The newly "officially" formed Friends of the Sweet Springs FFA is looking for those interested in joining their organization and also looking for two Sweet Springs FFA members interested in attending the Washington Leadership Conference.

"We want to help keep the FFA strong in Sweet Springs," said DeEtta Murphy, secretary of the newly-formed group. Among the group's other goals are to "connect the Sweet Springs chapter's historic past, to the present, while helping build for the future."

Although an unofficial group has been giving scholarships to Sweet Springs FFA members, including a $250 scholarship last year, they have now organized into an "'official" group for anyone interested in supporting the chapter. Membership is open to any person or business and they already have 70 members, according to Murphy.

Members are asked to give a yearly donation of $20, which will enable them to receive quarterly newsletters, written by local FFA chapter members. The newsletter is designed to keep members informed of the current chapter's activities. The "Friends" will also have 3-4 meetings each year. Currently Ryan Sims is serving as chairman of the group and Darren Boland is treasurer.

"The membership money goes towards the newsletter and to help build our funds for new programs," said Murphy.

Among the group's goals are to fund, not only existing scholarships, but additional ones as well; help the chapter cover expenses for activities or items that will enhance the chapter and its members and help form a lasting bond between past, present and future members and supporters of the FFA.

"We would like to keep the scholarships going and keep sending kids to Washington," said Murphy, adding " and whatever else we can do for them." Down the road they would also like to sponsor a speech contest for the FFA students.

Right now the "Friends" are working on funding the trips for two students to attend the Washington Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. this summer.

The conference is a five-day event that trains FFA members to make a positive impact in their school, local community, state and country.

According to Murphy, they will select one sophomore and one junior to attend.

"We will be choosing one sophomore and one junior with the intent that they will help build the chapter," said Murphy, adding applicants will be required to give a speech and be interviewed.

"Our intent is for it to be an honor to be able to go," she said, adding that after the trip they will ask the two attendees to give a presentation about WLC to the "Friends."

"Hopefully it will be something the sophomores and juniors will look forward to --to get a chance go to Washington," she said.

Sweet Springs' students can contact FFA advisors, Dan Hill and Brent Niemeyer for more information and applications.

In order to fund the two students' trips, the "Friends" are currently holding two 50/50 raffles, "one blue and one gold," selling tickets for $20 each. A winner will be drawn in each raffle and will win $1,000. The other $1,000 will go towards sponsoring the student to go to conference. The deadline for the ticket sales is April 13 and a limited number of tickets are available.

"It truly is a 50-50. Everything we are getting in, we are going to give 50 percent of it back to the winners," she said.

For more information about membership or to get raffle tickets, you can contact Sims at (660) 335-4943 or any member of the group.

Contact Marcia Gorrell at marshallag@socket.net