Whiteland FFA delivers appreciation baskets to local fire stations

Whiteland FFA members were “fired up” to show appreciation for firefighters in the county this week.

This week marks National FFA Week, and to celebrate, the Whiteland FFA chapter at Whiteland Community High School wanted to find a way to give back to the community. In the fall, they did their annual “Feed the Farmer,” project, and wanted to do something similar but with different people in the community.

That’s when they settled on firefighters because their service is interconnected with farming in many different ways, said Hannah Goeb, Whiteland FFA adviser and WCHS agriculture teacher.

“They do a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that we maybe don’t think about, you know, grain bin rescues, field fires, machinery accidents, things like that,” Goeb said. “So (the students) decided they wanted to do something that encompassed that.”

They called their service project “Fired up about FFA Week,” and the students in FFA made up appreciation baskets Tuesday morning to deliver to the over 20 fire stations throughout Johnson County.

Two teams went throughout the county to deliver the baskets on Tuesday, from Needham and Trafalgar to Greenwood and Franklin. One team of three stopped at the Greenwood Fire Department Station 94 on Graham Road to deliver a basket in the morning. There, they were greeted by the firefighters and paramedics at the station eager to give them a tour.

Whiteland FFA members Addyson Cox, Josie Kelsay and Brody Polesel, along with Goeb, delivered the basket to the Greenwood firefighters. Each basket is full of different goodies like candy, gum and some Whiteland FFA stickers.

The group was then taken on a full tour of the fire engine and hazmat engine in the garage of the station.

“We got to see the hazmat response team and all the chemical cleanup type stuff that affects us, specifically in agricultural,” Polesel said. “So these guys really do a lot that for us specifically that goes underappreciated.”

Polesel, who is the Whiteland FFA chapter president, was glad to give back to the firefighters in the community for FFA Week.

“It’s just good for us to be able to give back. FFA is a community service-based organization,” Polesel said. “These guys specifically are who we’re thinking about today with all that we do and how closely they work with us to keep us safe.”

Firefighters at the station appreciated the visit from the students Tuesday morning, and enjoyed having them there to see more of what they do as firefighters and EMS, said Lt. Justin Laraway.

He said it’s good for young people to know more about what firefighters do, beyond just showing up if 911 is called.

“We appreciate it. It’s nice to have some of the older high school youth to come by and see everything,” he said. “A lot of times we do fire prevention for the elementary schools, but when they get to high school, sometimes they forget what they’ve seen or heard.”

Greenwood is not always responding to farms as much as the more rural fire departments, but sometimes they do have to assist. Laraway talked about the importance of understanding how to handle emergencies on farmland, which can be complex.

“It’s more technical sometimes. Especially a combine accident, tractor accidents and stuff like that. We have to know you know how to take them apart,” Laraway said.

National FFA Week is being celebrated statewide, with different chapters around Indiana doing projects and hosting events. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a proclamation Tuesday officially declaring this week Indiana FFA Week, according to a news release from the Indiana FFA Association and Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

During this week, chapters across the state and nation will host a variety of events to educate, advocate and celebrate the agricultural industry, the news release says. Throughout the week, the Indiana FFA State Officers also travel the state to participate in these activities alongside local FFA chapters and their communities.

The Indiana FFA Association also received a Senate Concurrent Resolution highlighting the impact of the FFA Organization, which has over 13,000 members in 90 Indiana counties. Jenna Kelsay, a Whiteland FFA member and Indiana FFA Southern Region vice president shared in the news release what this resolution meant to her and the FFA Organization.

“Receiving the proclamation and concurrent resolution today in the Indiana Statehouse was such an exciting way to kick off National FFA Week,” Kelsay said in a statement. “Indiana FFA and its members are so fortunate to have support and recognition from our state’s agricultural leaders and elected officials.”