Harrisburg – The Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania delivered a charge to stakeholders of Pennsylvania’s dairy industry during the Center for Dairy Excellence Annual Partners meeting on Dec. 4.
“We need to focus today on the future of our industry, or we may lose it tomorrow,” said Paula Meabon, a dairy farmer from Erie County who is chairing the foundation’s board of directors. “The Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania will bring much needed support to Pennsylvania’s dairy industry. It will help fund those youth and dairy farmer education programs that will keep our industry alive and growing in the future.”
The meeting was held in Harrisburg, Pa., and provided a review of the center’s work, a preview at a comprehensive “Dairy Futures Analysis” being conducted by the center and its research partners, and a look at what center foundation can offer for the future of dairy in Pennsylvania. Those in attendance included allies and partners of the Center for Dairy Excellence, as well as key leaders in Pennsylvania’s dairy industry. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett made a guest appearance during the event, and Secretary George Greig shared his vision for Pennsylvania’s dairy industry.
The Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania was established in 2010 as a charitable 501(c)(3) organization to support educational initiatives that grow and sustain the Pennsylvania dairy industry. The center foundation provides the opportunity for individuals and organizations to make tax-deductible contributions to support educational initiatives within Pennsylvania’s dairy industry.
“The center foundation will serve as a vehicle to invest in those programs that grow the state’s vibrant dairy industry, today and tomorrow,” Meabon told the group. “Our board of directors is made up of dairy producers, processors, and service providers. While each of us brings a different background and interest to the board, we share one common bond – seeing the next generation thrive and grow in Pennsylvania’s dairy industry.”
The center foundation was created to allow individuals and corporations to make a lasting impact on the future of Pennsylvania’s dairy industry and its individual dairy farm families. Priorities for the center foundation include youth development, continuing education, consumer outreach and market development.
Meabon encouraged those at the meeting to consider becoming a friend or partner of the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania. “We cannot accomplish our goal alone. We all need to work together, and that means investing our time and resources to ensure a bright future for our dairy industry.”
Contribution forms, along with informational brochures about the center foundation, can be requested from the Center for Dairy Excellence. Opportunities are still available to have contributions to the center foundation coincide with 2012 year-end giving plans. To learn more about the center foundation’s purpose and giving levels, contact Emily Yeiser, dairy initiatives manager, at 717-346-0849 or eyeiser@centerfordairyexcellence.org.
Source: The Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania