Randa's journey- NW Missouri Visits!

Hello Friends!!

As the year continues to wind down, there continues to be some outstanding members all across the nation! Recently I was able to attend the Northwest district of Missouri where I had the chance to travel chapter to chapter and see what incredible things they were up to. The week started off when I flew into Kansas City and was greeted by the Fairfax FFA chapter. They were incredible hosts as my evening consisted of crossing over to the Nebraska line (because I had not been there yet :) ) eating some good Missouri food and finishing up with some rockin ice cream at the Dairy Diner! The next morning started off at Tarkio high school where the Rockport, Fairfax, West Nodaway and Mound City FFA chapters met us. After a fun and eventful workshop the West Nodaway FFA chapter took me to experience my first Casey’s convenient store and eat lunch their cafeteria! Afterwards we were then on the way to Maryville FFA!
Tuesday was awesome as I met with South Nodaway, Nodaway Holt and Jefferson FFA chapters in the morning along with the Savannah, King City, North Andrew and DeKalb chapters. I enjoyed a ride with the DeKalb FFA as I journeyed over to Plattsburg for the evening. When in Plattsburg I was able to eat dinner with the advisor, Mr. Adam and his family. Not to mention the great Mexican food we got to eat!! As Wednesday rolled around, I had the chance to hang out with Plattsburg, Smithville, Lathrop, North Platte and Stewartsville FFA chapters who were oh so much fun to be around. On the way to Tina-Avalon High School we had the chance to stop by the Shatto Creamery and taste their milks which ranged from the Root Beer milk, Orange milk, Strawberry milk and Chocolate! But honestly probably the best milk I have ever had in my whole life!! As I had my chocolate milk in hand I got to roll into the Tina-Avalon where I met with the first class of freshmen. Whether we were rapping or running around they made the trip eventful! After meeting with chapter officers and sophomores the day continued to be outstanding. After school we got to eat more Mexican food (Mexican is my favorite which makes me happy) as we went on our to Greenhand initiation for all the greenhands in Area 2.
Thursday started off at the Chillicothe FFA! Now Chillicothe has an incredible agricultural education program as they facilities from the Litton Foundation which includes a 36 acre farm. Here students are given the ability to experience agriculture whether they are taking care of animals, learning about grasses or uses machinery this program puts a whole new meaning to learning by doing! I had a blast getting to meet them as we enjoyed wing night at Pink Oak shooting range that evening!! In the afternoon I was able to meet with Hale high school. Here I got to work everyone from the 7th and 8th graders all the way up to the seniors and oh did they make me feel welcomed! When Friday came about I had an incredible end to my week. I got to hang out with the Hamilton FFA Chapter in the morning and finish up with the Cameron FFA chapter in the afternoon. I was able to hang out with the freshmen and sophomores and we had a blast!
This was one of the highlights of my year and I could never say thank you enough to all the chapters and advisors for such a great experience. Whether it was eating wonderful food, presenting workshops or just getting to know some Missourians this week was one I will never forget!









Just a few of the chapters from the week!

My first time at a Casey's convenient store!

Fairfax!

We ate lunch at the school cafeteria and it was really good!

Courtney and Taylor from Tina-Avalon as we went to eat Mexican food!

Greenhand initiation

Area 2 officers right after greenhand initiation, they rocked!

the 7th and 8th graders of Hale FFA.

Wing night at Pine Oak Shooting range with Chillicothe FFA.

Chillicothe FFA officers at dinner

Oh they are fun!

Chelsea's Travels: It's all Business in Virginia, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and The Big Apple

EXPRESS YOURSELF!

(photo taken on the set of Saturday Night Live in NYC)

In the hot August sun, I got to go on a week long business and industry tour. This year I have visited with 71 companies who either sponsor, sponsored, or might sponsor FFA. These companies range from Mitsui in Japan to NBC in New York City. There were a lot of agriculture companies, but plenty of others who only wanted to invest in America's youth. Despite the differences between them, each of these companies had one thing in common, they LOVE what FFA is all about!


I wondered why this was true. Being an FFA member it's not always easy to see what makes this organization so special. So with a little effort, I looked at FFA from a broader stand point and it's clear - WE CAN EXPRESS OURSELVES. We express ourselves through our speeches, our supervised agricultural experiences, and our service. In today's world, most people our age seek to express themselves through odd piercings, obscure tattoos, rebellious acts, and sometimes violence. Why? Because it makes them different.


Well, FFA members - NEWS ALERT - we're different from nearly every teenager or early twenties kid. We know how to express ourselves without turning to the counterculture. Take pride in what FFA has done for you and in your own abilities to express yourself as a confident, talented, well-behaved contributor to the world around us.


Take a look at some of these pictures from my trip that started in Virginia, went through D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. These businesses are outstanding and they believe in us. They believe in FFA.