PIGEON – The Laker High School FFA Tuesday presented State Representative Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) with its 2009 Building Our American Communities (BOAC) award because of his willingness to make a difference and go "the extra mile" in all his efforts in the community.
"As a Laker Schools alum, I am proud to receive this honor and truly enjoy working with organizations like FFA," Brown said. "I applaud the FFA's efforts to improve our community and pass on our agricultural heritage to our future leaders. The Thumb does a good job of not only providing our state with vital food resources, but with developing strong community leaders. The FFA and Laker Schools are definitely key players in that process."
BOAC is an FFA activity that promotes community awareness to its members. This is done by having members participate in many community development activities that include economic resources, environmental resources, human resources/citizenship and agricultural awareness/literacy.
"Representative Brown has been an unwavering force for
agricultural rights and a visible supporter of FFA," said Don Wheeler, a Laker FFA adviser and agriculture teacher. "We
selected him for his caring attitude and willingness to work with students and adults in the community. He's shown that
one person with integrity can make a difference in the lives of our residents."
The FFA was founded in 1928 and has more than 500,000 members in 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The FFA
is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for leadership,
personal growth and career success through agricultural education. According to the FFA Web site, the organization
changed its name from Future Farmers of America to National FFA Organization in 1988 to reflect the expanding careers in
agricultural education.