Nebraska FBLA Pledge - Winter 2016

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Pledge Winter 2016

Jacqui Garrison, FBLA State Adviser 402-471-4865 jacqui.garrison@nebraska.gov nebraskafbla.org @NebraskaFBLA CMYK / .ai

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Nebraska FBLA @nebraskafbla

Nebraska Fall Leadership Conference FBLA members from across Nebraska gathered in Kearney or Lincoln for the Nebraska Fall Leadership Conference (FLC) sessions in late September.

Throughout the day, officers and members participated in workshops designed to offer insight and ideas on how to strengthen and propel their chapters towards excellence.

A powerful keynote address delivered by Josh Erickson, founder and president of Team Concept, stressed the importance of being active members in FBLA as well as in our communities. Josh challenged members to take on leadership roles in student organizations and communities today instead of waiting for “tomorrow”, and taught them how to use their leadership skills to positively communicate with others. His message resonated with members and I am eager to hear how members have used his advice in their chapters.

Following the keynote, local chapter officers attended sessions led by their respective state officer. Each officer shared his experience on fulfilling the role of his office and offered ideas for chapter officers to apply to their local chapters. Non-officer attendees joined Josh Erickson again as he led a workshop focused on establishing deep, meaningful connections with others and maintaining relationships.

The afternoon workshops were led by local chapters, state officers and industry professionals and all focused on preparing attendees for a successful year of FBLA. The Arlington, Litchfield and Wausa chapters hosted workshops on how to engage members in chapter activities and ensure success on local projects.

FLC was invigorating and prepared a solid foundation to build our Legacy of Leadership this year. Thank you to all members and advisers who attended FLC!

2016-17 State Officer Team Ojus Jain, President John Willey, Vice President Alex Seigel, Secretary Riley Knust, Reporter Blake Langmack, Treasurer Hundter Biede, Parliamentarian

Quick Links to winter FEATURES FLC Recap Admirable Advisers Ojus’s Outlook Legacy Leaders Blake’s Broadcast T-shirt Design Contest Hundter’s Hotline

Champion Chapters Success Stories Willey’s World Seigel’s Sanctuary Riley’ Report NFLC Recap

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Admirable Advisers Dundy County Stratton

Sandhills

Dundy County Stratton FBLA Advisor Peggy Parker has been an unwavering source of support for her officers and members.

Dedicating to helping her chapter become the best it can be, she is always there to encourage and inspire students.

Celeste Rogers is always willing to write recommendations for her members whenever they need them. She is the cheerleader in all FBLA activities.

state ribbon projects As the first semester of school winds to an end, our local FBLA chapters are in full fledge. We are engrossed in membership recruitment, chapter activities, and we are preparing for the State Leadership Conference in April. Yet, as our chapters continue to engender their participation it is important for them to consider our Nebraska State Programs.

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Much like the National Center’s National programs, your Nebraska FBLA State Officers and Board of Directors have established a variety of state programs for chapters to participate in. Ranging from Feed Nebraska, an initiative to address food insecurity in Nebraska; StepUptoTech, a program designed to highlight technologically proficient FBLA chapters; and Connect with Business, a project geared towards improving relations between FBLA chapters and local businesses, these State Programs are integral to your chapter’s success.

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For starters, State Programs are an efficient, effective method to increase membership recruitment and improve the overall membership experience. Our members join our chapters to participate in activities and to become involved, State Programs are the perfect way for them to do so. Moreover, by participating in State Programs local chapters are able to present various opportunities for members to display their abilities and pursue their innate leadership skills.

Furthermore, upon completion of State Programs local chapters (and by extension their members) receive Statewide recognition through two main ways: first, through Listserve emails recognizes those chapters who have completed State programs and secondly through member ribbons at the State Leadership Conference.

Information regarding our wonderful State Programs can be found on our newly redesigned Nebraska FBLA website (nebraskafbla.org) under the Chapter Resources Tab. Additionally, all of the State Officers, Board of Directors members, or our State Adviser Jacqui Garrison - can help local chapters with preparing and completing State Programs. I wish you all a wonderful rest of the year, and the best of luck as you begin your chapter’s State Programs.

Join Ojus here for even more.

Legacy Leaders Dundy County Stratton DJ Hardwick, a junior at Dundy County Stratton, has been involved FBLA since his freshman year. As a hard­working and strong-willed member, he has dedicated much of his free time to improving his chapter. He is serving as his chapter’s vice-president and the communications director for the Mountain Plains Region.

Omaha Marian Meredith Zielie has been a member of FBLA all four years, has served as a chapter officer for the last three years, and helped organize the chapter’s Distracted Driving Presentation last April.

Osmond Bryan Manzer­­a, a three y­ ear officer, is full of fun ideas for chapter meetings; he especially enjoys leading motivational activities for Osmond members. He is committed to making the local chapter a success by serving on committees and organizing projects. Bryan enjoys attending the conferences available to FBLA members.

Raymond Central Kelbie is currently serving as one of our Recruiter/ Mentor Officers and was instrumental in completing the Super Sweeps project as well as participating in many other activities.

Sandhills Heidi was in charge of completing the September Sweeps activity this year. In addition, she is serving as our co-president this year.

Syracuse Emma Bjork serves as reporter and is doing an outstanding job organizing the Partnership With Business project. She is a two t­ ime NLC qualifier.

One of the many opportunities FBLA offers to qualify for SLC and NLC is the Business Achievement Awards. It is never to early to start on them. Even though March first may seem far into the future the date will creep up on you.

Then before you know it your time for the BAAs has ran out.

The BAAs are one of the best ways for members to be active in their chapter and community.

There are four levels to the Business Achievement Awards: Future, Business, Leader, and America. Each level gives members a variety of tasks to complete before March first. The tasks include all things FBLA. Some vary from recruiting new members to your chapter to writing a government promoting FBLA. Of course as you progress through each level the difficulty of each task will increase. You are rewarded for all of your hard work though. Each level you complete will earn you a pin.

After you complete the Business level you will qualify for SLC. For the few that finish the America level will be rewarded with qualifying for NLC. As you can tell the Business Achievement Awards are a great way for those who may not enjoy taking tests to be active in FBLA. They give members the chance to come to amazing conferences without the stress of performance events or late night studying for tests. By no means are the BAA’s a free ride to conferences though. Any member that has completed any level knows the time and effort that the Awards require. This is why I encourage all members to complete the BAA’s.

Last chance: Sing the National Anthem at SLC 2017 Submit the application form

+ Audition CD of your a cappella solo of the National Anthem Send to: Jan Went Lakeview High School 3744 - 83rd Street Columbus, NE 68601

Deadline: December 1

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New Events at State Leadership Conference

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE

2017 SLC T-SHIRT DESIGN

3D Animation (project) Advertising (Objective Test) Journalism (Objective Test) Organizational Leadership (Objective Test) Social Media Campaign (presentation) New Middle Level Events (grades 5-9): Business Communication

LINK TO VOTE: http://bit.ly/slctshirt

Career Exploration Keyboarding Applications II

2016-17 final dues deadline: January 15 $4 state dues + $6 national dues = $10 There is a vast array of national projects available in which individuals and chapters can participate, the most prominent of which is the Business Achievement Awards, or the BAA’s. The BAA’s are a list of activities that promotes community service, school involvement, and leadership skills.

There are four levels of the BAA’s, which increase in difficulty as you move up. Completion of a level earns members recognition; they will receive a certificate from their adviser, plus a pin. The first two levels’ pins will be presented at a local chapter meeting, the third’s at SLC, and the fourth’s at NLC. The other national program for members to participate in is the CSA’s, or Community Service Awards. This gives recognition to members that give their time to community service projects, something that many members are already doing!

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Local chapters also have projects to partake in. The newest of which is the Diamond Chapter award. This recognizes chapters that excel and are actively involved in both local and national programs. Chapters can also meet activity criteria to complete the Chapter Challenge, or be recognized as Outstanding Local Chapters. Both of these activities have similar formats to the Diamond Chapter award, focusing on having chapters recruit members, participate in American Enterprise Day and FBLA-PBL Week, and fundraise for the March of Dimes. All of these will be recognized at NFLC and/or NLC. FBLA also recognizes having 100% of a single class as chapter members, chapters that have a membership net increase of ten members for the year, and the 10 largest chapters in the nation.

All of these offer chapters and members alike many opportunities to show off their accomplishments, and to strive to leave their Legacy of Leadership in FBLA. Hundter has more for you here.

