#laurataylor

Beauty Laura Taylor wears our limited edition rose gold plated Twilight earrings. We will have a few pairs of this extra-shiny version available at the @safepiercing conference!

Hello FCCLA! The new school year is off to a great start and we all know what that means:  recruitment time!  This time of year presents excitement for our new members and re-energized ideas for returning members.  I challenge you this year to strive to build up your chapter and get the word out to your community about just how great our dynamic organization is in the lives of our members and those that we partner with. When introducing FCCLA to new people, you often get asked the question, “Why FCCLA?”  The real question is, “Why not?!”

Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America is the ONLY Career and Technical Student Organization with the family as its central focus. Family is something that EVERYONE can relate to! Although families have evolved from the traditional nuclear family, no matter whom you call your family-- defined by blood or bond-- FCCLA can help you create stronger family ties and values. I’m thankful to have my FCCLA Family of more than 200,000 members, along with my Taylor family of four.

Aside from the family, our organization teaches skills for life to not only our members, but also the students enrolled in Family and Consumer Sciences. The FACS curriculum prepares students to be successful individuals in today’s society. Our year-long theme is “Together We Are…” and I encourage you to complete this sentence with your own chapters. 

The 2014 National Cluster Meetings theme is “Together We Are Ready”.  We are focusing on how FCCLA prepares its members for college and career readiness. Do you like to travel? Just this year, FCCLA gives you the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. for Capitol Leadership, New Brunswick, NJ, Little Rock, AR, or Salt Lake City, UT for National Cluster Meetings, and back to our nation’s capital for the 2015 National Leadership Conference! At these conferences, you will truly have the Ultimate Leadership Experience. Along with workshops, general sessions, and time for fun, you will get to network with people from all over the nation, creating lifelong friendships.

Together we are making a difference.  FCCLA’s national programs have something to offer every member.  I hope students experience the Power of One, and strive to become better individuals in their families, careers, and communities.  Advisers can give their chapters the opportunity to reach out to other students in their school by developing and carrying out a peer education project through Student Body, Families First, or Financial Fitness.  Spreading the red of FCCLA in our schools will surely help to grow our chapters.  Together we are growing!  Gain leadership skills and set goals for personal growth by enrolling in the Leadership Academy.  This opportunity has something to offer every member as they travel along their leadership journey. Members can get involved in their local chapters and carry out projects that impact their own communities, or take it to another level and participate in regional, state, or national activities.

FCCLA truly has something for everyone to be part of, whether it’s programs, STAR Events, traveling, or advocacy. This year, I challenge you to get involved and share your own “Why!” because Together We Are FCCLA.