CAMP COUCHDALE -- Arkansas FFA Foundation's Camp Couchdale, located near Lake Catherine State Park, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, celebrating the finished renovation of the Marion B. Fletcher Leadership Center.

The Arkansas Legislative council unanimously voted to invest $2.5 million in Arkansas FFA and Camp Couchdale in December 2019. Camp Couchdale is owned and operated by Arkansas FFA Foundation and hosts leadership conferences for FFA members around the state. The capital campaign investment went toward the renovation of the Fletcher Leadership Center.

"It's been a great honor," said Marion Fletcher, after whom the building is named. "I feel so privileged."

Fletcher had a 53-year career in agricultural education, and has lived in Hot Springs since 1967.

Fletcher said the building was upgraded from one big room to include four boardrooms, an auditorium as well as an "alumni room," where the Blue Jacket Society, honoring the Arkansas FFA Alumni Association, will someday fill the room with blue corduroy jackets encased in shadow boxes.

"It's available now, not only for our FFA youth, but other organizations," Fletcher said about the newly renovated space. "We have some church groups come out and utilize it, and it's just a great facility."

As Camp Couchdale's largest building, the Fletcher Leadership Center used to host FFA conferences. The conferences are now held at the Hot Springs Convention Center, but Camp Couchdale still hosts leadership conferences throughout the year, Fletcher said.

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Arkansas FFA Foundation Director Jennifer Cook spoke on the impact of the renovations during the ceremony and introduced Arkansas Secretary of Education Johnny Key and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward to speak, as well.

"I'm very proud of Arkansas education," Key said to the audience. "I'm proud of Arkansas ag education, and we're working every day to make it stronger and keep it a source of pride for our state."

"A lot of people come through this facility and I think it is a great testament to our state as a whole and the importance of the agricultural industry," Ward said.

Former Arkansas state representative and vice chairman/general counsel of Farmers Bank and Trust, Bruce Maloch, was still in the Legislature at the time of the unanimous vote, and worked with Gov. Asa Hutchinson to make the investment in the Fletcher center.

Maloch began visiting Camp Couchdale in 1971 and served Arkansas FFA as a state officer from 1974-75, he said.

"We really needed to renovate this, and it's just a great asset, not only to FFA and Camp Couchdale, but other groups throughout the year," he said.

The Arkansas FFA Foundation also plans to build a new ag mechanics lab for the camp, Maloch said.

"The ag mechanics lab is going to have that technical training, whether it's electrical, woodworking, welding," he said. "But even in the leadership center, just providing young people with leadership skills, whether it's speaking or working together. I call them soft skills, or working with other people, that will help them regardless of what job they ultimately end up in, whether it's agricultural related or trade related or not."

The ag mechanics lab's first four banner sponsors include Arkansas Elite Welding Academy, Nabholz, Greenway Equipment and Mark's Machinery, Cook announced during the ceremony.

Print Headline: WATCH: FFA celebrates renovation of the Camp Couchdale Fletcher Leadership Center

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