) involved two state FFA officers from 49 states and Puerto Rico as well as our team and families. We empowered those involved through discussing delegate issues, presenting our direction to congressmen, touring the city and even meeting with President Bush in the White House. His message was that we are free, and the principle of freedom doesn’t discriminate. If we believe freedom is a God-given gift, we should stand for our principle for every single person alive. I was standing within reach of the most powerful man in the world as he spoke with conviction and even told a few jokes. I will never, never forget it.

After the state officers and our families returned home following SPC, my teammates and I were on our way to our next adventures. I left for Indianapolis to visit friends setting up at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. After only a day in Indy, my flight left for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Newark, New Jersey to visit FFA partners. We met with UPI—a post-patent chemical company, New Holland, Campbell Soup Company and the Penn-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show. I was super impressed with Campbell’s World Headquarters building, iconic display of their soups and paraphernalia, and energetic team of staff, and I am looking forward to working even more closely with Campbell this fall.

I arrived back in our state capital just two days after leaving, and I toured Marion College. I will be getting back to the books this coming January and will definitely incorporate the real-world educational experiences the former two years have brought. The next day I jumped back into setting up the FFA Pavilion for fair, and then began National FFA Convention preparation.

In the midst of planning our 54,000-member gathering this October, Kari, my teammate, and I restored a century-old barn in Reddick, Illinois with about 40 FFA members and several volunteers. Campbell’s partnership includes restoring barns in an effort to connect consumers with their farm-grown ingredients. Now, we are back in Indianapolis for more preparation for our largest annual-event.

As the year begins to close out, the partnerships will continue: partnerships of connection, inspiration, heart and energy. I cannot wait to see what the final months bring.