The FFA motto is “Learning to do, Doing to learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve. The National FFA Organization teaches its members to embody and live by this motto. FFA Alumna Amanda Mainord is still living by the FFA motto even after retiring her FFA jacket.
Mainord was a member of the Cookeville FFA Chapter, where she participated in horse and livestock judging. She served her chapter as sentinel and president during her junior and senior years. After high school, she attended Tennessee Tech University, earning a Bachelor of Science in agriculture. Currently, Mainord helps rural communities secure grant funding to better their quality of life. She may not wear the blue jacket any longer, but she still finds ways to give back to FFA through her gifts of time, talent and resources.
Amanda Mainord (fifth from right) joins the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Monterey FFA greenhouse.
A relatively new chapter, Monterey FFA received its charter in 2016. From the beginning, Mainord volunteered to help prepare members for the FFA horse evaluation career development event. As the chapter made its mark on students and the community, the next logical step was starting an alumni chapter. In 2023, the Monterey FFA Alumni Chapter received its charter. Composed mostly of FFA supporters, it was a perfect fit for Mainord to step into the role of alumni president, as a former FFA member and chapter officer.
“It is an honor to volunteer with organizations like FFA,” says Mainord. “Volunteering with FFA allows me to pay tribute to mentors I had as a young woman who helped shape my leadership and communication skills into who I am today!”
Mainord with the Monterey FFA horse evaluation team.
A key event that alumni support is the annual silent auction during a school football game. The alumni use the money raised to support Monterey FFA members traveling to the Tennessee FFA State Convention and the National FFA Convention & Expo. Mainord also sponsors a student each year to attend the state convention through her business, Grassroots Planning & Consulting. She started this company in April 2012 to support rural communities in the Upper Cumberland area of Tennessee. Through her business, Mainord helps communities secure funds for housing rehabilitation, public infrastructure improvements, economic development and public services.
Monterey FFA members wear T-shirts that thank businesses like Grassroots Planning & Consulting for helping them travel to state convention.
Your FFA journey does not have to end when you hang up your blue jacket. Alumni membership is an impactful way to continue “Living to Serve” after graduation. Check out how to join other alumni and supporters on the National FFA Alumni and Supporters webpage.
