Will County Farm Bureau Foundation Board Meets
The Will County Farm Bureau Foundation met at 9 am on Tuesday, Feb. 6, with the following members present: Lyle Tewes, Jim Robbins, Debbie Werner, Rita Luedtke, Kris Mulderink, Henry Meader and Mark Schneidewind, Farm Bureau manager.
A motion was made by Rita Luedtke and seconded by Kris Mulderink to approve Henry Meader as a new board member to replace Diane Tordai, and the motion passed.
Lyle then reviewed the financial statements with the board and asked Mark to make a few comments on the audited statements for the 2022-23 fiscal year. They then reviewed the current year’s financials, and a few questions were answered.
Lyle then reviewed the online auction, live auction, raffles and annual meeting. He thanked everyone for their hard work, and the afghan raised $975, which was a record. They had the final figures come in at $27,460, which was the second highest amount raised, but only about $200 below the highest. We could possibly beat it, as people may give more cash donations as they are picking up their auction items. The pickup started yesterday, and it is going well. The group thanked Sharon for all her work and Dakota for the online work for the auction. They decided not to do a live auction in 2025 and that they would keep the online auction. They reviewed the details of the online auction, and over 100 bids were made in the last hour, with 10 new people bidding.
They reviewed the 2024 scholarships, and Lyle reported that 6 college and 1 freshman application(s) have been already turned in, as the deadline is March 4. They will provide 54 total scholarships each at $1,500 with 26 being freshmen, 26 higher education and 2 ag education ones. The online application is working well currently, and with the Jerry Davidson Family Trust, we will be increasing this amount to $2,000 in 2025. Debbie reported that Tractors for a Cure will be providing two $1,500 scholarships this year to us in memory of Lorraine Davidson and the other in memory of Jerry Davidson, and in 2025 $2,000 for both scholarships. These scholarships must be for a medical background, per the bylaws of Tractors for a Cure.
The board held the election of officers for the 2024 fiscal year, and they are as follows: Lyle Tewes, President; Kris Mulderink, Vice President; Debbie Werner, Secretary; and Jim Robbins Treasurer. A motion was made by Rita Luedtke and seconded by Henry Meader to approve these officers for the 2024 year and to send this on to the Farm Bureau Board for their approval next week, and the motion carried.
Lyle then turned over the meeting to guest Ed Dollinger from Edward Jones Investments, as he was to review the two Foundation accounts we currently have, and a proposed 3rd account, which would keep the estates separate.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 26, at 9 a.m. to review judging results.