Living to Serve {Weekly Blog}

Learning to Do, Doing to Learn

Earning to Live, Living to Serve

                                      

As Penn Stater's we have the opportunity to participate and be apart of the largest student ran organization, Penn State's Dance Marathon. The Four Diamonds Fund and Dance Marathon is recognized throughout the state because of Penn State's efforts and many school contribute through hosting their own mini-THONs. Big Spring High School holds a bi-annual min-THON but our FFA chapter also contributes to the cause through a community service activity each year. Through a partnership with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Farmers Care Day was celebrated at the several Ronald McDonald houses throughout Pennsylvania. 

On Thursday, the Big Spring FFA took our food and gift cards items collected to the Hershey, Ronald McDonald House. Speaking at the event was Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Representatives, a Farm Bureau family with a daughter fighting leukemia, and a representative from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Our FFA members unloaded papers, newspapers, and magazines and help unload and unpack all the food items donated. The students look forward to this event every year because of the partnership with PFB and the opportunity to learn about and see the Ronald McDonald house. 

So why did I just tell you about my "field trip"? In the FFA motto it says "Living to Serve" and this is where I feel the most pride in my chapter. Each of the students, the ones on the trip and the ones that contributed to the event, have hearts to serve. They look forward to giving back and, even more so, putting in the hands on work. I hope you can hear the pride while reading my words. I want to have students with servant hearts as big as these Big Spring students. It does not go unnoticed that their community instills this quality in them, but also their advisors.  Giving, being selfless, and being relentless while doing it is not something forced upon students, but something modeled and emphasized as important. This was a call to action for me. How will I be that role model? What ways will I give back to my community? How will I instill servant hearts in my students? Always thinking, always reflecting, and oo... mentoring tip #86 noted.