18 Oct 2012

Support Eldridge Fire Department during Fire Prevention Month

By Paul Spooner

Help America's Farmers Grow Communities Support Local Firefighters during Fire Prevention Month

Monsanto Fund-sponsored program gives back to Iowa fire departments

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Oct. 7, 2012) - Rural communities have a fire death rate twice the national average, according to the U.S. Fire Administration and National Fire Protection Association.  Firefighters in these communities are also often less likely to have the necessary firefighting equipment and training. To help combat these challenges, the Monsanto Fund is investing in rural fire departments and helping to keep farming communities safer through America's Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM.

Grow Communities gives eligible farmers the chance to win a $2,500 donation for their favorite local nonprofit organization. Last year, the largest percentage of Grow Communities funding was directed to local fire departments. The Monsanto Fund invested a total of $612,500 in 245 rural fire departments across the country.

Mark Schoening, Oak Township fire chief in Mills County, Iowa, knows firsthand how impactful being selected as the winning recipient for Grow Communities for the county can be.

"This donation allowed us to buy six air tanks, which gives us triple the amount of time we can be fighting fires indoors," Schoening said.

For the third consecutive year, Grow Communities is gearing up to distribute $2,500 donations in 1,271 eligible counties across the country. Now through Nov. 30, 2012, farmers can apply online at www.growcommunities.com or call 1-877-267-3332 to apply by phone. To date, more than $7 million has been invested in rural America through Grow Communities.

"Supporting rural America is our priority," said Deborah Patterson, Monsanto Fund president. "We understand that the safety of these rural communities depends so much on the strength of its local fire department. We are proud and honored to give back to firefighters, and I am delighted to see so many farmers directing donations this way."

New this year, community members can suggest a fire department or other nonprofit organization that is in need of funding on the Grow Communities website. Farmers can review "planted ideas" and consider them in their application. To submit a nonprofit project idea that needs funding in your community, visit www.growcommunities.com by Nov. 30.

As a result of the worst drought in 50 years, more than 700 of the 1,271 Grow Communities counties have been declared natural disaster areas by the USDA. Winning farmers from these counties will have the opportunity to direct an additional $2,500 donation to a second nonprofit of their choosing to assist with community needs that have surfaced due to the drought. The Monsanto Fund will select one winner at random from each of the eligible counties and announce winning farmers and recipient nonprofits in January 2013.

America's Farmers Grow Communities highlights the important contributions farmers make every day to our society and helps them positively impact their communities. This program is part of the Monsanto Fund's overall effort to support rural America.
For more information about this program and to view the official rules, visit www.growcommunities.com.

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SIDEBAR

26 Iowa fire departments received  a total of $65,000 from America's Farmers Grow Communities in 2012, including:

·         Griswold (Cass County)

·         Tipton (Cedar County)

·         Quimby (Cherokee County)

·         Woodburn (Clarke County)

·         Webb (Clay County)

·         Welton (Clinton County)

·         Weldon (Decatur County)

·         Terrill (Dickinson County)

·         Worthington (Dubuque County)

·         Rockford (Floyd County)

·         Stratford (Hamilton County)

·         Holstein (Ida County)

·         Packwood (Jefferson County)

·         Olin (Jones County)

·         Des Moines Township (Lee County)

·         Martelle (Linn County)

·         Melbourne (Marshall County)

·         St. Ansgar Rescue (Mitchell County)

·         Sanborn (O'Brien County)

·         May City (Osceola County)

·         Deep River (Poweshiek County)

·         Eldridge (Scott County)

·         Panama (Shelby County)

·         Cambridge (Story County)

·         Gladbrook (Tama County)

·         Sharpsburg (Taylor County)

About the Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org

 

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28 Aug 2012

Rural school districts receive grants of up to $25,000

By Paul Spooner

Winners announced for America's Farmers Grow Rural Education?

