Virginia Foley has been named Northeast Kansas Heart of FCE awardee. The award recognizes members for their grassroots community involvement. A member of the Farmerette FCE unit in Atchison County, Foley has been a member more years than she can remember. Her membership began as a young mother in Missouri and continued with career changes and moves back home to Kansas.
She currently serves as treasurer of the Atchison County FCE Council. Virginia enjoys sharing with her community. If you have observed one of the dozens of Barn Quits displayed across the county, the artists have probably attended one of the dozens of classes Virginia has taught. A recent FCE educational program focused on Autism Awareness; Virginia shared information with the community at the Amberwell Health Fair.
An accomplished quilter, Foley provides leadership for an annual fall FCE Quilt Retreat. Funds raised support a senior scholarship. She also lead efforts to raise funds for the local Autism Support Group by designing a quilt for an FCE community quilt raffle. Always willing to share her talents, Virginia is also an active member of the Farmerette FCE club where she serves as an officer, teaches educational programs and joins members in creating a quilt annually for a second scholarship fundraiser. In addition to quilting, she is quick to share her cooking skills to support the community.
Foley is involved in Northeast Kansas Area FCE activities. The state FCE Conference will be held in Atchison in October; Foley has volunteered to organize a first-time Peace and Patchwork Quilt Show.
When not volunteering as an FCE member; one is likely to see Virginia volunteering for St. Ann’s Parish events in Effingham or at the Quilt Department at the Atchison County Fair. In her spare time, Virginia enjoys following her grandchildren’s activities.
If Virginia’s contributions were measured in dollars, her volunteer efforts have contributed thousands of dollars to the Atchison County community. Virigina’s view of her contributions is that I just enjoy helping others. Someone needs to volunteer, why not say yes.
Volunteers are important to our community. Grassroots volunteers like Virginia are making a difference in communities across Kansas. Awards like the Heart of FCE salute these efforts.
The Family and Community Education organization offers local friendships, opportunities to learn about topics related to family issues and encourages community involvement. Membership starts at the community level while establishing connections on the state, national and international level. Membership is open to any community member.