Champion Chapters: Recruitment Strategies Arlington Arlington FBLA provided Krispy Kreme donuts for members that were paid as of October 1. This recruitment strategy encouraged members to pay dues prior to the national deadline.

Blair Blair hosted a picnic and kickball game for all students interested in joining FBLA. Prospective members learn what the chapter does and reasons for joining. In addition, we host an activity fair the first week of school in order for students to learn about all of the available organizations they may want to join. FBLA have a booth showcasing our organization.

Crete Crete FBLA Chapter members and officers were instrumental in planning and implementing Crete’s 5th Annual Pink Out activities in the month of October. Over the past five years, Crete FBLA has helped contribute over $10,000 to the American Cancer Society and local families battling cancer.

Dundy County Stratton The Dundy County Stratton FBLA Chapter hosted their annual Picnic in the Park on August 23, where they invited incoming freshmen and prospective members to attend. Attendees ate a delicious meal, played games, and ended the night with a Color Burst water balloon fight. Even the principal and adviser got in on the fun!

APPLY now TO BE A STATE OFFICER The Nebraska Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Officer Team consists of six (6) positions: president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, reporter, and parliamentarian.

One way that Dorchester FBLA recruits members is by having Dorchester a lock-­in at our school. In order to attend this lock­-in, you have to have your FBLA dues in. This is a good recruitment activity because doing something fun makes people want to join and see what FBLA is all about.

Every applicant must submit these forms:

Omaha Marian Officers began the school year with an informational meeting for all interested members. The chapter increased its membership from 35 to 47 members, with 35 of those members being new recruits.

• Adviser’s Statement Form

Raymond Central Participating in the Super Sweeps program encouraged the Raymond Central FBLA to expand our recruiting activities. Some new activities we held to encourage involvement were giving members one ticket to register at each monthly meeting they attend for a grand prize drawing held at the end of the year, putting a locker decoration on prospective members’ lockers the first day of school, contacting members who didn’t renew their membership to see why, and giving some additional presentations to classes to encourage members to join.

Sandhills One of our main recruitment strategies this year was a pizza party at the beginning of the year. After members joined FBLA, member tags were placed on their locker. All members who sold at least five pizza kits received a free chapter t-shirt.

Syracuse (video on Youtube) To recruit members, the Syracuse chapter had a booth at the Back-­to-­School Open House. The following week, a membership drive was held at the park. After a short presentation by the officers, watermelon was served and water balloon games were played.

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• Application Form

• Administration Statement Form • Code of Conduct Form

DEADLINE: JANUARY 20

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Success Stories from ARound our State Adams Central

For the past few years, Adams C entral FBLA has trickor-treated for canned goods for our local food pantry.

Every year we find this project a successful and fun way to give back to our community. After all it’s not everyday you can dress up in costumes to do community service!

This year, 77 members showed up dressed and ready to trick or treat for canned food around three areas in our community. This is always one of our most popular activities, because it’s easy, fun to do with your friends, and there’s always a chance you could end up with some candy in your pillowcase.

“I’ve done it every year just because all you have to do is dress up and have fun with your friends and then by the time it’s done you don’t even realize that you just collected 20 cans of food for people who need it,” said FBLA member Sierra Richey.

Even though Halloween is usually thought of the time to go to go trick or treating for snickers, nerds, or kit kats, filling a pillowcase with food for those in need has a bigger impact than a pillowcase full of chocolate.

Aurora

On October 19, 34 junior and senior Aurora FBLA members visited Kawasaki Motors’ manufacturing facility in Lincoln. It has been an annual tradition for Aurora’s chapter to take a business trip to broaden the group’s outlooks regarding the business world.

After having the opportunity to witness what happens at Kawasaki, members gained new knowledge about manufacturing and production. Members witnessed every stage of assembly including the process of printing camo patterns on a jet­ski. They were also lucky enough to see some of the company’s advanced technologies such as robots welding product pieces together.

When planning for this trip, the officers and sponsors felt like the chapter’s members would benefit from seeing such a large company and how it works. In addition, the tour was also geared toward educating members about different types of businesses that are in our own state of Nebraska. For years to come, they will continue to encourage tours like these to help students become the most well versed business leaders they can be.

