There are a number of clubs and organizations Bear River students are able to participate in, most of which are integrated into the community through community service or fundraising for the public. One such fundraiser is the FFA Drive-Thru Barbeque being put on by Bear River’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter on Thursday, October 17.

The FFA Drive-Thru Barbeque fundraiser happens a few times a year to help raise money for the various competitions and events that the chapter participates in. Junior Lizzie Glompson described what this fundraiser is.

“The FFA Drive-thru barbecue is our chapter’s main fundraiser,” she said. “FFA members help out to prepare and serve the tri-tip meal … It’s a great opportunity for our chapter to reach out to the community.”

Senior and President of Bear River’s FFA organization Katelyn Lorenzo further explained why people should come to this event.

“It’s super yummy, and perfect for anyone who wants to support a great cause and doesn’t have to cook dinner for that night,” she said.

Multiple fundraisers are organized by FFA throughout the year, including this barbeque. Junior Connor McGehee explained why FFA is so active when it comes to fundraisers.

“Our FFA chapter is very involved in competitions, and we go to a lot of leadership conferences each year,” he said. “All of these trips add up so our fundraising money helps make it, so we can pay a portion so it’s not as expensive for the students going on these trips.”

Steven Paasch, Bear River’s FFA Advisor and agriculture teacher, added onto McGehee’s comment to provide further details on how the profit will help the students.

“It’s to help pay for registration fees, conference fees, the expense of transporting students to the competitions that we do,” he said. “We know the students themselves can’t pay the expenses, so we’d like to reduce the cost by partially paying some of their expenses.”

Despite the amount of hard work FFA members put into this event, it isn’t all just work and no fun. A few FFA members commented on what their favorite part of participating in the barbeque is.

“My favorite part of the barbecue is the preparing of the food,” said Glompson. “FFA members come together after school to make tons of tri-tip meals This gives the ability for members to get to know each other better.”

As an FFA officer, she continued to emphasize the importance of establishing relationships between the members.

“It is very important for the chapter officers to get to know the members, because they are the life of the chapter and we want them to be open to the endless opportunities within in the FFA organization.”

Lorenzo added her own opinion.

“My favorite part of the barbeque is seeing the community members that help support us, and getting people their meals to eat with their family and friends,” she said.

There are a multitude of clubs and organization one could support, but why should you support our FFA chapter? 

“FFA holds opportunities to various necessities in life,” said Glompson. “For example, public speaking is a very important skill to have, and there are many competitions specializing in speaking which can help members become better public speakers.”

Mr. Paasch emphasized on how the events that are being supported by this fundraiser are incredibly important to the futures of the FFA members.

“Conferences help broaden the students’ horizons and help them to learn additional skill sets that will help them be successful in their future careers,” he said. “ … It gives kids additional opportunities and experiences that they can’t share with or enjoy unless we are able to transport them to these events … [Our goal is] to have lots of students at Bear River have lots of opportunities to travel and attend different events that are of an educational nature.”

“Agriculture education is something that teaches a kid a lot more than a normal school class,” McGehee elaborated. “We learn about responsibility, leadership, hard work, and much more. We do lots of hands-on learning outside of the classroom that teach kids real world life skills, and how to be successful adults. When you come and support us, it’s more than just the FFA – it’s supporting the students’ futures.”