VALE – Bales and bales of alfalfa hay. A pink bicycle. Vale Rodeo tickets. Swim passes. An airplane ride. A Honda side-by-side UTV.
The chance to take home any one of these items might seem like a pretty great reason to attend the Vale FFA Harvest Scholarship Auction on Saturday, Oct. 19.
But FFA supporters say there’s an even better reason: to support local youth as they pursue further education and skills.
The auction, in its 31st year, has awarded more than $267,000 in scholarships since 1992 for a wide range of post high school educational pursuits – not just for four-year colleges, but trade schools and occupational and technical training programs.
“Any kid involved in FFA has the opportunity to apply for our scholarships,” said Jason Chamberlain, president of the Vale FFA Foundation.
It’s just one of the ways FFA “opens the doors to new opportunities,” he said.
Chamberlain knows that well. He was one of those students in FFA at Vale High, where he graduated in 2001.
“Through FFA, I got to go to places and meet people I wouldn’t have otherwise,” he said.
He got interested in dairy judging and continued that interest in college at Oregon State University. Today, he has his own consulting business as a dairy nutritionist and also is a manager for his family’s Dairylain Farms.
Looking back, he said, FFA opened doors for his career.
While he comes from “an ag family” and has gone into dairy work, he stressed that FFA prepares students today for all sorts of fields.
Anna-Marie Chamberlain, his sister-in-law, is the agriculture teacher at Vale and in her eight-year tenure at the school has overseen a growing FFA program. Starting with enrollment of about 75 students, the Vale FFA ranks this year count 135 students.
The expansion reflects a national trend for FFA, a name that originally stood for Future Farmers of America. In 1988, the National FFA Organization declared it would be known only by the acronym FFA to signify a broadening of its mission beyond production farmers. Members today aspire to be teachers, doctors, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs and more, notes the national website.
Anna-Marie Chamberlain said the local FFA reflects that diversity.
“Some of our kids have some ag background, and some have absolutely no ag background,” she said, noting that the scholarships help with a range of options. It could be a four-year university, or it could be a barber school or a commercial driver license course.
Another advantage she sees in this scholarship program is that the money is awarded directly to the student, not an institution, so the recipient can use the money where it is needed – not just for tuition but for things like materials, lodging or transportation that may be needed but not covered by other school grants.
She notes that FFA teaches youth career skills, but also “how to be good citizens.”
That can be seen in the community service portion of the FFA program, which has students planning and helping out at a range of community events.
“When kids contribute to their community, they learn how to put others first, and they learn to work together as a team. They learn empathy,” she said.
Jason Chamberlain notes that FFA hones leadership and business skills.
As an employer, he said that can be easy to spot.
“When you interview kids for jobs, you can tell the ones who’ve been in FFA,” he said. “They look you in the eye. They fill out the job application completely. They ask good questions. They have the skills to communicate.”
Given his experience, it’s no surprise Chamberlain has a “big heart” for FFA – but he says that goes for all CTE – career and technical education – programs. He said Vale is fortunate to have such opportunities for its youth.
“They teach our kids every-day, real-life skills that they will need,” he said.
On Oct. 19, the focus will be on FFA, with many of the Vale students on hand in their signature blue jackets to showcase the auction items.
Chamberlain is hoping for a strong turnout of bidders – one to match the generous donations so far.
The array of items runs the gamut: a round of golf, a tabletop heater, a madrone coffee table, a water pump, a 14-foot canoe, bags of feed, lamb and beef for the freezer, horseshoe art, baked goods, a manicure, artwork, fiber art, dining certificates, equipment rentals and even a pack of hot dogs. A listing of the items and donors so far is detailed in an insert in this week’s Malheur Enterprise.
“I’ve been on the board close to 10 years, and I’m not sure I remember ever having this big a list of auction items so early,” said Chamberlain.
Check it out:
- Vale FFA Scholarship Auction
- When: 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19
- Where: Vale School District Bus Shed
- What it does: Raises money for scholarships for Vale High School FFA members
- Vale FFA Foundation Board:
- Jason Chamberlain
- Marvin Rempel
- Dave Eyler
- Teri Doran
- Ginny Cooper
- Mike Cook
- John Braese
- R.L. Tolbert
- Kortney Masmeyer
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