Success Stories from ARound our State (CONTINUED) Blair

The Blair Chapter is initiating a variety of projects this year based on a patriotism theme. Our chapter is honoring local veterans and celebrating the great freedoms that go with being a citizen of the United States.

This fall, Blair FBLA organized hosting a Color Guard at every home football game. Washington County veterans proudly displayed our nation’s colors during the singing of the national anthem. In addition, community leaders, including the Superintendent of Blair Community Schools and the mayor of Blair, were also invited to lead the entire stadium in the Pledge of Allegiance. Our chapter was honored to have veterans take their time to join in this patriotic ceremony.

Centura

Every year, one in ten babies are born prematurely. This means that 10% of children born are more liable to neurological problems, heart and respiratory difficulties, and other life threatening defects. Centura’s Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA, have claimed it

as their mission to raise money for the March of Dimes to improve the health of these preemies. The March of Dimes is a program that has been contributing towards this cause since 1938, raising millions of dollars annually. This year, Centura FBLA is working hard to support this cause, while trying for the prestigious Triangle of Excellence award at the same time.

Centura FBLA members are not the only contributors to this mission; in fact, all of Centura is participating!

Co­-President Tanner Roosenquist organized “Jeans for Babies” in which Centura’s staff could donate $5, in order to wear jeans throughout the school day.

This fundraising method has been successful prior to this year and rendered $211! Vibrant posters were also hand-made by members and hung in the school hallways, containing statistics about the mission of March of Dimes. These tidbits of information were also announced over the intercom every morning for a full week to educate students and teachers of the importance of our cause.

Not only is Centura FBLA continuing our previous techniques, but we are presenting new ideas as well.

Katie Dethlefs and other FBLA members collected baby pictures from teachers and arranged them on poster board to attach to a rolling cart. During study period, the members would roll the cart into classrooms and present an intriguing presentation to spread the awareness of premature birth. They would then charge students twenty­five cents to guess which teachers were shown in the baby pictures. This method stirred up a greater interest in our purpose and even caused our audiences to share their touching stories of prematurity.

The March of Dimes effort has not only become important to FBLA, but to the whole community. With these donation and fundraising ideas, we can save the lives of premature babies across the nation, and that’s what really counts!

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Success Stories from ARound our State (CONTINUED) Dorchester

There were many outstanding things that our FBLA chapter accomplished. The one that sticks out most to me was when our officer team participated in an escape room in Lincoln. At the beginning of each year, our chapter has an officer meeting to talk about what amazing things we will do that coming year. Then we go out to eat and do something fun. This year our advisor took us to an escape room. This made us work together as a team to find clues and solve riddles to find our way out of the room. We had one hour to get out of the room, and we got out with 1 minute and 44 seconds to spare. This was really fun to participate in, and I think that it brought us closer together to solve problems and come up with ideas, just like we do in FBLA.

On September 9, the Dundy County Stratton FBLA hosted their First Responders’ Appreciation Night along with the help of the local FCCLA chapter. After attempting to kick­start this event for the past three years, it was finally made a reality this fall. Together, the FBLA and FCCLA chapters worked to organize, prepare, and serve a dinner for first responders and their families. The chapter presidents wrote and delivered a speech to those in attendance, showing their support and respect for them and their work. During halftime of the football game that night, all the first responders in attendance lined up on the center of the field and had their name and position read off. There were 41 first responders in attendance, ranging from EMTs to volunteer firefighters to local sheriffs. The Dundy County Stratton FBLA and FCCLA were ecstatic to bring a new project into existence, and they hope to make it an annual event in the years to come.

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Dundy County Stratton The Nebraska West Regional Special Olympics Unified Bowling held a competition at the Big Apple in Kearney on October 15. Four FBLA members, Devin Stroh, Mento Urbina, Noemi Escandon, and Gerardo Raymundo, along with FBLA advisor Deb Stroh volunteered to help with the event. “We helped the athletes with disabilities keep score and gave them support with high fives and words of encouragement,” said Mento Urbina. Athletes came from Kearney, Minden, Scottsbluff, and other western Nebraska communities.

Success Stories from ARound our State (CONTINUED) “I believe working with individuals with intellectual disabilities is one of the most rewarding activities that FBLA members can experience. It forms an appreciation to help others and connect to students with intellectual disabilities within our own high school,” said Deb Stroh, who participated with the Special Olympics National Games when they were in Lincoln in 2010.

