GIVE...and then, give some more!

mmmmmm.....it was just one of those moments that makes you feel all warm and tingly inside. Have you ever met one of those people that goes completely out of their way to serve someone else? Well, I had the pleasure of meeting one of those people tonight, someone who I feel is a true hero. However, before I begin my story, I'll set the scene. Every day at the University of Minnesota I travel to my classes in Minneapolis on the Campus Connector. This day was just like all the rest except the ride back to my dorm had an added element of excitement.

We were driving along the route, and suddenly, off to the side of the road I could see orange flashing lights. The bus driver immediately slowed down. As we got closer to the blinking lights, I could make out the silhouette of a man on a motorized scooter, but there was something wrong. The scooter was not moving; it had become wedged in a snowdrift. The bus driver pulled over to the side of the transit way and leaped out of the bus. I heard him warmly greet the elderly man that was stranded on the side of the road. I overheard the elderly man say that he had been patiently waiting for a good Samaritan to stop and rescue him, for about a half hour. The man must have been freezing as he watched vehicle after vehicle pass him by! The bus driver treated the man with such respect and visited with him as he began to push the man through the snow drift. But the bus driver did not stop pushing after the man was free of the drift, he pushed him down the whole block of slushy sidewalk! He went above and beyond what was expected of him. And no one on the bus was bothered by this unscheduled stop. We all just sat with smiles on our faces as the bus driver boarded the bus again, and we were on our merry way.

It's acts of kindness like these that pretty much keep the world turning. As FFA members we need to take the initiative and be "Go-Givers." We need to be willing to put ourselves last and others first. We need to offer others everything we could possibly give to them.

My goal before the end of the day is to do at least one great thing for another person, and I urge you to set a similar goal! Give of your time and talents to another person today, whether it be a stranger or a good friend. GIVE....and then, give some more!



Stationed by the flag,

Kirsten

Journey to CHS

CHS State Officer Professional Development Day

12 November 2010

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I have two words for you, JAMMED PACK! Our day kicked off promptly at 8:20 with Lisa Moorhouse who was kind enough to give is a general overview of CHS and what is happening with them now. A theme we noticed throughout the day was the excitement for the revealing of the new CEO of CHS. Everyone associated with CHS and the six state officers are looking forward to seeing who this new person is at the CHS Annual Meeting in late November.

Lisa kept us on track and introduced us to Jennifer Thatcher who gave us a general overview about the CHS Foundation. (Check out their website for scholarship and internship opportunities!) Following the Foundation, Jeff Wittek and Jason Schwantz representing energy and propane gave us a very entertaining overview of their respected areas. As I said before, this day was jammed pack! Lisa had Ryan Caffrey come chat with us representing Ag. Business and gave us an overview of international trade.

Just before lunch we were lucky to meet four Human Resource personnel, Mike Chanaka, Becky Couture, Chris Kelleher, and Cate Sprout. They gave is endless tips on how to critique our resumes, interviews styles, appropriate dress, follow-up thank-yous, and so much more! Needless to say, all of us were fixing our resumes Friday night :-)

For lunch we were able to chat with other CHS employees. One thing I loved seeing at CHS was the genuine smiles and enthusiastic atmosphere. Every one at CHS seemed happy to be there and passionate about what they were doing. This is definitely the type of environment a work place should have! To wrap up the day, Lani Jordan gave us tips and guidelines for planning the State Convention in May.

Thanks to Lisa and all of her fellow employees, we learned ALOT about CHS, planning, resumes and so much more. This was truly a jammed pack day and we loved every moment of it. The day was all about discussion and we were able to ask questions about one of our Star Partners.

Thank-you CHS for an AWESOME day! :-)

Stationed by the Emblem of Washington,

Maddie Collin