Hopefully everyone is recovered from Fall Leadership Rally! It was a wonderful day at Iowa State University. Members were motivated by guest speaker, John Beede, who challenged them to find their own mountain to summit. Following that, were several breakout sessions for each member to become more educated on one of the four peer education teams, FCCLA as an organization, fundraising techniques, the statewide service projects, how to become a state officer, the building blocks of FCCLA, and how to stay involved in FCCLA beyond high school. Each chapter was then challenged to help with out statewide service project. This year Iowa FCCLA is proud to be partnering with Children and Families of Iowa, a local charity whose central focus is also on that of the family (just like FCCLA!). The five programs offered by Children and Families of Iowa are: Domestic Violence, Teen Programs, Family Support Programs, Early Childhood Development Services, and Mental Health Services. Each chapter was challenged to donate 100 items, either bring them to State Leadership Conference or donate them to a local charity. Overall, it was a great day and a great start to the year! Next event: district meetings!