Since 2017, Kentucky FFA has hosted an event that brings together supporters and alumni to help support the future generations of Kentucky FFA members.
“Welcome to the 2025 Kentucky FFA Foundation Blue & Gold Gala.” These are the words that guests are greeted with as they walk through the doors to enter the historic Church Hill Downs. The guests are then brought inside and greeted with a photo booth; from there, they are guided to where the gala will take place. Inside, the guests are greeted with activities, such as registration to get a bidder number for the auction and a silent auction.
With the Blue and Gold Jackpot Game, supporters can spend money to potentially win a prize at the gala that night.
The 2026-27 Kentucky FFA State Officer Team at the gala.
The gala over the years has raised thousands of dollars because of the generosity of its supporters through auctions, the John Deere Gator raffle, and other opportunities throughout the night. The auctions are always one of the biggest ways a supporter can help contribute to the foundation. This gives the donor an added incentive to buy an item because, in return, they will receive something, from tickets to watch a race at Church Hill Downs to an opportunity to have dinner with the commissioner of agriculture. The items or experiences the supporters and alumni bid on are donated by several individuals, organizations, and businesses across the commonwealth.
The auctioneer prepares to begin the auction.
Kentucky FFA State Vice President Matthew Estes welcomes everyone to this year’s Gala.
The most rewarding part of the night is seeing who the money impacts. This year, current state officers across the commonwealth shared how the funds had impacted them and their chapters.
Aiden Manley, the current Kentucky FFA state president, said his FFA chapter received funds to help improve its ag shop. His advisor told him what it was like before his chapter received the ag innovation grant from Kentucky FFA in 2020.
“He said that we had no tools, there was nothing in the shop to allow kids to have hands-on learning experiences to do shop projects that we could take out into the community or we could sell out into the community,” Manley said.
Aiden Manley shares the story of his FFA chapter and how it has been impacted by the foundation.
A fraction of the 350 supporters and alumni who attended the gala.
The night concluded with the announcement of the John Deere Gator Raffle winner, but the winner of the raffle this year decided to donate it back to Kentucky FFA to be auctioned off that night. This is an example of how generous the alumni and supporters of Kentucky FFA truly are, whether they were in FFA or their children became members. The generosity you find across the Commonwealth of Kentucky for FFA is out of this world. Living to serve for them doesn’t just end after high school. It never does.
