Time. It’s such a precious commodity. It never seems like we have enough of it — until we’re working out, at least, then it lasts forever. It’s hard to fit it all in — farming, relationships with spouse/kids, activities, extended family, resting, working, cleaning, laundry, cooking, church life, working, bills, house maintenance, all the things. Sometimes the easiest thing to let go of is volunteering; giving of ourselves to help our communities become greater places.
Our small local high school has an FFA chapter with approximately 40 members. We started an alumni chapter several years ago to help support the members in ways the school can’t or won’t. We’re a small group that meets a few times per year to plan a couple of different activities, purchase items for the members, and see how to best show up for our community.
Ideas and intentions aside, we have to have money in order to do most of these activities. So we started an annual tractor drive.
Jackson Heights High School started in 1969 as a consolidated school of several communities in the area. We honor that history by starting the drive in a different community each year. Since we’ve had enough drives now, we have looped back around to locations, but always do a different route.
Though the group of active alumni who actually show up to the meetings is tiny, the support we get from the community is unreal. Sponsorships from businesses, door prizes that are donated for the drivers, people who show up to support the lunch beforehand — and then there’s the drivers bringing their own tractor/UTV, paying a registration, and using their own fuel to support our the FFA members.
The first drive seemed like a daunting task: figuring out what we needed, how to involve local law enforcement to make it legal, what roads we could be on and which ones we couldn’t, how much food to prepare, how to do registration, how long of a drive, how to make it special so people will show up year after year, etc.
Like most things in life, the thinking part was the most difficult. Once we got rolling, things fell in to place. Now 15 drives later, it’s a well-oiled machine. It’s easy for our group to put it together with very minimal time. The community is incredibly supportive and generous, helping support the chapter and members throughout the year. We had a record setting year of 61 drivers! And it keeps growing.
Our goal as alumni has been easy from the beginning: Since we’re all busy people, we wanted to make maximum impact with minimal time. You can easily do this in your community too. And know that you don’t have to have a ton of people to do it. Find the good ones and work with them to change your community.
As an alumni chapter, we aim to do four things each year: organize the annual tractor drive, buy something physical for the members or chapter, provide money for trips to help ease the burden of the parents or members, and do an event on a relevant topic for the community at large.
An example of physical products we have been able to provide the chapter: FFA jackets that can be left with the advisor for events that require them, but alleviates the burden of having each member have to purchase one.
Examples of events we have done for the community are Beef Quality Assurance certification, land rental rates/negotiation examples, succession planning, highway safety with various experts, and a vet presentation on finishing cattle and how to know when they are ready.
I know that it’s incredibly easy to push volunteering off. My husband and I are very stingy with our limited time off the farm. But you have to decide what causes are worthy of your limited time. Then make it happen.
Our communities are worthy of our skills and talents. Raising families in communities that care, matter. Being connected with our fellow humans on worthy causes can be time consuming and exhausting to people that are already tired, but it’s important. It matters. Your time and talents matter. It doesn’t have to be grandiose, it doesn’t have to take all your time off, but please find a cause that matters and do it!
Kelsey Pagel is a Kansas farmer. She grew up on a cow/calf and row crop operation and married into another. Kelsey and her Forever (Matt) farm and ranch with his family where they are living their dream and loving most of the moments.
