Crafting a Legacy by Gabrielle

Crafting a Legacy by Gabrielle - January 2024 Scholarship Essay

For years, community members have discussed the aesthetics of our town and ways to improve our appearance for passers-by. One of the discussions was adding a “Welcome to Dover” sign at the north and south entrances. However, this idea remained just an idea until this summer. I was part of a group who designed, fabricated, and installed two new signs, along with the help of many community donors and several FFA members. First impressions mean a lot to people passing through, and this contribution helps our small town meet this goal.
It all began with a vision board at one of our FFA chapter officer meetings. We wanted to improve the appearance of our community with a series of service-learning projects. The project that made it to the top of the list was constructing this sign. Each of the chapter officers took on tasks of funding, designing, and installing the sign. We gathered funding from some generous donors and used our ag mechanics shop to complete the sign. This summer, the installation occurred, and we had finally achieved our goal of community improvement. It took us two days to finish assembling and installing the sign into the ground, but it was worth it. Although it was hot outside and we had been working since the early morning hours, towards the end, we felt the satisfaction of knowing that we got to display our town's pride. Now, when people drive through, they can see the name of our community and see that our chapter was the one to make an idea become a reality.