US: UnitedAg awards record $117,000 in college scholarships

UnitedAg, a member-owned agricultural trade association representing more than 650 organizations in California and Arizona, has awarded a record $117,000 in college scholarships to 58 children and one spouse from its member-affiliated agricultural families statewide. Provided through UnitedAg’s Agribusiness Education Foundation (AEF), the 2017 awards raise the organization’s historical scholarship total to over $1.3 million since AEF was founded in 2000. To date, 719 agricultural family members have received UnitedAg’s assistance in achieving their educational goals and aspirations. Previous UnitedAg scholarship winners have earned degrees and taken their place in management, government, market development and foreign trade, with many working in agribusiness.

“UnitedAg created the Agribusiness Education Foundation with the conviction that supporting the higher-education aspirations of our members, their employees and their families helps ensure a brighter and stronger future for the agricultural industry, and our society as a whole,” said Anthony Vollering, Chairman of the UnitedAg Board of Directors. “We’re proud of our contributions to the education and lives of the hundreds of students we’ve supported over the years and of the excellence and commitment demonstrated by this year’s record-high 59 scholarship recipients.”

Based on both merit and need, this year’s scholarship awards range in amount from $500 per individual to $8,000 for this year’s recipient of the Maurice McMillan Scholarship, Katherine Miller, whose UnitedAg affiliation is with the Saticoy Lemon Association in Santa Paula. The scholarship funds are for use during the 2017-2018 academic year.

The 2017 UnitedAg scholarship recipients will be honored during luncheon ceremonies across California, June 13, in Orcutt, June 14 in Oxnard, June 15 in Salinas, and June 21 in Fresno.

Click here for a list of scholarship recipients.

The primary sources of fundraising for the UnitedAg scholarships are the AEF’s Annual Golf Tournament, Walkathon and Silent Auction, as well as individual donations of cash and gifts-in-kind for use in the Silent Auction. To learn more about the scholarship program or to give a gift-in-kind for use in the Silent Auction, visit www.unitedag.org/education-and-youth/give-your-support/ or call (800) 223-4590. To make a cash donation online, visit www.unitedag.org/donate/.