The Wisconsin FFA Day of Service is back in the Madison community. FFA members were putting the words “living to serve” to work by participating in 11 different community service projects on June 15th, the opening day of the Wisconsin FFA Convention. Each year the convention is held at Alliant Energy Center, this year June 15th-18th.
Day of Service coordinator, Amelia Hayden, shared the following sentiments about the event, “The Wisconsin FFA Day of Service gives an opportunity for over 800 students to embody the last line of the FFA Motto, ‘Living to Serve,’ by giving back to the local community through off-site service projects, building beds for children without one, and packaging meals to be delivered across the Midwest. I hope participants leave with a better understanding of the impact they can make as individuals in their own communities after they leave convention.”
More than 800 members have the opportunity to pay it forward through 11 service projects during the Wisconsin FFA Day of Service. Members can volunteer at sites throughout the Madison area, assisting with park and garden upkeep, invasive species removal, shoreline clean-up, and food pantry production. At locations such as the Ronald McDonald House, participants will help with indoor cleaning and outdoor maintenance, while volunteers at Three Gaits Therapeutic Horsemanship will assist with barn, pasture, and landscaping projects. Members will also support local food security efforts by planting, cultivating, and harvesting produce that will be donated to food pantries throughout Dane County.
Projects
Wisconsin FFA members will have the opportunity to participate in on-site projects through collaboration with Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Members will help assemble 80 beds for children in need, providing a safe and comfortable place to sleep for families in the Madison area.
Members can also participate in meal packaging through Meals from the Heartland. Throughout the day, FFA members will package 100,000 nutritious meals to help combat food insecurity both locally and around the world. This opportunity provides students with hands-on experience in addressing hunger while making a meaningful impact on communities in need.
Since the event’s inception in 2009, FFA members have provided over 5,000 volunteer hours to the Madison community. Day of Service is one of the many events that FFA members can participate in to develop their premier leadership, personal growth, and career success at the 97th Wisconsin FFA Convention. Wisconsin FFA Day of Service efforts are made possible thanks to generous donations from Kerry, Wisconsin FFA Alumni and Supports, and the National FFA
Living to Serve Grant Fund!
