Vol, 7, No. 16: April 28, 2008		Get SEAchange by email

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5. FFA sends shoes to Iraq

More than 5,000 pairs of shoes have been shipped to Iraq in a statewide effort organized by Wisconsin youth to help Iraqi children and adults.

Operation Stand Solid, initiated by Wisconsin FFA officers during the 2006-07 school year, is drawing to a close.

"FFA officers and members throughout our state have worked hard to support the people of Iraq, and in so doing, have bettered themselves," noted State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster. "They have learned skills of social responsibility and organization—21st century skills that will benefit them, and those who share their world, throughout their lives."

The idea for Operation Stand Solid came from Gary Olson, a Fort Atkinson agricultural educator who has served in Iraq as a member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. During his first deployment in Iraq, Olson noticed many Iraqi children didn't own footwear. He suggested to state FFA officers the idea of starting a shoe collection program to help the youth. The FFA officers embraced the idea and took charge, soliciting donations in a news blast to FFA chapters throughout the state and through features in agriculture newspapers and other media. FFA members collected shoes and postage money from community members and brought their entire collections to the 2007 Wisconsin State FFA Convention in Madison. There, FFA members from around Wisconsin sized, boxed, and packed the shoes into a tractor trailer obtained by the Slinger chapter of FFA, which handled shipping the shoes to Olson and his unit in Iraq.

The program eventually expanded from its original intent of focusing on youth, to collecting shoes for all ages, largely because many adult-sized shoes were donated for the project.

Final details of Operation Stand Solid are being wrapped up in 2008.

More information is available in a DPI news release.

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Last updated on 4/28/2008