Discover Your Distinctions at the 2012 State ... - Nebraska FBLA

Fabulous Featsof Nebraska FBLABy Amy ChinState PresidentWhat better way to celebrate50 Fabulous Yearsthan through an awesomeproject or fundraiser? NebraskaFBLA chapters sharetheir greatest success storiesfrom 2011-2012:Adams Centrals FBLA sponsoreda blood drive andfilled up 215 donor spotswithin 3 days.Laurel-Concord/ColeridgeFBLA will have a recordnumber of students attendSLC this year. Julia Casey,their chapter president,has put together a wonderfulset of goals andagenda that she wants thechapter to meet this yearand is right on target. Sheis pushing people to comeout of their comfort zoneand try new events or evento attend state if theyhave never been there before.Fremont FBLA holds an annualMake-A-DifferenceDay Project. They decoratemini pumpkins andassemble treat bags andpersonally deliver them toresidents of a local nursinghome/assisted living facilityon the last Saturday inOctober in observance ofMake-A-Difference Day.The residents respondpositively to our studentsand graciously extendtheir appreciation to thekids. The students do anawesome job of greetingthe residents and makingthem feel special!Arlington FBLA raised over$500 for the NebraskaFBLA Foundation throughtheir co-ed volleyball tournament.Wakefield FBLA increasedtheir chapter membershipto 80 and team-taught elementarystudents basicmoney concepts duringNebraska Money SmartWeek.Syracuse FBLA raised over$600 at their 8th AnnualDodgeball Tournament.The yearly tournamenthas allowed the chapter tomake generous donationsthrough the past years toMADD, March of Dimes,hurricane victims, JDRFand most recently the NebraskaFBLA Foundation.This year the chapter decidedto donate $500 fromthe tournament towardsthe new electronic marqueethat the school ispurchasing. The SchoolBoard told the student organizationsthat if theyraised at least $5,000, theywould fund the rest of themarquee. Syracuse FBLAmembers were glad theycould play an instrumentalrole in the process throughtheir donation and also byworking some concessionstands where the proceedswent toward the marquee.The remaining funds fromthe Dodgeball Tournamentwill go towards thechapter’s donation to theFoundation.Blair FBLA installed an ATMmachine in the highschool. All fees collectedwill go to the Blair Chapterand will be used forscholarships for graduatingseniors!Fillmore Central FBLA conducteda very successful“Safe Drive” project firstsemester. First, membersgreeted drivers one morningas they arrived atschool when they conducteda seat-belt check.Those who were wearingtheir seat belts received aSmartie candy or thosenot wearing seat beltswere given a Dum-Dumsucker. Many parentsshared that this was agood project and that parentFacebook postingsthat day were filled withcomments regarding theactivity. Two other activitiesthat were well receivedTrevor’sTipsTrevor SorensenState ParliamentarianWith over 175 million registered users, Twitter is one of themost popular ways people communicate. As Twitter becomesincreasingly utilized, a window of opportunity opens for yourchapter.First, the benefits of a Twitter account are numerous.Here are some of the most prominent:1. Convenience – You can send multiple Tweets in a shortperiod of time allowing you to send last minute updates andreminders to your members.2. Current – Twitter provides your chapter with the abilityto stay up to date with all things FBLA. You can follow otherchapters with the click of a mouse. As they Tweet about whatthey are doing in their local chapters, you can take the ideasyou find interesting and implement them into your program ofwork.3. Accessibility – Twitter can be accessed wherever thereis an Internet connection. Members can find out what is goingon in your chapter even when they are at home, school is outof session and when they are on vacation.Promoting your account to your membership is an importanttask for your chapter to accomplish. Here are a few waysto promote your account to your members.1. The most obvious way is to use your chapter meetingsto inform members of the account. You have their attention,you might as well take advantage of it. If your chapter has anewsletter, you can include the name of the account and howto access it. The time spent is well worth it.2. Offer an incentive to members who follow your accountbefore a certain date (Example: October 5). Members whofollow the account before the deadline can receive candy andthe chance to win a bigger prize such as a gift certificate to alocal business. Whether it is candy or gift certificates, incentivesare a fantastic way to convince them to follow you.3. Promote your Twitter account to members on other socialnetworks. Your officer team can promote your Twitteraccount on social networks such as Facebook. By posting itto your chapter Facebook page or even their local profiles,their friends will see the link and will be able to easily followthe page.Social networking has revolutionized modern society. Itpresents a valuable opportunity for Future Business Leadersof America chapters to take to continue to utilize social networkingsites such as Twitter for our organization. I hopethat you take the opportunity to utilize Twitter in your chapter.by the student body was avisit by State TrooperBybee who brought theroll-over car for a demonstrationand a video abouttexting and driving thatwas shown during an allschoolassembly.Columbus Lakeview FBLAraised $1,022 for the ColumbusCenter for Survivorsthrough their HelpingHands Campaign. Studentspurchased paperhands for 25 cents each or5 for $1 as part of ahomeroom competition.11 — PLEDGE Online 50 fabulous years - 1962-2012March, 2012