Fundraiser will help pay for club's attendance at various competitions
By BECKY THOMAS
Staff Reporter
If a good meal and a better cause aren't enough to get you to the Cheney High School Future Farmers of America banquet April 20, how about the chance to win a boat?
The FFA chapter is on a fundraising spree in Cheney this year, planning the first annual banquet and auction for next week as well as selling raffle tickets for an exciting prize: a 1988 18-foot Bayliner boat, complete with a new engine, stereo and paint job.
FFA president Derek McNall, a junior at CHS, said the banquet, auction and raffle have a dual purpose.
“We're trying to raise money for everybody so that we can go do more events and not have to worry about money so much,” he said. “We also decided that we really wanted to get the community more involved.”
The 40-odd members of CHS FFA are involved in a wide variety of events and competitions, from showing and judging livestock to shooting trap and public speaking. McNall said a core group of active members participate in several different competitions, and each one comes with entry fees and travel costs.
“Everybody who participates can go to the state convention,” McNall said. “But not everybody can afford to go. Last year it was $2,000 and we took 12 or 13 people.”
Club members worked to build items for a live and silent auction, while others solicited businesses for donated items. McNall said a variety of things will be available, including jewelry, furniture and metal art created by chapter members. Local businesses contributed items to several gift baskets as well, McNall said.
“The businesses have been really supportive,” he said.
The Bayliner was donated by a friend of club advisor Allen Skoog, and donated labor from FFA club members and West Plains Marine in Airway Heights brought the boat back to its former glory. The raffle tickets, $5 each, are available at the high school.
The raffle drawing and live and silent auctions will be held at the banquet Wednesday, April 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the CHS cafeteria. For $8, FFA family, friends and supporters get a dinner catered by Luigi's Italian Restaurant. They will also witness the chapter's rituals, including FFA ceremonies, awarding chapter degrees, announcing new officers, and various awards for FFA members.
McNall said club members planned to talk to all the new faces at the banquet and tell them about Cheney FFA.
“We really want the community to see what we're doing,” McNall said. “Some people don't even know there's still a chapter in Cheney. We need to step up and show that we still have a great chapter and we're doing a lot of great things.”
McNall said he hoped the banquet would be a success and would become a local tradition for the entire community.
Tickets to the banquet are available at Cheney High School and Cheney Feed and Tack. For tickets or more information call the high school at 559-4000.
Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].
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