The Detroit FFA program is launching a new service project called “Leaving a Legacy” for their community in the tiny town of Detroit.
“This sustainable community service project is part of the requirements that Detroit FFA member Matthew Marquez is working on to complete his service project for the 2019-2020 Texas FFA Ford Leadership Scholars Program. He is one of only 10 FFA members in Texas who were selected for this program,” said Detroit FFA teacher Tracy Denny.
The Texas FFA Ford Leadership Scholars is a community service-driven, professional development program designed as a partnership between the Texas FFA Association, the Texas FFA Foundation, and Ford Motor Company. This program revolves around six leadership tenants: vision, action, awareness, relationships, character, and continuous improvement.
The Ford Leadership Scholars program pushes students to their leadership limits to the point that they understand success in terms of one thing: sustainable results.
Marquez and his teacher have been attending monthly meetings with the Detroit Little Motor City Drive Group since June of 2019 to establish this program with the Detroit Drive Group.
Detroit FFA President Dusty Brown has also presented at the meetings and assisted by representing members.
“We have a partnership to utilize our members, students, and our Greenhouse to start a beautification project for the community that will be sustainable in the future and will be something we can all support,” added Denny.
This fall, they began with planting and maintaining the area in front of the Post Office and by the “Welcome to Detroit” sign to get started.
“We will be stepping it up in the spring as we have plans to assist with the maintenance of the downtown Veterans Park where members will do landscaping, trim trees, plant flowers, and paint the rail around the track. We will also be planting the downtown area and providing ferns to hang in front of local businesses that our students have been growing and caring for since August,” she further said.
The Lions Club has also helped and partnered with them by purchasing United States Flags for them to start putting up at the Veterans Park on holidays and special occasions.
This project is funded by the FFA/Ag program, where they have also had a couple of local families send a donation to help.
“We are so excited to partner with the community and the community members who have supported and dedicated so much to our school and our FFA/Ag programs for many years! Matthew will be reporting the steps of the project to Texas FFA’s Ford Leadership Scholar program and will attend their banquet in March to give a report. We are excited about this opportunity,” Denny said.
This will be a continuous project that will be worked on from now on and they are funding the project as Detroit FFA and Agriculture Department.
Denny also said that they hope to have a plant sale at their school greenhouse on April 10 and 11 next year that will help fund the purchase of items needed to make the project grow. Until the plant sale in 2020, they will continue to do what they can with the resources available to them.
She also added that Marquez was chosen after reading a book, testing on the book, interviewing in Austin, and going through several rounds of interviews in Austin with leaders of Ford Motor Company and Texas FFA. He has also been assigned a mentor, Mrs. Nancy Manchillo, from Allen that will be assisting him in this project.
He will eventually deliver his results and project to the FLS and the Texas FFA at a banquet in March, where he will receive a $1,000 scholarship for his role as an FLS and his part in this project.
Photo submitted by Detroit FFA
