Rome Middle FFA members, including Avi-Kate Edwards (fourth from left), and advisor Ashley Hamby (far left) pose in front of a banner welcoming attendees to their chapter’s event. Photo courtesy of Rome Middle FFA.
When Avi-Kate Edwards was tasked with creating a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), she wanted to include everyone in her agriculture awareness project — not just the students at Rome Middle School in Georgia, where she just completed her eighth grade year.
Edwards had been volunteering with Extra Special People, Inc. (ESP), a nonprofit that provides resources and assistance to individuals with disabilities and their families. “I wanted to do something with ESP to make sure they could do something with agriculture, too,” Edwards says.
Brainstorming ideas with her advisor, Ashley Hamby, helped the two come up with “Rooted With Abilities,” an after-school agricultural awareness event that featured a petting zoo, hayride, seed-planting station and face painting. Hamby says Rooted With Abilities was the Rome Middle School FFA Chapter’s first community-focused outreach event.
“Cook Farms in Cedartown, Ga., hosted the petting zoo, which included goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, donkeys, a cow, ducks and a pig,” Hamby adds. “Some of the participants got to bottle feed lambs, so that was very popular.”
Community partner Mathis Trailers and Equipment also brought a tractor for the 35 participants to touch and learn about. Hamby says Edwards single-handedly ran the seed-planting station.
“She instructed them on how to take care of the plant and why it’s important to grow your own food,” Hamby says. “It was great to watch participants light up and realize they could take their own plant home.”
Growing Awareness and Community
Serving her community with fellow members is one of Edwards’ favorite parts of FFA. It’s important, she says, because it not only helps those in their area, but it also helps build character and leadership opportunities for students.
Edwards (left) and another Rome Middle FFA member (right) prepare to lead event attendees through the seed-planting station. Photo courtesy of Rome Middle FFA.
“I like meeting new people, working together as a big group and learning about what other people like in agriculture,” says Edwards, who served as her middle school chapter’s president. “We’ve done canned food drives, and we also helped with ‘Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful,’ which is focused on cleaning up the community.”
Rooted With Abilities was such a success that organizers want it to be an annual event.
“Avi-Kate did an amazing job getting this started, and seeing her grow this year has been phenomenal” Hamby says. “It combined agricultural education with community service and gave people with special needs the opportunity to see a little bit of the agriculture world.”
Secure Support
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