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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

The Chilton County Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Central Alabama Electric Cooperative subsidiary Central Access have joined forces to make donations to high schools in Chilton County that will assist their students making the trip to the National FFA Convention & Expo.

The 97th annual event in Indianapolis, Indiana from Oct. 23-26 will have students from four high schools in Chilton County represented at the convention. The Chamber and Central Access is donating $2,500 to each FFA program to help with the growing costs to attend the convention, and the donations began at Thorsby High School on Aug. 29. Executive Director of the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce Rachel Martin presented Thorsby FFA advisor Brian Lucas and his students with the funds.

“It is nice when you have people support you like this in such a way because it makes my job a whole lot easier,” Lucas said. “We have been doing it for 13 years now and gone (to Indianapolis), and I go back and look at how much it cost for us to do it. Now, it is amazing how the expenses for this trip have gone up drastically. Stuff like this helps us out tremendously.”

Thorsby will have five students representing their school at the convention — Elizabeth Cochran, Chesnee Dewitt, Madison Hammock, Brett McCluskey and Presley Raye Knighton.

Along with Thorsby, Chilton County, Isabella and Maplesville High Schools will be presented checks to their respective FFA programs in the coming weeks.