FFA auction a hit for Lexington

LEXINGTON – The fifth annual Lexington FFA and Advisory Committee Auction and Dinner held Saturday night was once again a hit with the community.

The school raised quite a bit of money the past few years and without the support of donations and folks purchasing items at the auction, local FFA scholarships would not be possible.

“We really look forward to expanding our scholarships in the future and getting more kids involved,” said Lexington Ag Advisory Committee member and auction chair David Schuler.

Five years ago, the school decided to reach out to the FFA alumni base to raise scholarship money for students. The scholarships are all based on points and academics. Kids get points for attending certain events.

“Our big goal was to try and get more kids involved in the FFA chapter,” Schuler added.

That goal has been met as chapter participation has really increased in recent years with kids getting more active in judging contests, according to Ad Advisory Committee chairman Jason Lindbom.

Lexington FFA President Will Steffen’s job is to keep everything running smoothly and keep everyone “in line” as he puts it. Steffen agrees the winter auction is the main fundraising event of the year.

“It’s a big deal for us,” he said.

“We put pride into all of our events,” stated FFA Secretary Stephanie Yates.

The Lexington FFA chapter has 52 members for the 2017-18 school year. The 2017 scholarships went to: Blake Edwards, JJC; Craig Birkenbeil, JJC, Devin Laible, JJC, Jacob Cohenour, ICC and Chloe Lindbom, U of I. Blake Edwards was the American Degree recipient and Devin Laible was the Illinois FFA State Degree recipient and Illinois FFA Vegetable Production state winner.