Special Olympics Nebraska brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to train and compete as a team. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the organization helps nearly 3.5 million people with intellectual disabilities in more than 200 Programs in over 170 countries. “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” is the oath that the Special Olympics athletes strive to achieve.

Kearney

seatbelt safety. So the Osmond FBLA chapter decided to see how many people actually wear their seatbelts on their way to school. On October 11, the FBLA officers set up a safety check at the entrances to the school. They stopped every car that drove into the parking lot. If the driver was wearing their seatbelt, they got a Smartie with a sticker that said “Thanks for being a Smartie and wearing your seatbelt!” If the driver was not wearing their seatbelt, they got a Dum Dum sucker with a sticker that said,”Don’t be a Dum Dum—wear your seatbelt!” It was a very successful project with 66% of the drivers wearing their seatbelts, while 34% did not.

The percentage of passengers was a little worse with 59% wearing their seatbelts, while 41% did not. About 30 walkers were also given green apple suckers with a sticker that said “The planet says I like it, when you walk or bike it!” This showed support for people “Going Green” in their daily lives. The goal of the project was to promote and encourage all drivers to wear their seatbelts at all times. Members wanted to have fun while emphasizing the importance of seatbelt usage.

Raymond Central

The Kearney High School FBLA and FCCLA Chapters made a joint effort to give back to the Kearney community. Members worked to plan a service event at the October 21 football game. The service event was titled “Meat Our Teachers.” At the football game, donations were accepted and used to vote on one of three teachers. The winning teacher, Mr. Nathan LeFeber, was announced during halftime. He wore a cow suit and did the Chicken Dance during the third quarter break. Proceeds from the event were used to purchase beef that was donated to the Crossroads Mission Center in Kearney. The organizations earned a total of over $200 in donations for their event.

Osmond One of the chapter projects for the Osmond Future Business Leaders of America this year deals with

Raymond Central FBLA members started their Feed Nebraska Project by “Trick or Treating for Food” on the evening of October 26. Signs were posted in the four communities informing patrons of the project.

Members then went door-­to-­door and collected a record amount of 625 pounds of food. This was a very successfully project, involved a large number of members, and allowed the chapter to support the Raymond Central Backpack Program as well as the Saunders County Food Bank.

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Success Stories from ARound our State (CONTINUED) Sandhills

Breast Cancer Awareness was observed on October 18 at Sandhills High School. The day started out with a splash of color when most of the student body wore all shades of pink to show their support. The day continued on with a competitive fashion show held during lunch time. The students split up into teams, dressed up their selected models, and walked down the runway for the judges. The winner of the fashion show was Team 1: Paige Martindale, Sheven Rodocker, Ridge Anderson, Evan Hewett, Bryan Zutavern, Kylie Hewett, Zack Bradley, and Jenna Christie.

The FBLA chapter also held a cake auction during the volleyball game to raise money for the Sandhills Cancer Fund. The day ended with both communities supporting Breast Cancer Awareness with a Pink Out at the Sandhills-Thedford vs. North Central volleyball game.

On Thursday, students from each class were wrapped in pink streamers and the best mummy received a prize.

Syracuse

The Syracuse FBLA Chapter is partnering with Good Samaritan Society, Lindenview Assisted Living, and the Little Angels Preschool. In order to serve as volunteers for the projects, members attended a two h ­ our orientation presented by the Good Samaritan Society’s volunteer coordinator. Paperwork, which had to be approved by the state, was completed. There were 48 out of the 56 paid members who attended. A fall picnic was held at the Good Samaritan Center in early October.

Members helped with children’s activities including pumpkin painting, games, a bounce house, and snacks.

For the Halloween Party at the Little Angels Preschool, 12 members played games such as Pumpkin Bowling and Eyeball Stew with students. They also assisted with the children’s parade through the Good Samaritan Center where the children showed residents their costumes.

