Who’s the Biggest Supporter of Iowa FFA?

Wow, what a week we just had. FFA week is always a fun time to see what other chapters across the state are doing, but it’s also a good week to see who some of our biggest supporters are. This past January my team and I got to help out at the Iowa Alumni Conference. This conference was jam packed with activities and supporters. Over 200 alumni members from across the state showed up to improve on how they can help as a supporter and the state association as a whole. Seeing and being involved in this was truly eye-opening. As a Greenhand FFA member I did not realize this organization had such a big pool of talented supporters. Throughout my state officer year I have realized one of the biggest supporters of Iowa FFA is the Iowa FFA Alumni Association.  I decided to call up our State Alumni President, Patrick Diedrich, to shed some more light on the Iowa FFA Alumni.

1. What is the Iowa FFA Alumni Association?

We are a group made up of parents, businesses, local leaders, school board members, and past FFA members that understand the importance of Agricultural Education and the benefits that FFA provides to the young people of Iowa. Our group is over 12,700 members strong, and we truly believe in developing premiere leadership, personal growth, and career success.

2. What are the requirements to be an Alumni member?

You don’t have to be a past FFA member. The only requirement to be an Alumni member is you must be able to inhale oxygen, convert it to CO2, and exhale. Literally, anyone breathing is eligible to become an Alumni member and support the amazing work of FFA and Agricultural Education.  

3. How do you start an Alumni Chapter?

The first step is to gather together the group of people that seem to be at every FFA event helping out and invite your Alumni District Representative to come and talk about the benefits of becoming an alumni group and how to get started. This rep will work with your local leaders to get everything up and going. Our contact information can be found at http://www.iowaffaalumni.com/boardofdirectors.aspx

4. How does one become involved in Alumni after graduation?

The best way to become involved is to attend your local alumni meetings. If you don’t have a local alumni or have moved to a new area and don’t know who the local alumni people are, please reach out to the state board (link is above) and we will get you connected with the right people. Like everything in life being an Alumni member is just like being in FFA, the more you put into it, the more you will get out.

5. What do Alumni members do?

Alumni members do whatever their local advisor needs. If they need funds to pay for hotel rooms at National or State Convention, we do fundraisers. If the advisor needs a chaperone, we do that too. These are just two examples of the hundreds of things alumni members do.  

I hope this has helped open your eyes just like mine did this past January.  We are grateful to have this in the state of Iowa and need to express that as FFA members, so next time you see an Alumni member, don’t forget to say thanks!

Caleb Finnegan
Southwest State Vice-President