Vol. 39, No. 7
April 14, 2005
Business Education Students to
Participate in State Conference
More than 2,500 high school students and teachers from across Missouri will assemble in Columbia this weekend (April 17-19) for the 46th Annual Future Business Leaders of America State Leadership Conference. The conference begins Sunday afternoon at the Holiday Inn Select.
FBLA is a national organization for high school students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields. FBLA membership in Missouri is at an all-time high with 14,447 student members. The Missouri chapter received an award for being the second largest state chapter in the nation. There are 393 local chapters in Missouri; 24 of these were formed this school year. Business teachers and advisory councils guide the local chapters.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Missouri FBLA: Taking Care of Business.”
Harriet Turk, a motivational speaker with Power Choices from Memphis, Tenn., will be the keynote speaker for the first general session Monday (8 p.m.). Newly elected state officers for 2005-06 will be installed and an awards ceremony will be held during the second general session Tuesday (9:30 a.m.).
The state conference features workshops on leadership and careers in business and more than 40 competitive events. These include job interview, Web site development, international business, entrepreneurship, parliamentary procedure, public and impromptu speaking, economics, accounting, business communications, and computer applications.
Top qualifiers in written, interview, performance, and skill events will compete at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla., June 24-27.
Missouri FBLA members are active in community service projects. This year, the chapters raised $16,000 for March of Dimes and $12,400 for Camp Quality, a non-profit organization that provides camping and outdoor activities for children with cancer.