Indiana AgrAbility staffed an exhibit at the 2016 Indiana FFA Convention held at Purdue University. The convention was attended by over 3,000 FFA members, officers, advisors, parents, and family. The exhibit featured the Bridging Horizons Community Service Contest and other AgrAbility services. Bridging Horizons challenges FFA chapters and other non-profit organizations to apply their knowledge and conduct a community service project for someone who has a disability. The winners were announced and then presented with a certificate and cash awards. The winners were: Paoli FFA Chapter, 1st place; Carroll Fort Wayne FFA Chapter, 2nd place; Mitchell Gardens, 3rd place; and Jay County FFA, 4th place.
Steve Swain the rural rehabilitation specialist for Indiana AgrAbility presented "Gardening Tools for People with Disabilities or People Who are Getting Older" as part of the Purdue All-You-Can-Learn Buffet. There were 65 attendees who were Purdue retirees and alumni from across the United States. The "buffet" is a week-long series of presentations from different departments in the College of Agriculture designed to keep them informed of the different programs occurring on campus.
Submitted by Steve Swain
Cindy Chastain and Katherine Prasuhn participated in two veteran community outreach events hosted by the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs. The outreaches were hosted around the state of Indiana and offered veterans assistance with VA benefits, healthcare, both employment and educational opportunities, and multiple assistive resources. Indiana AgrAbility spoke with multiple veterans who were interested in agriculture and farming and staff members were able to assist veterans with the necessary resources.
Submitted by Katherine Prasuhn