Positive experiences during one’s youth can serve as motivation to help those in similar circumstances later in life.
Such is the case with the relatively new Bartholomew County FFA Alumni Association.
The group was chartered in 2016, and has grown to about 60 members who participated in FFA during their elementary, junior high and high school years — some dating to the 1940s and ’50s.
The association’s purpose is to promote agriculture education and assist local FFA and agriculture groups. The association has stated that it wants to assist agriculture departments at Bartholomew County high schools by coaching their FFA judging teams and serving as chaperones at FFA events. The group’s goal also has been to create a scholarship fund for FFA students.
This year, the Bartholomew County FFA Alumni Association has increased its efforts. It awarded its first $500 Wayne Coy Memorial Scholarship, in honor of a longtime local vocational agriculture teacher, who started at Columbus High in 1949 and whose career spanned 36 years.
The association had a booth at the recently concluded Bartholomew County 4-H Fair that featured agriculture and FFA memorabilia for visitors to see — and hopefully attract new FFA Alumni members.
FFA Alumni members also helped the Young Farmers group make and sell ice cream at the fair, assisted with the cattle chute competition and helped with livestock auction.
The purpose of the Bartholomew County FFA Alumni Association is admirable and appreciated, and members’ investments of time and resources are beneficial. It provides a generational perspective and helpful assistance to current FFA members, some of whom may seek careers in the agriculture industry.
Providing a mentoring and assistance role for current FFA members is a good way to ensure the local FFA chapters have the support they need to continue well into the future, and the positive experiences of their members likewise fuel a desire to help other FFA members down the road.
