A foundation of service

AMERY, Wis. — As a family that bleeds blue and gold, neither Rick nor Gwen Dado can imagine what their lives, or those of their children, would look like without the foundation FFA involvement provided.

“I grew up with the idea that FFA was important,” Gwen said. “My dad was an FFA member way back when, in Minnesota. It was always a part of my life, even before I became a member.”

The Dados operate Four Hands Holsteins near Amery, in Polk County, where they milk 450 cows. Their four adult children — Bethany, Trent, Ethan and Meikah — are all involved in various aspects of agriculture, after high school experiences immersed in FFA. The Dados continue to support FFA at all levels.

Rick and Gwen each served as state FFA officers, Gwen as secretary from 1982 to 1983; and Rick as treasurer from 1983 to 1984 and president from 1984 to 1985. Their son, Ethan, served as state parliamentarian from 2014 to 2015, and their daughter, Meikah, was reporter from 2017 to 2018. Both were national officer candidates.

Rick and Gwen both spent time in the classroom, helping students in the same way their own teachers had helped them. Gwen was an agricultural education teacher and FFA adviser in Reedsburg, while Rick pursued graduate school. The couple moved several times — to Michigan and southern Illinois —
but always mentored youth in agriculture in some fashion. When they returned to Amery and began dairy farming, they stepped into supportive roles with the chapter that had shaped their lives. The pair has been honored with the Wisconsin State Honorary FFA Degree, in addition to the accolades they received as members.

The Dados raised their own family with the FFA mindset of service, blended with determination to achieve their own dreams.

“(FFA) instills that you should do your best,” Gwen said. “It is probably one of our most valuable resources, and our children understood that. We taught them to take the time to always do their best; and that you are given your name and sometimes that will carry more weight than anything, so always carry yourself well. We invested a lot of time in our children, and believed that if you fill their cup up, they’re ready to go. Now we invest our time in other students that we mentor through the dairy program.”

All four of their children participated in FFA and competed in contests at both the state and national levels.

“It was more fun, watching our kids excel at things they loved, than it was doing it ourselves,” Gwen said. “Whether it was Leadership Development Events or Career Development Events, they learned and grew.”

When they were members of the Amery FFA Chapter more than 40 years ago,
Rick and Gwen initially had differing ideas on the role the organization would play in their lives.

“I had determined I was going to be a high school ag teacher,” Gwen said. “I had done the prepared speaking and the creed contests and saw the things happening at different levels. I had watched the state officers at convention, and they would come visit our chapter every year. I think I probably just thought it was a good experience to do that, so I ran and was elected.”

For most of his high school experience, Rick had no interest in running for state office.

“I was focused strictly on academics,” Rick said. “My goal was to excel as much as I could in those areas, and my thought was added involvement in FFA would have just gotten in the way. I had no desire to do anything beyond the chapter level.”

If he had not been encouraged to expand his horizons, Rick said the trajectory of his life might have been vastly different.

“All of a sudden FFA told you there was another side of life — the people side,” Rick said. “Without that, my desire to serve would have been a lot less. FFA teaches you to recognize that the needs of others are more important than the needs of yourself, and they drill that into you as an officer, that you’re there to serve the members. That carries well beyond your officer time. I wouldn’t have been the teacher I was without having that experience.”

The FFA experience is amplified by the relationships built when adults mentor students to reach their full potential, the Dados said.

“Our advisors, Gary Ganje and Steve Fredrickson, encouraged participation,” Rick said. “The other faculty, too, all really made students strive to do more.”

Gwen agreed, and said she always felt the adults in her life believed she could reach any goal she set.

“I was always driven to go one step further, and my family was always supportive that way,” Gwen said. “The faculty at Amery played a huge role, but it also comes down to parents. My dad was probably different from a lot of men at that time. He always believed whatever a boy could do, a girl could do, too. So, he always encouraged us, and my mom made sure we got places. I think you can never underestimate the power of teachers and family structure. And hopefully, if you don’t have both, you have one or the other.”

The benefits of the experience changed their lives, the Dados said.

“You meet people from other areas, from other walks of life,” Gwen said. “Eastern Wisconsin is different than the western side of the state. There is also that point where you realize you’re just a little fish in a big sea. That was interesting because, here in Amery, we were rock stars. Then, all of the sudden, you’re with 10 other people who are all rock stars. I remember thinking they were pretty amazing. And now they are lifelong friends.”

A commitment to service has been a foundation for the Dados.

“The last line of the FFA motto is ‘living to serve,’ and we live that today,” Rick said. “We are here for a purpose, and it’s not for ourselves. We try to share that with our children, grandchildren and other youth we’re involved with. The motto just really says it all.”