by Alesha Hurst, Utah FCCLA VP of Public RelationsLast week was an exciting one for the Utah FCCLA State Executive Council! As state officers, we were able to travel to Washington, D.C. (on a direct flight, thank goodness) and attend the annual Capitol Leadership training meeting.
Capitol Leadership is a unique experience for all who attend because it is not a typical conference. Although there were the usual workshops generally associated with meetings, we also had the opportunity to use what we learned in a fun, hands-on way by completing a service project and advocating on Capitol Hill. FCCLA partnered up with the Lead2Feed program during the trip. By doing so, we were able to participate in a service learning project focused on feeding the hungry. The 129 student leaders who attended from 33 different states joined together to package 10,000 meals for the Capital City Food Bank! We also made 2,000 snack bags for the D.C. Central Kitchen! These food items will be directed toward the hungry in the Washington, D.C. area, so it was a fun and effective way to give back to our host city. The main reason for attending Capitol Leadership, however, was to advocate for Carl D. Perkins funding, which is what provides money for CTE programs. We were able to talk to staff members for all of Utah’s congressmen and explain the importance of CTE and FACS education. We presented statistics and personal stories to help them understand how Perkins funding positively impacts students. Fortunately, all of Utah’s senators and representatives are in favor of continuing Perkins funding, so our job wasn’t too hard. In between meetings and other activities, we also had the chance to explore the sights and sounds of Washington, D.C. We were able to visit many monuments, memorials, and museums. My personal favorite was the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon. It commemorated the lives of those who were aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on that iconic day. There is an audio tour available, and we listened to it as we paid our respects. It was a patriotic, emotional experience for all of us. At the conclusion of the conference, we found that none of us wanted to leave! We had learned so much and gained so many new friends that going home seemed like a terrible idea. Eventually, we decided we needed to come back. (How could D.C. handle all of us, anyway?) Now we can’t wait to share what we’ve learned with the rest of the Utah FCCLA members!
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390 East 700 South Archives
January 2017
Utah FCCLA Newsletter
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