Participants met the challenge at the Run-A-Muck Mud Run to help raise funds for the new FFA headquarters.
They may have maneuvered through dirt, they may have waded through water, they may have rolled around in mud; but for the First Annual Firetower Run-A-Muck 5K Run and Mud Run in Haines City, participants put their effort towards a good cause.[emember_protected custom_msg=”Click here and register now to read the rest of the article!”]
The November 23 event, held at the Florida FFA Leadership Training Center, was created to generate funds for the Florida FFA Foundation. The event consisted of two runs, a 5K walk/run (with 59 participants) and a three-mile obstacle run in water, sand and mud (with 180 participants).
“We received good evaluations from people about the event, especially for this being our first annual event,” says Gary Bartley, the foundation’s executive director. “We look forward to expanding the program next year and getting more participants. It was a good learning experience.”
The excitement of the Mud Run event also helped to generate even more excitement for the new FFA headquarters currently being built at the Florida Farm Bureau campus in Gainesville.
The 1.5 million dollar headquarters will be constructed as a 6,000 square foot building that will have multiple meeting rooms, state officer living quarters, a board room and office space. Rooms will also be named after industry partners who were helpful during fundraising efforts.
The building of the headquarters was made possible by the “Building a Legacy” campaign, a partnership between the FFA, Florida Farm Bureau Federation, and Florida Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company.
To assist in reaching the building goal for the headquarters, the Polk County Farm Bureau plans to match dollar for dollar of donations with their members, up to $5,000, until December 31, 2013.
“I am pleased to report that we are over halfway to our goal to support the Florida Farm Bureau and Florida FFA Association’s ‘Building Our Legacy’ campaign. Polk County Farm Bureau members have contributed over $2,500 to help fund a new headquarters for Florida FFA students,” reports PCFB President Kyle Story. “OUR SINCERE THANKS TO THESE GENEROUS MEMBERS AND INDUSTRY SUPPORTERS!”
Construction began for the headquarters in early fall of this year, with the building to be completed by early 2014.
CREDITS
story by BLAIR TOWNLEY
event photos by JUSTIN RHEINER
[/emember_protected]
