Turner Ashby FFA members serve breakfast to veterans at their annual Veterans Day Celebration.
Turner Ashby FFA members got up bright and early to prepare and serve breakfast to the veterans who served our country.
Every year, before Veterans Day, Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater, Va., hosts its annual Veterans Day Celebration. This celebration features a breakfast, ceremony and walk-through parade to honor local veterans. Turner Ashby FFA Chapter members prepare for this event weeks in advance by reaching out to local businesses for food donations and planning to make some of the food themselves.
This is Chapter President Laurel Armstrong’s third time helping to prepare breakfast. “This breakfast is very inspirational and beneficial to not only those of us who get to serve the breakfast but the students and staff members of Turner Ashby as well,” she said.
“It’s really heartwarming to get to serve and honor those who put their lives on the line for this country. Here at Turner Ashby, we want to make sure that their hard work and dedication never go unnoticed,” Armstrong added.
Turner Ashby FFA ensures that the ceremony never falls on Veterans Day, allowing veterans to be appreciated more than just one day a year. The ceremony includes several guest speakers, including Virginia state delegates. These guest speakers recite the Pledge of Allegiance, sing “America the Beautiful,” and present poems. The Turner Ashby Band plays “Armed Forces Salute.”
Local veterans share breakfast, conversations and stories.
Living to Serve
FFA members live by the motto “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.” For Turner Ashby FFA members, this event really spoke to the last two parts of the motto, “Earning to Live, Living to Serve.” Members got the opportunity not only to serve breakfast but also to build connections. By talking to the veterans, members learned the meaning behind “Earning to Live.”
“Hearing some of their stories really shows you that our freedoms today were never free. We would not be where we are without their resilience and passion for this country,” one member said.
Members across the country consistently exemplify “Living to Serve” through their communities. These acts of service include community service and giving back to others who support them. In Bridgewater, Va., members get to show their gratitude to their supporters and veterans through this breakfast.
Turner Ashby High School students and staff hope to continue the tradition of the Veterans Day Celebration. This year, over 110 people attended, with about 70 of them being veterans.
“We hope to continue increasing our turnout every year and making a difference in more and more people’s lives. Our goal for next year is 100 veterans,” Angela Osinkosky, the organizer of the event, said.
