Vol. 40, No. 15
April 20 , 2006
Missouri FBLA: Second Largest in Nation
Business Education Students to Assemble in Columbia
More than 2,500 high school students and teachers from across Missouri will assemble in Columbia April 23-25 for the 47th Annual Future Business Leaders of America State Leadership Conference. The conference begins Sunday afternoon at Holiday Inn Select.
FBLA is a national organization for high school students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields. Missouri FBLA has 14,896 student members — an all-time high. For the second consecutive year, Missouri has earned an award for being the second largest state chapter in the nation. There are 398 local chapters in Missouri; 25 of these were formed this school year.
The theme of this year’s conference is "Missouri FBLA: Dare to Dream — Success Is Your Future."
Sam Glenn, a motivational speaker from Naperville, Ill., will be the keynote speaker for the first general session on Monday (8 p.m.). During the second general session on Tuesday (9:30 a.m.), newly elected state officers for 2006-07 will be installed, and an awards ceremony will be conducted.
The state conference features 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 compete at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tenn., June 29-July 2.
Missouri FBLA members are active in community service projects. This year, the chapters raised almost $16,000 for the March of Dimes and $7,000 for Camp Quality, a non-profit organization that provides camping and outdoor activities for children with cancer.