Plant a Seed, Inspire a Dream Campaign Kicks Off

The future of dairy hinges on the ongoing professional development of dairy producers. Professional Dairy Producers Foundation, also known as Dairy’s Foundation, is kicking off its Plant a Seed, Inspire a Dream fundraising campaign to support programs that will enhance the skills of current dairy producers and develop the leaders of tomorrow.

“This annual campaign supports educational programs that develop and strengthen communication and leadership skills, dairy-specific financial literacy, engaging with our communities, and more,” said Janet Keller, Executive Director of Dairy’s Foundation. “Money raised through ‘Plant a Seed’ impacts people from all walks of life all across the country. Each gift makes a difference in the number of lives we can touch.”

Donations to the “Plant a Seed” campaign is used for support of programs such as the Cornerstone Dairy Academy™, Financial Literacy for Dairy® and Agriculture Community Engagement™. The foundation also awards grants across the nation to innovative dairy initiatives that align with the mission.

“In a spirit of fun, we’ve assembled four teams of volunteers to compete with each other,” Keller said. “The idea is to challenge each team to raise more funds than the other three. Donors can vote to choose a team to apply their donation toward.”

·         Team Inspire
CaptainSteve Vale; Sydney Endres, Dave Lindevig, Dr. Rami A. Reddy, Peter Curran and Jim Mlsna

·         Team Vision
Co-captainsSam Schwoeppe and Joan Behr; John Kappelman, Linda Hodorff, Logan Bower, Andy Buttles and Dave Thorbahn

·         Team Impact
Co-captains Russ Warmka and Derek Orth, Julie Gabris, Jeff Sluzewski, Marty Hallock, Carrie Feucht, Danielle Warmka

·         Team Dream
Co-captains Brian Forrest and Mark Diederichs, Mitch Breunig, Charlie Crave, Jeff Montsma, Keith Engel, Andy Skwor and Steve Orth

To make a contribution toward the campaign, go to dairyfoundation.org; click on donate to give a gift and pay by credit card. Or send a check to Professional Dairy Producers Foundation, 820 N. Main Street, Suite D, Juneau, WI 53039. Those who want to give and don’t have a preference as to which team to support can choose a team at random.

The Professional Dairy Producers Foundation was established by Professional Dairy Producers in 2002 as a way to raise funds and awards grants for educational programs. The Foundation is a 501(c) 3 entity. Our mission is to share ideas, resources and experiences about important issues surrounding the dairy industry through educational opportunities for dairy producers and the public.