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| Kids’ farm safety gets big boost |
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| By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent
URBANDALE, Iowa — The Nationwide Foundation just provided some economic assistance to Farm Safety 4 Just Kids (FS4KL), with a $40,000 donation and a pledge to provide $120,000 during the next three years.
Chad Jester, vice president of corporate citizenship and president of the Nationwide Foundation said, “Nationwide is pleased to support Farm Safety 4 Just Kids and the important work its volunteers do for so many farm families.”
The funds are “to support the organization’s efforts to keep rural kids and youth safe and healthy.” In partnership with Nationwide Agribusiness, the Nationwide Foundation pledged to contribute $120,000 to FS4JK through three years.
The Nationwide Foundation is an independent corporation. It receives funds from contributions from Nationwide companies. Since 1959, the foundation has “worked to positively affect the quality of life in communities where its associates, agents and their families live and work.”
The foundation is based in Columbus, Ohio, and is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com
The money it provided will assist FS4KL and its 136 chapters to conduct farm safety activities and distribute educational materials to more than one million rural children, youth and families each year.
The mission of FS4KL is to promote a safe farm environment to prevent health hazards, injuries and fatalities to children.
FS4KL came about after a terrible accident in the fall of 1986 when 11-year-old Keith Algreen suffocated in a gravity-flow wagon of shelled corn on his family farm. His mother, Marilyn Algreen, used the tragedy and grief with her family to begin a campaign to promote awareness by distributing danger decals for gravity-flow wagons.
Just one year later, in 1987, she founded FS4KL. The program relies on support from ag-related businesses such as Nationwide Agribusiness to strengthen and expand its volunteer network.
FS4JK is a nonprofit organization. Today, it produces and distributes educational materials on various farm health and safety topics.
For more information, call 800-423-5437 or visit www.fs4jk.org
This farm news was published in the Sept. 19, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
| 9/19/2007 |
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