Maddock & Leeds FFA Chapters Participate in Volunteerism Project

By Hailey Maddock, Maddock FFA Chapter President

Being an FFA member is more than just the blue corduroy jacket.  It’s an opportunity to serve others, grow as an individual, and ultimately make the world a better place.  These opportunities and moments of growth are precisely what the Maddock A S. Gibbens and Leeds FFA Chapters experienced.

On August 29, 2020, the Maddock A.S. Gibbens FFA Chapter and the Leeds FFA chapter provided some much-needed volunteer service at the “Garden Dwellers” located at Fillmore, North Dakota.  The owners of Garden Dwellers, Holly and Barry Mawby, needed help with cleaning up their herb and spice gardens after taking a couple of months break due to health issues. “It was hard work that paid off,” said Andrea Arnold, the Maddock FFA Chapter Secretary.

Students from the Maddock A.S. Gibbens & Leeds FFA Chapters volunteered to help a local neighbor in need via the Farm Rescue program.

With the help from Farm Rescue, the chapter members were able to complete two weeks of work in around six hours. Whether it be picking weeds or cleaning up branches, the work significantly impacted those who participated or experienced the teamwork and determination that those twenty-one FFA members executed.  Kearn Nelsen, Vice President of the Leeds FFA Chapter highlights the preparation for service-based projects in the ag. ed. curriculum and FFA organization.  “My favorite part of FFA’s motto is ‘living to serve.’ and this project allowed us to put these words into action,” she said.  “Farm Rescue has been an organization very dear to me.  Its mission is entirely volunteer-based, so the fact that the Leeds and Maddock FFA chapters could come together to do something that impacted a families’ life is amazing.”

Farm Rescue, Farm Rescue ND, North Dakota