Yep, the Children Are Our Future

We love to see smart, driven young folks get together to share their knowledge and make a difference. That’s why First Choice Power was proud to participate in the 2010 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Regional Conference held at the Anatole Hilton in Dallas. The national nonprofit organization encourages leadership through family and consumer sciences education for students in grades 7-12.

With information sessions covering topics like stopping violence, preventing obesity and underage drinking, financial fitness and more, the conference provided a chance for the students in attendance to become certified Peer Educators.

First Choice Power partnered with Keep Lewisville Beautiful to present a session on living green with a focus on how students could make a difference in their own schools and communities. Together, we covered ways to improve air quality, land quality, water quality and energy efficiency. The students really got excited about ideas like starting a bike club, having recycling contests, sponsoring trash clean up days, handing out reusable water bottles instead of selling bottled water at sporting events, making toys/art out of recycling products, planting trees and more.

“The FCCLA Conference students were attentive, active and excited about ways to make an environmental impact in their peer education,” said Coralee Lennert, executive director of Keep Lewisville Beautiful. “Hearing how they would implement environmental projects for various age groups in their home town was inspiring.”  

The students also showed us their endless enthusiasm and drive to do good by using the conference to conduct a can drive to benefit the Christian Community Action food pantry in Lewisville. As part of our Food First™ program to end hunger here in Texas, the students raised nearly 5,000 pounds of food. Lake Worth, the winning school, donated more than 1,200 cans. First Choice Power made donations to the FCCLA chapters that brought in the first, second and third most cans.

“I am amazed at the response from the FCCLA students to support our Food First collection drive,” said Catherine Carlton, community relations manager at First Choice Power. “We had two truckloads and nearly 5,000 pounds of food. This will go a long way to helping those most in need in our community.”