BOONE, IOWA (Aug. 28, 2012) - Rural schools help grow the next generation by planting seeds of knowledge, passion and imagination in the youth of rural America. Now, local farmers and America's Farmers Grow Rural EducationSM are helping to prepare the next generation of industry leaders to meet the challenges that come with feeding an ever increasing population.
America's Farmers Grow Rural Education, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, gives farmers the opportunity to nominate a public school district in their community to compete for a merit based grant of either $10,000 or $25,000 to enhance education in the areas of math and/or science. More than 1,000 nominated school districts submitted applications. The Monsanto Fund will invest $2.3 million in 176 rural schools through this program.
"School districts were innovative and creative in their applications," said Deborah Patterson, the Monsanto Fund president. "We are really looking forward to seeing the proposals come to fruition and learning how the students benefit from them."
After being nominated by local farmers, school districts completed an online application and finalists were chosen by math and science teachers from ineligible school districts. The America's Farmers Grow Rural Education Advisory Council, a group of 26 prominent farmers from across the country, then reviewed the finalists' applications and selected the winners.
"Who better to judge the practical content and quality of these applications from rural school districts than experienced, working farmers?" said Jim Andrew of Jefferson, Iowa, America's Farmers Grow Rural Education Farmer Advisory Council member. "We devoted many hours at home evaluating and scoring the applications and then met as a group in St. Louis for two days to discuss and select the schools we recommended to the Monsanto Fund for grants. It was personally very rewarding to read the creative and practical grant applications that were eventually selected by our advisory group to receive the grants."
There were 176 school districts in 35 states that received grants of up to $25,000. Winners are posted at www.growruraleducation.com and below. America's Farmers Grow Rural Education started with a successful pilot in Illinois and Minnesota in 2011, in which farmers were given the opportunity to nominate public school districts in 165 eligible counties in those two states. The Monsanto Fund awarded more than $266,000 to local schools in sixteen communities. Now, the program has expanded to 1,245 eligible counties in 39 states. 
America's Farmers Grow Rural Education is sponsored by the Monsanto Fund to help farmers positively impact their communities and support local rural school districts. This program is part of the Monsanto Fund's overall effort to support rural education and communities. Another program that is part of this effort is America's Farmers Grow Communities, which gives farmers the opportunity to direct a $2,500 donation to their favorite community nonprofit organization in their county. Farmers can participate in this program through Nov. 30, 2012 by visiting growcommunities.com.

 

About Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work.  Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

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Alabama- Geneva City, Madison County

Arkansas-Des Arc School District, Estem Elementary Charter, Monticello School District, Southside High School, Texarkana School District, Valley View School District

Arizona-Buckeye Union High School District

California-Brawley Elementary, Esparto Unified School District, Farmersville Unified, Hilmar Unified School District

Colorado-Frenchman School District Re-3, Limon School District, No. Re 4J, Re-1 Valley School District, Walsh School District No. Re-1

Delaware-Smyrna School District

Georgia-Burke County, Terrell County, Wilcox County School System

Iowa-George Little Rock Community Schools, Hampton-Dumont Community School District, Lamoni Community School District, Logan-Magnolia School District, Mormon Trail Community School District, New Hampton, New London Community School District, North Tama County Community School District, Northeast Community School District, Riceville Community School District, Schleswig Community School District, Sidney Community School District

Idaho-Caldwell School District No. 132, Filer School District

Illinois-Allendale CC School District 17, Brussels CUSD 42, Farmington Central CUSD 265, Indian Creek CUSD 425, Morrisonville CUSD #1, North Greene CUSD 3, Olympia CUSD 16, Oregon Community Unit School District 220, Red Hill CUSD10, Tolono CUSD 7, Willow Grove SD 46

Indiana-Clay Community Schools, Delaware Community School Corporation, Fairfield Community Schools, Flatrock Hawcreek School Co, Jennings County Schools, Oregon-Davis School Corp, Pike County School Corp, Salem Community Schools, South Central Com School Corp, Southwest Parke Com School Corp

Kansas-Bucklin, Girard USD 248, Hoxie Community Schools USD 412, Royal Valley, Scott County Schools, Sedgwick Public Schools, Sterling USD376, Wamego, Washington County Schools, Wellsville-USD 289

Kentucky-Calloway County, Daviess County Public Schools, Logan County, Nelson County School District

Louisiana-Pointe Coupee Parish

Maryland-Harford County Public Schools, Talbot County Public Schools

Michigan-Breckenridge Community Schools, Frankenmuth School District, Fremont Public Schools, Ida Public School District, Lowell Area Schools, North Huron School District, Springport Public Schools, St. Louis Public Schools

