With the beginning of the school year, incoming freshmen and upperclassmen start to choose which clubs and other extra-curricular activities they will be participating in for the rest of the year. Therefore, they are bombarded by various options, and are faced with the challenge of choosing which clubs they think will be the most fun, and hopefully help them look distinguished on college applications. To help these students out, it is important to promote a club that many find enjoyable and useful in their future endeavors. FCCLA, which stands for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, is the “Ultimate Leadership Experience.”

FCCLA focuses on the development of character, leadership skills, career preparation, creative and critical thinking, and interpersonal communication. This is achieved through engaging pursuits, such as community service initiatives, leadership workshops and training, public speaking, and personal growth and development. FCCLA commonly donates to the Open Door foundation and Share Our Strength, as well as maintaining an ongoing soda tab collection which they donate to the Ronald McDonald House.

President of Freehold Township’s FCCLA chapter, Sean Dairo is a strong advocate for the benefits of the club, stating “It helps you with your confidence and speaking skills.” These skills can be developed at local, state, and national conferences, as well as leadership bootcamps. To address the worries of new coming members, FCCLA supporter Alexis Roth advised for incoming members “To not be afraid to get out of your shell and talk to new people!”

All are welcome to FCCLA’s kick-off meeting on October 6th in room B105!