Date:         Thu, 8 Sep 2011 17:36:06 -0400
Reply-To:     John Bridges <jbridges@DOE.K12.GA.US>
Sender:       Ag Ed Discussion Group <AGED-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         John Bridges <jbridges@DOE.K12.GA.US>
Subject:      Georgia FFA Alumni initiative --- THANK YOU
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

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: jbridges@doe.k12.ga.us

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