Minnesota-Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Schools, Farmington Area Public Schools, Glacial Hills Elementary, Greenbush-Middle River School District, Lakeview Public Schools, Lancaster Public School District, N.R.H.E.G. School District, United South Central Independent School District 2134

Missouri-Community R-VI School District, Johnson Co. R-VII, Liberal R-II, Lone Jack C-6, Miami R-I School District, Monroe City R-I, Northeast Nodaway Co. R-V, Oak Ridge R-VI, Orrick, Pleasant View R-VI, Strain-Japan R-XVI

Mississippi-Pontotoc Co School District

North Carolina-Craven County Schools, Perquimans County Schools, Rowan-Salisbury Schools

North Dakota-Carrington School District, Dakota Prairie, Hatton Public School 7, Richland 44, Wishek 19

Nebraska-Cambridge Public Schools, Falls City Public Schools, Hayes Center Public Schools, Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools, Mitchell Public Schools, Northwest Public Schools, Osceola Public Schools, Rock County Public Schools, Thayer Central Community Schools

New Jersey-Chesterfield Township

New York-Albion Central School District, Argyle Central School District, Arkport Central School District, Canton Central School District, Greece Central School District, Tully Central School District

Ohio-Clinton-Massie Local, Crestview Local Schools, Eastern Local Schools, Garaway Local, Northeastern Local, Ridgedale Community, West Liberty-Salem Local, Westfall Local

Oklahoma- Garber Public School , Navajo Public School

Oregon-Vale SD 84

Pennsylvania-Danville Area SD, Greensburg Salem SD, Manheim Central SD, Northwestern School District, Seneca Valley SD, Tyrone Area School District, Upper Adams SD

South Carolina-Calhoun 01, Dillon 02

South Dakota-Dell Rapids School District 49-3, Milbank High School-01, Parker School District, Wolsey-Wessington School District 20-6

Tennessee-Franklin County School District, Obion County School System, Robertson County, South Carroll County Special School District

Texas-Brownsville ISD, Dalhart ISD, Edna ISD, Hillsboro ISD, Ira ISD, Levelland ISD, Memphis ISD, Southland ISD, Wall ISD

Virginia-Southampton Co Public Schools

Washington-Warden School District

Wisconsin-Cadott Community School District, Chilton School District, Cornell School District, Gillett School District, Lake Geneva-Genoa City UHS School District, Lancaster Community School District, Marathon City School District,  Monticello School District, School District Of New London, Sparta Area School District, Tri-County Area School District, Wrightstown Community School District

02 Apr 2012

New rescue equipment will help save lives in Eldridge

By Paul Spooner

Local farmer directs $2,500 to fire department

 

ELDRIDGE, Iowa (Mar. 20, 2012) - Seventy percent of firefighters in the United States are volunteer and one of the few opportunities for these departments to update their rescue and training equipment is through community donations. Thanks to one local farmer and America's Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM, the Eldridge Fire Department can continue to keep its community and surrounding area safe.

Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, gives farmers the opportunity to win $2,500 for their favorite local nonprofit organizations. Richard and Mary Hemphill were the winning farmers in Scott County. They recognized the need for new rescue equipment and directed the donation to the Eldridge Fire Department. The donation will be used to purchase additional rescue tools and training materials."

"The Eldridge firefighters have been to my farm a couple times to put out grain dryer fires," Richard Hemphill said. "It's a volunteer fire department, and this is a good way to say thank you."

In a ceremony held on Tuesday, Mar. 20, Richard and Mary got the chance to present the Eldridge Fire Department with the $2,500 donation.

Through America's Farmers Grow Communities:

·         Farmers in 1,245 eligible counties have the chance to win $2,500 for their favorite community nonprofit organizations.

·         The Monsanto Fund has invested more than $3.1 million to rural communities this year alone.

·         More than $247,500 in total will be donated to nonprofits in Iowa

·         A list of all winners and more information can be found at  www.growcommunities.com

"Our fire department has had an increase in rescue calls, so we will purchase essential rescue tools with the donation," said Tyler Schmidt, Eldridge fire chief. "Funds will also be used to purchase training materials to supplement our continual training program."

Grow Communities is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund to invest in farm communities such as Scott County. It aims to highlight the important contributions farmers such as Richard and Mary Hemphill make every day to our society.

 

About the Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

 

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