FFA corporate partner Ford Motor Company noticed some FFA chapters needed help covering travel expenses for national convention. So, in 2021, it began providing $1,000 scholarships to help 25 FFA chapters travel to Indianapolis.
“Ford is honored to be able to expand the horizons of local FFA chapters and their members who might not otherwise be able to participate in the many wonderful experiences available at the National FFA Convention & Expo,” says Todd Eckert, Ford truck group marketing manager.
Exploring New States
For the Longview FFA Chapter in Texas, this scholarship enabled members to attend national convention for the first time, but also the chance to explore other states on their way.
“A lot of my students have never really been outside the state, even though we’re 30 minutes from the Louisiana border,” says Longview FFA advisor Blake Barbee.
In total, Longview FFA members will travel through 10 states during their journey to Indiana and back to Texas.
“We’re trying to make stops that have an agricultural influence or historical impact on them because for a lot of them, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Barbee says. “When we return to Longview, they may not travel outside of the state of Texas again.”
First-Time Attendees
The Bamberg Ehrhardt FFA from South Carolina is a fairly new chapter, so fundraising for national convention was difficult. Advisor Morgan Busbee found the Ford Travel Assistance Program and decided to apply.
“When we were accepted, it took a huge weight off of our shoulders,” Busbee says. We actually were able to invite another student to come with us.”
Four Bamberg Ehrhardt FFA members were able to experience convention for the first time, and Busbee is hopeful these students will return home and encourage other students to attend national convention.
“The more they can experience, the more they will want to experience in the future, and the more other students will want to experience it too,” Busbee says.
Bamberg Ehrhardt FFA members utilized funds Ford provided to tour Churchill Downs in Kentucky on the way to convention.
“I can talk all day in the classroom about the scope of agriculture, but to get them to see all the opportunities out there and the colleges and careers available to them is how we’re going to keep the future of agriculture going,” Busbee says.
