GuestCOLUMN Director of the Women’s Leadership Program & Farm Bureau Foundation
By Amanda Williams
Future Growth Depends on a Strong Foundation
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his year, we are focused on building and strengthening the Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation in order to broaden the possibilities of what we can accomplish in the future. It all starts this summer with our first Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation Week in June, followed by a special effort to encourage donations through a $3,000 match offer from the Arkansas Farm Bureau Board of Directors. The Foundation is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit fundraising arm of the Arkansas Farm Bureau and was established in late 2016 to “further understanding of agricultural and rural issues, and to support the agriculture and rural community through financial support for education, research, litigation and disaster relief.” If you follow Arkansas Farm Bureau or the Foundation in social media or have visited arfb.com, you may know some of what the Foundation has accomplished since its launch, but you may not know the true scope. Raw numbers won’t tell the entire story, but they can give you an idea of what the Foundation is all about and how it’s working to achieve its stated mission. Since its creation, the ArFB Foundation has: • Awarded $80,640 in grants to support agriculture education and rural communities, • Donated $115,000 toward disaster relief efforts, • Committed $150,000 to both the Arkansas 4-H and Arkansas FFA Foundations, and • Donated $100,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas in 2020 to offset its budget shortfall. In addition, each year the Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation: • Provides more than $100,000 for educational materials, school Garden Grant programs, educational trailers, teacher workshops, grain bin
Arkansas Agriculture
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ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU • SPRING 2021
safety events and many more agriculture related activities, and • Provides $50,000 – on top of contributions from county Farm Bureaus – to support the M*A*S*H (Medical Applications of Science for Health) program. M*A*S*H is a program designed for students interested in a career in the medical field. The two-week camps are free to students and take place at various locations around the state. Students who attend the camps are given a unique look into the healthcare industry while shadowing medical professionals. Arkansas Farm Bureau has a long history of supporting and advocating for rural healthcare. The Foundation has funded 1,500 M*A*S*H students since 2017. As mentioned earlier, the ArFB Foundation Board of Directors is personally matching all donations up to $3,000 as part of our summer Contribution Drive. Your donation of $10 could equal $20. Here is how you can give to help us accomplish our mission and build for a better future: • By check and mailed to: ArFB Foundation, P.O. Box 31, Little Rock, AR 72203 • Through our online giving platform at https://arfbfoundation.gvtls.com. • One-time or Recurring Gift (general donation) • Memorial or Honorarium Donation • When you shop at smile.amazon.com, select Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation as your charity, and Amazon will donate for each qualified purchase. As Arkansas Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Warren Carter has said, “The foundation for the future of Arkansas agriculture is the Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation.” Help us keep it growing. * 3
