It’s a good day’s work for All-In Day
All-In Day presented plenty of life skill learning opportunities, including a painting class.
When West Holmes High School FFA chapter decided to transform its All-In Week in the school to an All-In Day that encompassed the entire county, the group had hoped to create something special that would take the event to the next level.
What took place at All-In Day at Harvest Ridge on Wednesday, Nov. 13 was everything WHHS FFA adviser Jamie Chenevey could have hoped for, with the event uniting West Holmes with East Holmes and more than 100 business and organization professionals blanketing Harvest Ridge to provide a day filled with more than 100 different opportunities for the juniors and seniors of both schools to learn valuable lessons.
“What a sensational day,” Chenevey said. “This is exactly what we had hoped for when we kind of recreated the All-In Week we had just at West Holmes High School.”
What made the event even more meaningful for Chenevey is much of the day was orchestrated by her FFA students.
“This has been so satisfying to see this come to fruition,” Chenevey said. “It’s heartwarming. I guess I’m a proud mamma right now because the kids did a phenomenal job of pulling everything together for what a huge undertaking this is. I’m proud of them and thankful for them, as well as for the community that showed so much willingness to give back.”
Chenevey said they had 106 community members representing skills like archery, groceries, small engine repair, dried flower arrangements, bicycling, local government, crocheting, construction management, grilling basics, banking, truck driving, music theory, child development, true crime and more, giving the students from both Hiland and West Holmes a chance to explore five different topics.
The purpose was to give students a taste of life skills that could be beneficial in both possible careers and enjoyable pastimes.
Chenevey said the response from the community was so vast she had to turn away nearly two dozen volunteers because they had too many.
There also was an incredible amount of financial support from the area business sponsors who pitched in to make the event possible.
In addition, the students heard from author, leadership visionary and inspirational speaker Jason Barger, who provided a discussion over lunch.
Beginning at 8:15 a.m., students signed up for five sessions along with the job fair, and each session saw the students learning some skills.
In addition to the FFA, the event was co-chaired by the Holmes County Farm Bureau and Ohio State University Extension Holmes County, and the uniting of those three entities proved to be a winning elixir.
“It was a nice team effort,” Chenevey said. “Our presenters were incredible, and we appreciate them giving their time.”
One of the presenters was Liz Share, barbecue science educator with Ohio State University. She was busy teaching kids how to grill properly to produce the tastiest and safest meats, a session that was quite popular.
“So many of these stations are so informative and valuable to these young people because they don’t know a lot about them,” Share said. “These are basic life skills we’re presenting. They are skills that many kids aren’t taught today at school or in the home, but they are skills that they will find very valuable in life.”
Not only did the students have the opportunity to attend five of the hundred-plus sessions, but the day also was connected to a job fair in the expo center, where more than 60 area businesses and organizations set up tables, giving students a chance to see what types of jobs are available in the county.
It all added up to a sensational day filled with learning valuable skills while enhancing the young adults’ chances of building relationships and finding gainful employment, whether that is in Holmes County or elsewhere.
It all took place because of the team effort that included many various facets of the county, and the team effort didn’t go unnoticed by the presenters.
“There was just an abundance of community support for this event,” Janessa Hill of Ohio State University Extension Holmes County said. “We are so blessed in this county. I’m not sure if the kids truly understand what we have here, but I hope they took with them today some understanding of the commitment of the people of this county to go above and beyond to help them grow. Every time we ask for help, people are right there asking what they can do to give back.”
Hill said they are already looking at adding other details for next year’s event and said the students shouldn’t go home empty-handed.
“I hope they took home some fantastic life skills,” Hill said. “I also hope they developed an appreciation of how close-knit and united our community is when it comes to education and to furthering the development of our young people. There’s a lot of people willing to get behind one another.”
All-In proved to be all good for the students, and it also served as a way for community members to come together to reiterate the importance of serving the community.