FFA Behind the Emblem: Sheboygan Falls

53 members
Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin
Sheboygan County

Tell us about your chapter. The Sheboygan Falls chapter is guided by our advisor, Ms. Hand, an alumna of our chapter. The chapter has seen steady membership throughout the years, comprised of devoted members ranging from freshman to seniors. Members are given countless opportunities to be involved, from Career Development Events to chapter-wide committees to planning events. We find ways to involve our members, no matter what their background, allowing everyone to find a place in our chapter.

How does your chapter volunteer in the community throughout the year? Our chapter finds many ways to get involved within our community. We participate each year in a community service event at our Christmas party. In the past several years, we have made numerous tie blankets to donate to Project Linus. This year, we participated in the Adopt-a-Family program through the Salvation Army. Members went Christmas gift shopping for two families in our community. The Adopt-a-Highway program allows our chapter to clean a portion of one of the major highways. Roadside cleanups happen in both the fall and spring. One of our biggest investments back into our community occurs alongside our Kindergarten Field Trip, where we collect over 300 pounds of nonperishable food for the local food bank. Finally, members participate in a day of service at Nourish Farms in Sheboygan Falls. They have helped prepare their garden beds, spread mulch, plant trees and assist with any other tasks. We attempt to have a wide variety of community service events that allow all members to participate.

What fundraisers does your chapter do throughout the year? Which is the most successful? The biggest fundraiser we have each year is our fall fruit sale. Members go into our community and sell apples, oranges, grapefruits, pears and variety boxes. This year, we added a variety of Midwest products, including cheese spreads, meat snacks and assorted nuts. We also put an ad in our local paper, allowing more people to be exposed to the sale. One role of the FFA officers is to call nearly 75 community members, which helps develop oral communication skills. Our chapter expresses the importance of this fundraiser, as it allows us to participate in contests, attend conventions and give us the funds to do all the fun things we currently do. As a whole, the chapter averages about 10,000 pounds worth of fruit sold each year. We are forever appreciative of all the effort our members put into the sale and the community support we receive for our only fundraiser.

What are the biggest events of the year? Our biggest event of the year is our Kindergarten Field Trip, or KFT, held in May at Majestic Crossing Farm, Highland Facility. In the weeks leading up to the event, members work tirelessly to develop the schedule for the day, ensure the stations are ready to go and fill bags with dairy-related items for the kids to take home. KFT brings about 30 members to fill the role as tour guides or educators for over 500 kindergarteners  from a variety of schools. Groups are guided through about 10 different stations located around the farm. Stations include veterinary science, equine, honeybees, maple syrup and dairy nutrition. The kindergarteners learn from a variety of industry professionals, who generously donate their time to educate them. At the end of the tour, students receive an ice cream bar and a dairy goodie bag to take home. It is one of our last events of the year, but is the most rewarding to all our members who participate.

What is unique about your chapter? Our chapter stands apart from others by finding ways to develop countless skills that members can use throughout their lives — from mechanical skills exhibited through two Drive Your Tractor to School days and an agricultural mechanics CDE team to organizational skills taught through our fruit sale and committee work. We strive to build better leaders through participation, embodying the FFA motto. Through Leadership Development Events and attending conventions, members are given opportunities to develop public speaking and communication skills. We pride ourselves on allowing members to develop skills that will be essential to their lives outside of FFA and high school.

When was your chapter founded and how has it evolved? On June 10, 1958, the charter for the Sheboygan Falls FFA Chapter was signed, and a legacy has been built since. Our chapter has developed long-lasting traditions that have allowed us to impact members and the community. Events like our fruit sale hold a lasting impact on the community, occurring for over 50 years. Sheboygan Falls is rooted in a strong farming community; however, many of the active FFA members did not grow up on farms. For those who didn’t grow up on a farm, this organization offers a crucial pathway to get involved, explore their interests and ultimately gain the skills that lead directly to fulfilling careers in agriculture, often surprising themselves with their passion. Newer traditions, such as visiting fourth graders to make butter during FFA week, allow all our members to find this passion. Many aspects of our chapter have stayed solid, but we have evolved in countless ways to impact more members.