Foundation fundraiser well attended

A golfer at last week's IAITC fundraiser at the Pontiac Elks Lodge / CIFN photo.

PONTIAC – A live auction during last week’s golf outing to benefit the IAA Foundation and Illinois Ag in the Classroom raised close to $6,000 and included 200 golfers.

The money not only goes to IAITC but also toward the Rosie Duffy Scholarship Fund. IAA Foundation Director Susan Moore reports they are on track to raise $50,000 for the ag education program. IAA Foundation is the charitable arm of Illinois Farm Bureau.

Kevin Daugherty leads the IAITC program which helps teachers and students through a county ag literacy system throughout the state.

“You’ve got students surrounded by farms but a lot of them don’t have a clue about what goes on. They aren’t directly connected to the farm and that’s where the Ag in the Classroom program comes in,” Daugherty said.

IAA Credit Union was among the groups supporting the recent golf outing fundraiser. Jennifer Killian and Pam Johnson were manning the company booth promoting the Illinois Farm Bureau Visa.

“We’ve got fun giveaways and then we also have our usual game of trying to win $100,” Killian explained.

At the county level, IAITC is a joint effort between the county Farm Bureau, Soil and Water Conservation District and University of Illinois Extension. The program is funded at the state level by Farm Bureau and various commodity organizations representing: corn, beef, pork, soy and dairy.

“We see ourselves as basically a recruitment tool for agriculture,” added Daugherty.

Other IAA Foundation fundraisers during the year include a 5K in May and auctions and trivia nights during the Illinois Farm Bureau annual meeting in December.