The Passion for Pigs Seminar and Trade Show registration is now open. The event will take place on Nov. 30 in Sedalia, Mo., at the Mathewson Exhibition Center at the Missouri State Fairgrounds.
The registration fee before Nov. 1 is $65. Discounts are available for group tickets. Students are encouraged to call for a special discount, event organizer Julie Lolli says.
The 2022 Debbie Patterson Keynote Address will be presented by Aaron Thomas, 2010 ESPY Awards Winner-Arthur ASHE Award for Courage.
A beloved high school football coach, Ed Thomas not only trained generations of players on the importance of hard work, dedication, excellence and commitment but personally put these values into action when he was the community leader who inspired his town to rebuild in the wake of a deadly EF 5 tornado.
Not long after the community withstood the disaster of the storm, the small town of Parkersburg, Iowa, endured a far worse tragedy: the fatal shooting of Ed Thomas by a former player with severe mental health challenges.
Following his father’s murder, Ed’s son, Aaron, was approached to return home to take over his father’s responsibilities as athletic director and to continue the legacy his father had built in being not only a school leader but an example for the town to follow, the event organizer says. Rather than shun the family of their father’s murderer and perpetuate the tragedy that Parkersburg faced, Aaron and his family called for understanding and forgiveness-because that’s what Ed Thomas would have wanted them to do.
Aaron will share his family’s journey of showing uncommon strength during the darkest of times. To register, call Julie Lolli at 660-651-0570 or email julie@passionforpigs.com.
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