CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE
FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE COMMUNITY
Three States. Three Approaches. One Shared Mission. NORTH CAROLINA
GEORGIA
Progressive Agriculture Foundation | Champions of Change
MISSOURI
OVERVIEW During a two-week span in July, PAF Coordinators in North Carolina, Georgia, and Missouri shared their experiences at statewide agricultural education conferences. While each outreach effort looked different, the message was the same: A PAF Safety Day can give agricultural teachers and FFA chapters a meaningful way to lead safety education in their communities.
NORTH CAROLINA
WORKSHOP
Bryant York + Jana Davidson PAF Coordinator Bryant York and PAF Program Manager Jana Davidson presented together, combining the local expertise of an FFA advisor and Ag teacher with PAF program expertise.
GEORGIA
EXHIBIT + WORKSHOP
Matthew Shelton + Wesley Pope + Jessica Eisele PAF Partnerships Director Jessica Eisele supports the conference with an exhibit, while local PAF Coordinators Matthew Shelton and Wesley Pope led an educational workshop for their peers on the PAF program.
MISSOURI
EXHIBIT + WORKSHOP
Hannah Fritsche-Donze PAF Coordinator Hannah Fritsche-Donze independently represented the PAF program through a workshop and conference booth.
Ag Teachers are not only hosting a local PAF program, they are becoming safety advocates who help other educators in their states and communities.
Progressive Agriculture Foundation | Champions of Change
NORTH CAROLINA
For 16 years, Bryant York has helped lead Wake Up to Ag Day. After connecting with PAF in 2023, he added a stronger safety focus and uses FFA members to plan and facilitate hands-on learning for kindergarten students. On July 15, York and PAF Program Manager Jana Davidson brought that model to NC ACTE through two packed, back-to-back workshops featuring six Mini-Safety Zone demonstrations - showing fellow ag teachers how a Safety Day can extend work already happening in their classrooms and FFA chapters.
LOCAL PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE School-based 1400+ Kindergarten students reached FFA students led and facilitated the planning, coordination, and safety lessons
CONFERENCE REACH Workshops:
Attendance:
Leads:
2
70-80
31
“A Progressive Agriculture Safety Day does not have to be viewed as ‘one more thing’ ... it can be used as an extension of the work we are already doing.” - Bryant York, PAF Coordinator since 2023
Progressive Agriculture Foundation | Champions of Change
GEORGIA
2024
2026 Hosted first PAF Safety Day
Discovered PAF program
2025 LOCAL PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE School-based 340 4th and 5th grade students reached No prior safety program FFA students matched with topics based on their SAE experiences and prior knowledge
Hosted workshop and conference booth to promote PAF programs
Matthew Shelton, a middle school agricultural teacher and FFA advisor, and Wesley Pope, a high school agricultural teacher and FFA advisor, coordinate a school-based PAF Safety Day in Washington County, Georgia. Matthew Shelton and Wesley Pope first connected with PAF while searching for an ATV safety curriculum after several fatal ATV incidents involving students in their community. Their Safety Day now gives FFA members a structured way to teach younger students while building confidence, leadership, and public speaking skills.
“This program aligns with our chapter goals by building members’ public speaking skills as well as adding another community service opportunity.“ - Matthew Shelton, PAF Coordinator since 2025
Progressive Agriculture Foundation | Champions of Change
MISSOURI Hannah Donze first experienced a Progressive Agriculture Safety Day as a child. Years later, the importance of agricultural safety became deeply personal. In April 2024, Hannah's five-yearold son ran behind a moving skid steer and was run over by its tracks. He suffered a broken pelvis and spent five days at St. Louis Children's Hospital undergoing treatment and recovery. The experience changed the way Hannah viewed the risks children face around farms and agricultural equipment - and strengthened her determination to help other families prevent similar incidents.
HANNAH FRITSCHE-DONZE Participant
Parent Advocate
“I can actually remember attending a Progressive Agriculture Safety Day when I was a kid, and a lot of the lessons I learned that day stuck with me forever.”
“My promise to him, myself, and other families was that I would help lower this statistic by educating our children.” - Hannah Fritsche-Donce, PAF Coordinator since 2025 After her son’s incident, Hannah turned a deeply personal experience into a commitment to prevention. Determined to help other families better understand the risks children can face around farms and agricultural equipment, she brought a Progressive Agriculture Safety Day to her community in Ste. Genevieve. Through hands-on safety education, Hannah is helping children recognize hazards, make safer choices, and learn lessons that stay with them. Her efforts soon extended beyond her own community. In 2026, Hannah shared Progressive Agriculture Safety Days with agricultural educators at the Missouri ACTE conference through both a workshop and an exhibit booth. By introducing other educators to the program and the resources available to them, she is helping expand the reach of agricultural safety education beyond Ste. Genevieve and encouraging others to bring those same lessons to the youth they serve.
Progressive Agriculture Foundation | Champions of Change
A MODEL FOR SCALABLE OUTREACH These three conferences illustrate different ways PAF can extend its reach through the agricultural education community. PAF + Coordinator In North Carolina, PAF staff and an experienced coordinator presented side-byside. PAF + Coordinator-Led Education In Georgia, PAF supported the conference through an exhibit while local coordinators led the workshop. Coordinator-Led Outreach In Missouri, a coordinator independently represented the program through both a workshop and exhibit. Together, they demonstrate a progression from PAF-led outreach to something even more scalable: local advocates equipped to introduce the program to their peers.
Missouri ACTE Conference Springfield, MO July 20-23, 2026
North Carolina ACTE Conference Winston-Salem, NC July 13-17, 2026
Georgia VATA Conference Columbus, GA July 9-11, 2026
Progressive Agriculture Foundation | Champions of Change
WHY AGRICULTURAL TEACHERS? Agricultural educators are uniquely positioned to help PAF grow. They understand the agricultural risks present in their communities. They have relationships with schools, families, businesses, and agricultural organizations. Through FFA, they work with young leaders who are eager for opportunities to serve. A PAF Safety Day brings those pieces together. FFA members can serve as presenters, group leaders, and volunteers while younger children receive age-appropriate, hands-on safety and health education. In the process, the impact flows both ways. Younger children learn how to recognize hazards and make safer choices. FFA members strengthen their leadership, communication, and safety knowledge. Agricultural teachers create another meaningful connection between their programs and the communities they serve.
FUTURE IMPACT: THE MULTIPLIER EFFECT An agricultural teacher can shape a classroom, and an FFA chapter can influence an entire school. A Progressive Agriculture Safety Day takes that impact even further by bringing educators, volunteers, partners, and families together to build a safer, stronger community. When experienced PAF Coordinators share that opportunity with hundreds of fellow agricultural educators, the potential reach grows exponentially. The presentations in North Carolina, Georgia, and Missouri were more than conference workshops: they were invitations. Invitations for agricultural teachers to bring safety education into their programs. Invitations for FFA members to lead. Invitations for more communities to join PAF in working toward a future where every child has the knowledge and skills to return home safely every day.
Progressive Agriculture Foundation | Champions of Change
From an agricultural teacher. To a PAF Coordinator. To a statewide advocate for safer communities. @PAFSafetyDays progressiveag.org safetyday@progressiveag.org | 888.257.3529 P.O. Box 530425 Birmingham, AL 35253
Progressive Agriculture Foundation | Champions of Change