The Blue Jacket Society Provides Sustainability for CO Ag Ed

In late September the new CoBank Center for Agricultural Education opened right next to Colorado State University's Agricultural Research, Development Center. In addition to the teaching classrooms, distance learning laboratory, offices, meeting space and the ag mechanics shop — the center also houses the Farm Credit Ag Hall of Fame as well as the FFA Blue Jacket Society Room.

Colorado FFA Foundation Executive Director Don Thorn shares more about the Blue Jacket Society

Thorn: "We just really figured out that lots of people still have their FFA jacket but don't know what to do with it. So the Blue Jacket Society was started. The way it works is that someone donates their FFA jacket. If they don't have their jacket — because their mom gave it away or they just can find it still — then we actually purchase a new one. They donate their jacket and make a financial gift then their jacket goes in a shadow box to be hung in the Blue Jacket Room at our Center. Any one who comes here can see their jacket and it is in a great place. We always joke that corduroy must shrink over time because the jackets don't always fit like it did when they were in high school. We have used the Blue Jacket Society — it has three three missions: one of which is to fund our endowment which we are still working on; two FFA member scholarship and; three we give every teacher that becomes new ag teacher in the state of Colorado the Blue Jacket Society gives them a signing bonus — or stipend if you will — to tell them, 'We're glad you are here and this is what we do in our state to take care of our own.'"