Seventh-day Adventist School Trail Blazers (photo supplied by Carlos Robles)
The St. Thomas/St. John Seventh-day School Trail Blazers, Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter, on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, has been awarded a Yearlong Living to Serve Grant for $3,000 for the second year. The nationwide program provides grant money to local Future Farmers of America chapters to support yearlong service-learning projects that address needs related to community safety; environmental responsibility; hunger, health and nutrition; and community engagement.
The St. Thomas / St. John SDA School Trail Blazers Future Farmers of America plan to address two broad areas of community need: community engagement, and health and nutrition. The students will address these two areas by working with selected residents of the Celestino A. White Sr. Senior Citizens Residence to grow a portion of their food.
The objectives of the project are to promote intergenerational relationships, provide the seniors with physical activity by co-building a vertical garden growing system, and plant selected vegetables and herbs in those vertical containers. Long term, the students hope to share a communal meal with the residents from the harvested produce.
The program provided over $260,000. to FFA chapters in 33 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 2023-2024 FFA Yearlong Living to Serve Grants are sponsored by Tractor Supply Company and Cargill. For more information and a complete listing of sponsors, visit www.FFA.org/livingtoserve.
Future Farmers of America is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 735,000 student members as part of 8,817 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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About the National FFA Organization
The Future Farmers of America’s mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at www.FFA.org and on Facebook and X.
About the National FFA Foundation
The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations, and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize Future Farmers of America member achievements, develop student leaders, and support the future of agricultural education.
Governed by a 19-member board of trustees composed of educators, business leaders, individual donors and Future Farmers of America FFA alumni, the foundation is a separately registered nonprofit organization. About 82 percent of every dollar received by the foundation supports Future Farmers of America members and agricultural education opportunities. For more, visit www.FFA.org/Give.
