California FFA News Spring 2015 | Page 12

madera FFA Ag Venture Day Spring 2015 Edition Submitted by Clayton Sheehan Every October the Madera FFA transforms their school farm into an agriculture wonderland for AG Literacy days, days close to the hearts of FFA members, parents & the community alike. For three days the chapter hosts over 2,000 elementary school kids and teaches them about the agriculture in the area. Members create eight activity areas for the kids to rotate through on their trip around the farm. The kids are taken on a hay ride around the farm, participate in story time, follow the apples journey - where they learn about where their food comes from, play in the petting zoo, plant their very own pumpkin and learn how to help it grow, ending the day at the chapter pumpkin patch where they can take home a pumpkin of their choice. Rubidoux FFA A Holiday Tradition ChapterScoops Submitted by Hayley Ellis-Costa 12 Every year the Rubidoux FFA joins together in an effort to help support their community. The “Children’s Christmas Party” is put together by various community groups and organizations that want to help the less fortunate children in the area and give them a holiday season which they deserve. Over 1,000 children in the community receive invitations to a special holiday celebration. They have the chance to meet Santa and Mrs. Clause, watch a magic show, eat lunch, and receive their very own Christmas present. The Rubidoux FFA provides the lunch of over 1,000 hot dogs, oranges, chips, and drinks. Rubidoux FFA feels this is a very rewarding and worthwhile experience, and have been doing this for over 20 years! California FFANEWS • Spring 2015 Lodi FFA Share Your Blessings Submitted by Chapter Reporter This year the Lodi FFA chapter has truly embraced the “No. 1” legacy with our theme Branch Out! From community service and outreach, to servant leadership, we have Branched Out in every way possible, advocating for agriculture and the FFA as we go. This past fall, over 100 of our chapter members participated in our annual Share Your Blessings Food Drive. We brought in more than 1,500 canned items, six turkeys, and received a $100 donation from Payless Market. By sharing our blessings, we provided 55 boxes of food for the holidays to members of our community. Our members are excited to begin practice for our many judging teams and Career Development Events, and to embark on our weekly Saturday field day adventures. With hard work, commitment to practice, and a strive to make our “best” better, we will continue our legacy of success as Lodi No.1.