OTISVILLE, N.Y. — Over 150 guests attended the 3rd annual ‘Bountiful Harvest’ fundraising dinner and ‘Celebrity Cow Milking Contest’ on September 16, 2017 in support of Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County’s Education Center & 4-H Park Capital Campaign. The Education Center & 4-H Park is located at 300 Finchville Turnpike in Otisville, NY. When completed, it will be a regional state-of-art education, exhibition and outreach facility, geared toward human development opportunities and cutting edge agricultural programs.
“The ‘Celebrity Cow Milking Contest’, which took place on the grounds of the new Education Center & 4-H Park lent itself beautifully to an autumn evening of good old fashioned fun.” said Lucy Joyce, Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County. Guests were also treated to a horse and wagon ride through the property and a scrumptious meal prepared by a local Goshen restaurant, Catherine’s.
“We are extremely grateful to Burke, Miele & Golden, LLP, Goshen, NY, for their lead sponsorship, and to all of the many businesses and individuals who helped us raise $50,000 for the new Education Center & 4-H Park”, Ms. Joyce said.
Volunteers Andrea Nilon and Robin White co-chaired the event for the third year in a row. This year’s ‘Celebrity Cow Milkers’ were: Michael Gilfeather, President & CEO of Orange Bank & Trust; Michael Horodyski, President & CEO of Walkill Valley Savings & Loan; Maggie Smith, President & CEO of First Federal Savings of Middletown; and Derrik Wynkoop, President & CEO of Walden Savings Bank. Collectively, they brought in cow milking pledges totaling over $18,000.
“As we got closer to the event, the competition for who would bring in the most pledges increased tremendously,” said Joyce, “This group really put their hearts into helping us exceed our fundraising goal.” Michael Hosking, of Gold Bar Holsteins, Middletown, NY, provided the cows for milking, as well as milking lessons for the bank presidents prior to the event.
To view pictures and to find out more about the ‘Bountiful Harvest’ fundraiser, visit www.cceorangecounty.org. For more information about Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County or the new Education Center & 4-H Park Capital Campaign, contact Kathi Webber at kw389@cornell.edu.
About Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County:
For over 100 years, Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County has been making a difference in the lives of residents by utilizing the research-based resources of Cornell University to positively affect Agriculture, Families and Youth, Environment, and Economic Development in Orange County.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County
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