South Dakota FFA Foundation Awards $3,000 in Grants for Local FFA Chapter Service-Learning Projects
The FFA motto all FFA members learn includes the words,” Living to Serve”, making service a core value taught to SD’s over 10,000 high school Agriculture Education students through their FFA participation. With state educational budgets becoming tighter all the time, FFA chapters are forced to choose which worthwhile activities they can still participate in. Sometimes that means service projects do not happen. The SD FFA Foundation recognizes the value of local chapter service-learning projects and wants to enable Agriculture Education programs to focus on student and community development. As a result, the SD FFA Foundation provides up to $500/chapter for service projects in their local communities. SD FFA Executive Director, Gerri Ann Eide says, “We want to grow community leaders for tomorrow by encouraging FFA members to take an active role in the betterment of their communities and find pride in the communities at the same time. These are valuable educational activities that impact agriculture education students for a lifetime.”
Congratulations to the following chapters receiving SD FFA Foundation funds this fall for their service projects:
Bowdle – develop and implement an Agriculture Afterschool Club
Brookings – develop and conduct after school lessons with G.A.P. @ Camelot Intermediate School
Bridgewater-Emery – install and establish 4 raised beds to be used for a community garden
Cheyene Eagle Butte – winterize greenhouse to grow greens for the School Salad Bar, and compost the cafeteria food waste to produce fertilizer
Doland – plant a pollinator garden on Main Street
Ethan – develop a sensory garden for LifeQuest that serves individuals with both physical and mental disabilities
Hitchcock- Tulare – build storage and install flooring in community daycare
These grants were made possible, as a special project of the SD FFA Foundation. For more information about the South Dakota FFA Foundation and South Dakota’s FFA programs, visit http://www.sdffafoundation.org.
–South Dakota FFA Foundation
