URBANA, Ill. — The Illinois FFA Foundation and Illinois 4-H Foundation will each receive donations of $60,000 from Dakota Access Pipeline, LLC. The funds will be used to benefit local youth in the 12 Illinois counties the pipeline traverses, as well as those across the state through conference sponsorships and curriculum support. The foundations are hosting a joint check presentation Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Jacksonville High School, 1211 North Diamond St., Jacksonville.
Dakota Access is giving each organization $5,000 per county the pipeline traverses, totaling $60,000 across 12 counties in Illinois, including Adams, Hancock, Schuyler, Brown, Pike, Scott, Morgan, Macoupin, Montgomery, Fayette, Bond, and Marion counties. In an effort to support youth programs in counties along the entire four-state pipeline route, Dakota Access will be making similar donations in North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa totaling more than $400,000.
“Illinois 4-H empowers and prepares Illinois youth for success by providing opportunities where they learn, practice, and demonstrate skills needed for home, career, and global citizenship,” says Angie Barnard, Illinois 4-H Foundation Executive Director. “We are very appreciative of Dakota Access supporting the future of Illinois through its youth and we look forward to seeing the 12 counties put the funds toward new and creative ideas related to science, hands-on education and learning.”
“Illinois FFA and its 17,307 members are overjoyed to receive this grant from Dakota Access. This grant will provide countless opportunities at the local and state level for members to develop their leadership skills and prepare for their futures,” says Katie Burns, Illinois FFA Foundation, Communications Specialist.
— Judy Mae Bingman, Media Communications Specialist, University of Illinois Extension
For more news from Illinois, click here.