Watch more here:

Success Stories from ARound our State (CONTINUED) Twin River

Twin River FBLA members visited with elementary students two weeks ago to give them information on what they were raising money for. Letters were also created and sent home with students to show their parents. Over $1,600 was raised to purchase new window blinds and comforters for the Genoa Medical Facility. Three students raised over 100 dollars to earn Titan T‐Shirts. A big thank you Pump & Pantry for donating free drink cards for any student that raised ten dollars in donations. Mrs. Van Driel incorporated the walk into her P.E. program, and FBLA members signed out of class to help oversee the students. The FBLA members in Genoa walked the children down to the track and participated in the walk themselves.

The members in Silver Creek helped the students walk around town. The Genoa Medical Facility has a positive impact on our community. They not only offer a home for our elderly, but they employ many people in the area.

Wilber-Clatonia

Every October, the Wilber­-Clatonia FBLA chapter hosts their annual Pink Out fundraising week. This year’s Pink Out week was no exception to the previous successes in raising funds and awareness for an important cause. Breast cancer has touched many lives in the Wilber­-Clatonia community, and an event like this gives the FBLA members a chance to speak out and raise awareness for the disease that has affected many lives and families close to the school, community, and our hearts.

Throughout the week of October 10th, chapter members were involved in preparation and activities.

Shirts were created and sold by members in honor of our pink out theme “Play Strong.” On Wednesday, the entire school had the opportunity to dress in pink to show their support, as well as the chance to sign names on a poster of who they were wearing pink for.

By selling over 280 shirts, members raised $3,699.50 just in shirt sales alone. Thursday night at the volleyball game against Southern, the volleyball team wore pink bows, and a cake raffle with items donated by chapter members raised over $100 in ticket sales. On Friday the 14th, the football team faced Johnson County Central.

The players wore pink towels with initials of victims from breast cancer written on them, along with other pink gear. Before the football game, pink balloons were sold to be released at the first touchdown, and during halftime, members passed a bucket around to gather donations. The cheerleaders also played an important role in supporting the cause. They hosted a cheer camp with a theme “Kickin’ Out Cancer” for preschoolers through sixth graders.

A grand total of over $4,200 was raised, with all profits being donated to the American Cancer Society to continue the partnership of raising awareness to help educate the community of the cause, support research, and provide funds for patient services. Without the help of the 53 committee members, the caring community, support from the school, and the hard working advisor, this year’s Pink Out event would not have been such a huge success.

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This year your state officer team has made expanding the social media of Nebraska FBLA a top priority. Not only are we going to increase our presence on social media but also we want to have more posts that will increase interactions between the state officers and the members. We would like to encourage the StepUp2Tech project, which promotes all of Nebraska FBLA’s social media platforms.

Chapters that complete the StepUp2Tech project will receive a ribbon at the State Leadership Conference. All

information for the StepUp2Tech project can be found at the Nebraska FBLA website.

We also ask that you would follow us with your personal and chapter social media accounts. Our Instagram @nebraskafbla Twitter @NebraskaFBLA Facebook @NebraskaFutureBusinessLeaders YouTube Nebraska FBLA We would love for you to tag us or tweet at us whenever you do something related to FBLA so the rest of the state can see how truly amazing your local chapter is! go online with Willey here

browse the state officer webinar archive

seigel's sanctuary

It’s the second quarter of first semester, which means a lot of you are starting to feel the sheer magnitude of all your responsibilities. As far as FBLA goes, there are some very important dates coming up that are absolute must-haves on your schedule.

Want somewhere to gain that extra competitive edge that you need for the SLC? There’s no better place to prepare for your events than the UNL and UNO American Business Competition Days! Join students from all across the state, as these prestigious universities put your knowledge to the test. The collegiate level of FBLA, Phi Beta Lambda, has done an excellent job in creating a competition similar to the state conference that will allow you to practice what you know before the actual deal. Such events include Business Calculations, Accounting I, Accounting II, Global Business, Intro to Business, and many, many more. Specifically, those who are taking part in Job Interview will have access to a competition during both days. Finally, a quiz bowl competition will be going on

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for anyone that is interested. The UNL date is set for February 1st and the UNO for February 3rd, so don’t delay!

