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Opinion Council wisely supports state FFA convention
Council wisely supports state FFA convention
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The La Grande City Council acted in a prudent manner when it granted
$6,000 in transient room tax revenues to the La Grande High School
chapter of FFA to help fund its hosting of the state convention March
20-23. The convention as a whole costs about $33,000 to stage. Revenues
come mainly from registration fees. But the council’s action will help
the local chapter put on a much better convention with a high quality
sound system...
The convention was last held in La Grande in 1997 and annually attracts between 1,600 and 2,000 people. Of those, 90 percent will be from outside Union County. According to Paul Anderes, adviser to the LHS FFA, the convention should fill every motel room in Union County, which would contribute to greater transient room tax revenues next year. According to City Manager Robert Strope, transient room tax revenues are lagging this year, which made the council’s decision of how to partition the money among several worthy causes all the more difficult. The state convention will also bring more shoppers to town. The convention will help boost revenues at a time when recessionary pressures are hitting local businesses hard. La Grande residents should do all they can to roll out the red carpet and make the visitors feel welcome. One of the biggest needs the state FFA convention faced was for a good sound system. There is a big emphasis on and many students involved in public speaking at the state convention. Being able to acquire such a sound system will help La Grande put on a much more professional convention. Oregon FFA involves about 4,500 students in 103 chapters. The organization is renowned for its development of young leaders through application of its motto “Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live and living to serve.” Chapter activities are designed to enhance students’ leadership abilities, personal growth and career success, and many leaders in the community owe at least some of their success to their involvement in FFA. Formerly called Future Farmers of America, FFA changed its name in 1988 to reflect the expanding career fields people can enter through the doors of agricultural education. The organization was founded in 1928. It has a current membership of more than 500,000 across the United States and its possessions. The more conventions of quality organizations such as FFA that La Grande can host, the better. Visitors gain an appreciation for all Northeast Oregon has to offer, and businesses enjoy the benefits of having more shoppers come in their doors and making purchases. |
