Baseball season is fully underway. So it's appropriate to say that USDA employees have been 'stepping up to the plate,' responding to the call from Secretary Ann M. Veneman to participate in an initiative she is promoting called "Leaders of Tomorrow."

In this initiative she is encouraging USDA employees and other adults to mentor students, including 4-H youth and those enrolled in FFA (formerly known as the Future Farmers of America). The goal is to inspire young adults by encouraging community involvement, careers in public service, and learning more about agriculture.

“Maybe our next modeling gig will be in Paris,” quips RMA branch chief Dave Bell (far right), as he and FSA agricultural marketing specialist Rachel Hight (second from right) model USDA “mentors” knit shirts, while FSA computer specialist Delores Channell (far left), and FSA branch chief Arthur Greene model USDA “mentors” sweatshirts--awarded to those USDA employees in Kansas City, Mo., who have been participating in a “Leaders of Tomorrow” initiative.--Photo by George McClosky

As an example of a "Leaders of Tomorrow" project, Farm Service Agency employees at the USDA office complex in Kansas City, Mo., have been participating in that office's "Community Outreach Mentoring and Tutoring Program" since 1996. "Our program works by connecting students, ages 6 to 18, with USDA employees," explained Lillian Keyes, the community outreach program manager at that FSA office. "These employees serve as positive role models and assistants to the classroom teachers in whatever ways that are helpful and appropriate."

Jackie Blanks, assistant deputy director of the Risk Management Agency's Office in Kansas City, pointed out that when this school-based mentoring program began in 1996, five USDA volunteers participated. In contrast, thus far in 2002 the agency has 85 USDA mentors and tutors, who provide services to students at four schools in the Kansas City, Mo., School District.

Keyes said that schools are selected for partnerships in this program based upon the achievement level of their students. She added that recent studies of that school district's overall test scores--in those schools that are partnered with USDA--have shown significant improvements in the students' overall behavior and attitude toward learning, as well as the actual test scores themselves. "The presence of these USDA volunteers has made a positive impact on the students and the general community," Keyes underscored.

"My theory for the success of our initiative, with the upcoming generation of students, is 'No Deposit, No Return'," advised Waymon Ponds, director of FSA's Kansas City Administrative Office.

Keyes said that from 1996-2001 the estimated number of area students who have benefitted from this program is more than 2,500. "I believe that we're the only USDA location in the nation to have an outreach mentoring program of this magnitude," she advised.

"Our USDA volunteers enhance the lives of young people and strengthen their ability to succeed academically and socially," she emphasized.

Ponds said that the mentor program was recently invited to work with the local Kansas City Cable Television Education Network. "We were asked to participate in a 'live' monthly talk show regarding the benefits of mentoring and community service," he pointed out. "Plus, we're being encouraged to allow videotaping of activities involving mentors and mentees in our program."

"This venture with cable TV would allow news of our program--showing the benefits of mentoring and our concern for children--to go into more than 250,000 homes in this area."

FSA's outreach program in Kansas City expanded to include the agency's St. Louis Area Office in September 2001. According to Germaine Jones, an FSA accountant and mentoring coordinator for that office, 15 USDA volunteers are currently involved "and other volunteers are lined up, waiting for school to resume next fall."

USDA employees in other locations around the country are participating in similar "Leaders of Tomorrow" initiatives. For example, many employees participate through the Department's "Adopt-A-School" program.

"That's an effort to encourage USDA employees to volunteer their time and assistance, during the school day, to students in elementary, middle, and/or high schools located in the general geographic area of USDA offices," explained Blondena Turner, executive assistant to the assistant inspector general for policy development and resources management in the Office of Inspector General.

"Part of it is an attempt to help teach students the fundamental skills necessary to live and work successfully in the world of today." The July-August 1999 issue of the USDA News carried a story about the Department's Adopt-A-School program.

As another example, on April 25-26 the Risk Management Agency provided 10 national winners of the "FFA Risk Management Strategies Writing Contest" with a trip to Washington, DC. According to Michelle Fuller, an RMA risk management specialist, this fifth annual contest attracted 183 agricultural high school students who applied the principles of risk management to their own individual FFA-sponsored agricultural projects in essays of 1,000 words or less. The essays were reviewed by a panel of 10 judges, which included five USDA employees.

"The risk management writing contest, through FFA mentors and others, encourages community involvement, inspires tomorrow's agricultural leaders, and promotes risk management education to young people enrolled in agricultural education," she added. "As such, the contest kept with the spirit of a 'Leaders of Tomorrow' initiative."

Still another "Leaders of Tomorrow" activity is the various "Shadow Days" in which USDA employees around the country encourage high school students to, in effect, 'shadow' them during the workday to gain a familiarity with the work environment in general and work at USDA in particular. A recent such 'Shadow Day'--called "National Groundhog Job Shadow Day" because it occurs every year on/around Groundhog's Day in February--involved employees in the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Office of Operations, and the Forest Service at USDA headquarters in Washington, DC.

"This was particularly unique," advised OCIO management analyst Carolyn Young, "because in the federal government--including USDA--we're facing a shortage of information technology employees." Ten area high school students, who had expressed an interest in pursuing a federal information technology career, spent a half-day paired with USDA hosts, who showed them the different roles of information technology professionals at the Department.

"By encouraging our employees to work with students," noted Food Safety and Inspection Service financial assistant Sonya Bankins, "we're helping to develop and shape the work force of the new millennium, we're ensuring diversity in it--and we may help those students consider careers at USDA once they finish school."

USDA has established a web site, for more information about this initiative, at www.usda.gov/leadersoftomorrow. The January-March 2002 issue of the USDA News carried a photo of a recent "Leaders of Tomorrow" mentoring activity.