Sixty students from all four grades at Prince Edward County High School (PECHS) are proving one organization can make a difference in the community.

The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter at PECHS recently received the “Outstanding Chapter” title at the FBLA’s regional fall conference. They attended the conference Oct. 25, along with dozens of other schools.

Under the guidance of advisor Jessica Sayer Tibbs, the 60 FBLA students are learning about leadership through service and professionalism.

“FBLA is near and dear to my heart,” Tibbs said. “I have been involved with the organization since I was in high school.”

She said FBLA gives students a tremendous opportunity to learn new information, network, and develop skills that will help them throughout their lives.

The PECHS chapter is part of the Longwood region, one of 11 in the state. According to Tibbs, the fall conference focuses on workshops for students on various topics from cybersecurity to leadership to business ethics.

Joel Thomas, a senior, said attending these regional and state conferences is his favorite part of being involved with the organization.

“I believe Prince Edward FBLA has provided me with many skills that will help me achieve my future goals,” Thomas said, naming Tibbs an important influence to the organization.

PECHS FBLA President Sara Gilbert, a senior, added, “You get to meet many interesting people from other areas in Virginia and the informative workshops are very helpful.”

Tibbs said the Outstanding Chapter award is “100 percent” due to the students.

“I am very fortunate to have students that are really interested in FBLA and work really hard to participate in events they plan, prepare reports, compete in various competitions, and many more behind the scenes tasks that make our chapter run smoothly,” she said.

Tibbs said she has students who are interested in not only learning new skills, but also in leaving a positive mark on their community.

“My upperclassmen have worked really hard to inspire that same love for FBLA into ninth- and 10th-graders,” she said.

Junior Chaney Sheehan said FBLA has helped him become a leader, organizer and professional.

“I think selling raffle tickets at the varsity basketball games was the most rewarding. We raised hundreds of dollars for Platoon 22,” he said.

Thomas agreed, saying Platoon 22 provides services to war veterans.

PECHS FBLA is currently working on two projects: Collecting new or gently used children’s books for the Virginia Children’s Book Festival, and new or gently used stuffed animals for the Prince Edward County Sheriff’s Department and Farmville Police Department to have when responding to calls involving children.

“It is extremely important to give back to your community and to those in need,” senior Rafael Diaz said.

Gilbert’s favorite memory from the organization is when she was passed the gavel from the previous president.

“Ever since I joined FBLA my freshman year, I knew I wanted to become president,” she said. She said she looks forward to doing all she can this year for the chapter. Gilbert said FBLA will help in the future because she plans to go to college for Hospitality Management and Business Administration.

“I would love to manage my own chain of hotels one day, and be able to hold conferences in them like our state conferences in Reston,” she said.