CBC GRANT AWARD WILL ‘SEED’ ANSONIA FFA GREENHOUSE

ANSONIA WINS GRANT FOR SUPPORTING FFA SPONSORED BLOOD DRIVES

Ansonia High School Leadership Grant presentation (L-R) FFA Vice President Megan Bergman, FFA Advisor Brad Lentz, FFA Secretary John Fisher, CBC Donor Relations Manager Tracy Morgan, FFA President Andrea Barga, Ansonia Principal Stephen Garman, CBC Account Representative Dana Puterbaugh, FFA Chaplain Robert Christman.

ANSONIA, OHIO - Money doesn’t grow on trees, but Future Farmers of America (FFA) students at Ansonia High School know how to turn it into “seed” for a blossoming business project. Community Blood Center (CBC) awarded Ansonia a $1,000 High School Leadership Grant for its FFA-sponsored blood drives and that money is already at work “growing” the Ansonia FFA Greenhouse.

CBC awards grants to the top two high schools in its 15-county service area with the highest percentage of students eligible to donate who support campus blood drives. During the 2013-14 academic year AHS had 139 percent of enrollment participating in campus blood drives, second only to Bradford High School with 144 percent.

A high school must host at least two CBC blood drives to be considered for a Leadership Grant. Ansonia hosted five with all the blood drives sponsored by the FFA and coordinated by FFA advisors Brad Lentz and Jennifer Knick.

“You are excellent in blood drive participation,” CBC Donor Relations Manager Tracy Morgan said as she presented the grant award at Ansonia’s Thursday, Oct. 23 blood drive. “Last year you had 196 donors present to give blood and your 175 donations helped save up to 525 lives. Plus, donors and helpers contributed almost 200 hours of community service. We’re proud of you and we hope you’re proud of yourselves.”

“I think that has a lot to do with Mr. Lentz and Ms. Knick, and it’s a super effort by the (FFA) chapter,” said Principal Stephen Garman. “They have a way of putting students in charge and it’s up to them to put things in place with just a little leadership from up top.”

“The community service hours are an incentive, and the kids always like to do it,” said FFA advisor Brad Lents. “We don’t usually have a hard time getting slots filled up.” That was true again Thursday, as Ansonia hosted its second blood drive of the new school year. The result was 42 registrations and 30 donations for 113 percent of the collection goal.

FAA student leadership has been an important part of blood drive success, and the Ansonia FFA Greenhouse. “The FFA runs it,” said Brad. “It’s a fall and spring retail garden center with about eight to 10 students selling 400 different kinds of plants. It does $50 to 60,000 worth of business a year.”
The grant money is already at work, helping fund expansion of the retail and storage space. Brad says the renovation will make the greenhouse more inviting to its already loyal customers from Ansonia and neighboring communities.

“This made my day,” Brad said about the new source of funding for the FFA project. “We didn’t know it was coming. That’s a good day!”

Ansonia High School, Bradford High School, and Horizon Science Academy in Dayton were all grant winners despite being among the smallest schools in CBC’s 15-county service area. Horizon, with just 60 eligible donors won the grant for most improved.

Butler Tech was again the most productive blood drive sponsor overall, winning the $1,000 grant for Most Donors in the Academic Year. It won a second grant for Red Cord Excellence with the highest number of student donors qualifying for the CBC Red Cord Honor Program.