Hiawatha FFA Alumni Reaps Awards
Hiawatha FFA
January 31, 2008
The Hiawatha FFA Alumni Association earned numerous awards including the Kansas FFA Alumni Member of the Year at the annual Kansas FFA Alumni Convention in Great Bend, Kan., January 25-26. Representing the local alumni association was president, Wally Leander. During the awards banquet Hiawatha received the Golden Service Award for their service to the local FFA chapter. Twenty-four alumni affiliates from across the state received the Golden Service Award. Hiawatha received an even higher honor, the National Alumni Representative Award, when they were recognized as one of the top four alumni affiliates in the state. This is the fourth year Hiawatha has earned this award. The national representatives go on for national competition in which Hiawatha has placed in the top 25 National FFA Alumni Affiliates the past three years.
Local Hiawatha FFA Alumni member Jere Bruning was selected as the Kansas FFA Alumni Member of the Year. Alumni members are nominated by their local affiliates and judged on their involvement with the FFA alumni association. Bruning will be celebrating his 60th year as an alumni member in May 2008. He started his FFA career in the fall of 1944 as a Hiawatha High School freshman. Since 1991, Bruning has donated $500 each year to one of the top graduating FFA seniors perusing a career in agriculture. In addition, he has served as vice-president of the local FFA alumni chapter, on various committees, and donated the funds for the new Hiawatha FFA chapter awards display case hanging in the high school commons area.
Also representing the Hiawatha chapter, Leander was selected president for the 2008 Kansas FFA Alumni Association. The Kansas FFA Alumni Association council consists of sixteen members and represents more than 80 FFA alumni affiliates and 1,700 alumni members statewide. The purpose of the Kansas FFA Alumni Association is to support and promote the FFA organization, FFA activities, and agriculture education on the local, state and national level in cooperation with the National FFA Alumni Board of Directors.