It’s almost that time of the year again! National FBLAPBL Week, the second week of February, is the time your chapter really gets to show off all of the amazing accomplishments you’ve achieved thus far. Decorate your school, get guest speakers, and most importantly, talk to people about FBLA! Another use you could have for this week is to get people riled up about the 2017 SLC. Not only are you trying to grab the attention of those not apart of FBLA, but also keep your members in mind! The State Leadership Conference is an experience that truly cannot be traded for anything, and that should be looked back at as an unforgettable moment in your life. So why not try to get as many people to go as possible? Bring the heat that you know your chapter is packing, and make the biggest impact possible so you can represent the Nebraska delegation this summer in Anaheim, California.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to hit those books, and crush the competition at the American Business Competition Days, and show off your chapter during FBLA-PBL Week!

In honor of FBLA-PBL’s 75th anniversary, the national office released the Diamond Chapter Program. This project is dedicated to recognizing outstanding chapters across the country. The Diamond Chapter Program is exclusive to the 2016-2017 school year. All chapters that finish this project will receive a commemorative pin at this year’s National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California.

In order to be a Diamond Chapter, one’s respective chapter must complete 10 out of the 19 activities. Only three of which are required: complete a chapter membership award, submit an article and picture to Tomorrow’s Business Leader (the national FBLA newsletter), and create a chapter recruitment plan. The other 16 activities vary quite a bit. There are some tasks that might work better for larger chapters in urban areas, and others that might work better for smaller chapters in rural communities. National FBLA tailored this national project to be attainable for every chapter.

The only issue I see chapters having, is waiting until the week before April 1st, the deadline, to begin working on the Diamond Chapter form. If your chapter studies the form earlier, one can plan the year to include some of the tasks which will make completing this project a breeze. Just like any other project, it’s best to begin planning and working on these projects as soon as you can... preparation is key! It will make completing multiple projects seem much easier and it will be significantly less stressful.

Overall, this is a really cool program and it’s only for one year. If you could pick just one program to complete this year, I would highly recommend the Diamond Chapter program over any other. It addresses different aspects to improve one’s chapter in many ways. I hope that your chapter will choose to participate in this program to help FBLA-PBL celebrate the 75th anniversary of our great organization. riley has more to report here.

learn more about earning a diamond chapter award

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The Pledge is published three times a year by the Nebraska Future Business Leaders of America. (August, December, March) Submit your articles at nebraskafbla.org > News > Submit Chapter News Riley Knust Nebraska FBLA Reporter reporter@nebraskafbla.org

JACQUI GARRISON Nebraska FBLA Adviser jacqui.garrison@nebraska.gov

It is the policy of Nebraska FBLA not to discriminate on the basis of gender, handicap, race, color, religion, marital status, age or national or ethnic origin in its education programs, membership policies, or other administered programs.

state leadership Conference highlights • April 6-8, 2017 • Social Media Profile station (ditch the selfie and use a professional picture as your profile!)

• Food Trucks will be back!!!

• Leadership Seminars • Keynote by Hoan Do, former American Ninja Warrior • FBLA Foundation Dance (April 7, $5 donation or wear 2017 SLC t-shirt)

National Fall Leadership Conference Overview The Nebraska delegation had an amazing time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the 2016 National Fall Leadership Conference, full of business tours, keynote speakers, workshops, a GooseChase scavenger hunt, and of course a whole lot of fun!

Starting off on Friday, we toured the Harley Davidson Museum, and learned a lot about the beginnings, present, and future of the motorcycle empire itself.

After a short lunch and some shopping at the mall, we bussed on over to Discovery World: an intricate museum that focuses on the wonders of science and technology, and where we’re headed for in the future.

As an additional bonus to all of the technical toys, they also exhibited a display called “Les Paul’s house of Sound”, which was an entire showcase of the life of the famous musician, Les Paul. To end the exciting day, we finally headed over to the Opening General Session for

a great kick off to the national fall conference by our very own national officers, and an enthralling keynote speaker by the name of Harriet Turk.

As soon as Saturday rolled around, it was time to hit those workshops! There were a plethora of exciting subjects to choose from, including dressing for success, test preparation, and a workshop run by your Nebraska State Officers called “How to be a Leader in 140 Characters”. After a long day of learning new things and networking with members from all across the country, it was time to head to the closing session, in which we were yet again blown away by the skills of keynote speaker Randy Fox. The day ended with the always lively Blue Jeans for Babies dance.

Overall, Milwaukee treated Nebraska well as we grew our leadership skills and set the precedent for another incredible year of success and hard work.