Items in this listserv:

****NEW Information****

1.  Illinois FFA Alumni & Supporters Ground Zero Conference and Washington Leadership Conference Scholarship Applications

The Illinois FFA Alumni and Supporters applications are now open and are due Wednesday, October 30, 2024.  A letter of recommendation from the FFA Advisor on the student applying for the scholarship is also due on October 30, 2024.  Your chapter must have an active alumni to apply for these scholarships:

Ground Zero Conference Scholarship Application - Please have a freshman or sophomore complete the application to attend one of the Ground Zero Conferences in January 2025.  We will only accept one application per school.  

Washington Leadership Conference Scholarship Application - Sophomores and Juniors may apply for the WLC Scholarship.  We will not have the scholarship amount until after the Illinois FFA Alumni and Supporters Council meeting on Saturday, November 2, 2024. National FFA will have this conference in the Summer of 2025.  If you have any questions, please email pdavis@illinoisffa.org.

Please click this link for the rubric for both of these scholarship applications.

2.  National FFA Alumni and Supporters Outstanding Achievement Application

Do you have an outstanding member that supports your local FFA Alumni Chapter outstandingly?  Then please complete this link to the application (once you download it, save it to your computer and then add your information to the document), and email it to pdavis@illinoisffa.org by Wednesday, October 30, 2024.  The applications will be judged on Saturday, November 2, 2024.  The winner will be announced on Friday, January 24, 2025, during the Illinois FFA Alumni and Supporters Annual Meeting & Auction.

3.  National FFA Alumni and Supporters Outstanding Chapter Application

Do you have an outstanding alumni chapter that outstandingly supports local FFA members?  Then please complete the Illinois FFA Alumni and Supporters 2025 Outstanding Chapter Application (once you download this application, save it to your computer to make the edits to the document), and email it to pdavis@illinoisffa.org by October 30, 2024.  The applications will be judged on November 2, 2024, and the winner will receive their award on January 24, 2025, at the Illinois FFA Alumni and Supporters annual meeting and auction in Springfield, Illinois.  

4. SAVE THE DATE - Illinois FFA Alumni and Supporters Annual Meeting & Auction

The Illinois FFA Alumni and Supporters annual meeting, and auction will be held on Friday, January 24 - Saturday, January 25, 2025, at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel, Springfield, Illinois.  The hotel room block is now open and can be found at this link.  If you know someone who sells seed or has a way to get other types of donations, please contact our Auction Coordinator, Daphne Thorman with this information at ILstateffa@yahoo.com.    We are also looking for companies to sponsor our event, if you work for a company that could give the alumni a sponsorship or would like a request letter sent out, please contact Riley Wells at rwells@illinoisffa.org.   If you have any questions about the event, please contact Patti Davis at pdavis@illinoisffa.org.

6.  Fundraiser for FFA/Alumni Chapters - 2025 Illinois FFA Alumni and Supporters John Deere Gator Raffle Tickets

The Illinois FFA Alumni and Supporters Gator Raffle will begin on January 19, 2025.  John Deere is sponsoring the Gator again this year!  The FFA/Alumni Chapter will receive 40% back of the total sales of these tickets.   Plus if your chapter sells the winning ticket you will receive $300 and we also draw two additional tickets and those chapters will receive $250.  In 2024, 53 chapters sold the tickets and the total rebate checks were $15,240.  Morrisonville FFA was our top-selling chapter and this was the first time selling tickets.  FFA Advisor Josh Bullard said his students kept asking for more tickets to sell and sold 705 tickets for a total of $4,730, Morrisonville FFA received a rebate check for $1,892.  Other chapters said it is the easiest fundraiser and helps with hotel room expenses at conferences/convention or local events.   There are many uses for this rebate money that could be utilized at your local chapters.