About a year ago the National FFA Alumni
Council initiated the goal to have an FFA Alumni affiliate chartered and
in place for every Ag-Ed Program / FFA Chapter. A few months ago the Georgia
FFA Alumni Council had a meeting and wanted to discuss ways to make this
goal a reality in Georgia. During the summer a group of FFA Alumni members
from Georgia (Representative Terry England was one of them) attended the
National FFA Alumni -- State Development Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.
From the discussions by these groups of people and at the request of the
Georgia FFA Alumni Council, The State Ag-Ed staff developed a plan to help
meet this goal. It is a simple plan -- to ask each and every Ag-Ed program
/ FFA Chapter to bring someone with them to the Ag-Ed teachers meeting
in the fall that could help be the starting point for building and growing
the FFA Alumni. In addition, The Ag-Ed team suggests that for those
chapters without an officially chartered FFA Alumni -- please try to encourage
the local FFA officers parents to be the charter members of the local FFA
Alumni (it only takes 10 members to create a new charter). This could possibly
make Georgia the first State to actually obtain the goal of having an officially
chartered FFA Alumni Chapter in place for every Ag-Ed / FFA program.
The Georgia FFA Alumni provides many
great resources each year to our students. Last year alone the Georgia
FFA Alumni provided over $24,000 worth of support to the Georgia FFA members.
How could we not try and support the Georgia FFA Alumni as they work to
grow the program???
We had approximately 70 programs (25%
of the chapters in Georgia) that were able to help out with this initiative
and actually bring someone to talk about and hear about FFA Alumni during
the fall Ag. Teacher meetings. I want to express my sincere appreciation,
gratitude, and acknowledgements to those Agricultural Education Teachers,
FFA Advisors, and Ag-Ed programs that actually followed through unselfishly
to insure this initiative was not ignored. Many people provided input and
advice into this plan -- so on behalf of them I would like to say "THANK
- YOU" for helping the cause. If you are mistakenly left off of the
list below, please let me know so that I can add your name to this list.
AREA 6: Ware Co. Middle, Ware Co. High,
Lowndes County, Brantley Middle, Brantley High, Lanier County, Telfair
County, Echols County, Cook Co. Middle, Cook Co. High, Glynn County, Clinch
County.
AREA 5: Southside Middle, Irwin County,
Fitzgerald High, Pehlam High, Baconton Charter, Tift County, Thomas County
Central, Thomasville City, Colquitt County, Early County, Monroe, UGA Tifton.
AREA 4: Cross Creek High, Toombs County,
ECI, Windsor Forest, Johnson County, Evans High, Dublin High, Screven County,
S.E. Bulloch High, Swainsboro High.
AREA 3: Upson Lee High, Perry High,
Northside High, Warner Robins High, Heard County, Marion County, Manchester
High, Macon County, Northeast Bibb High, Jasper County, Piedmont Academy,
Mary Persons High, Bleckley County, Jones County.
AREA 2: Clark County, Oconee County,
Rockdale County, Habersham County, North Oconee High, Jackson County, Cedar
Shoals High, Eastside High, Union County, Apalachee High, Franklin County,
Lumpkin County, Greene County, Youth Middle, Loganville High.
AREA 1: Heritage High, Fannin County,
Etowah High, Murray County, Forsyth County, Rome Middle, Sonoraville High,
Cherokee County.
It is an honor to be associated with
such a great profession.
John (Chip) Bridges
Program Manager, Agricultural Education
Georgia Department of Education
1752 Twin Towers East
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 404.657.8311
Fax: 770.344.4411
email: [log in to unmask]