Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
William Jennings Bryan once said “Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.”
In Peetz, “the city” and country are uniting.
One of the values of a small community is its family-like atmosphere. When there is a need, neighbors step up. They pull on the work boots and jacket, fill the donation jar at the cafe and start up the trucks and combines when a neighbor is ill.
This time, the help is in applying for a grant to help the Peetz School District.
The Monsanto corporation has a grant designed to help farmers help the communities they support. The “America’s Farmers Grow Communities” grant is sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. The grant gives farmers a chance to win $2,500 to be awarded to their favorite non-profit organization. Donations can be made to organizations such as 4-H, FFA, schools, fire departments or civic groups.
Dave and Tiffany Vallier submitted an application naming Peetz School as the recipient.
“We’re pretty fortunate to have people support us any way they can,” said Peetz School District Superintendent Mark Collard.
Tiffany Vallier said she found the notice of the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program on social media and decided to fill out an application. They received confirmation of the application, then of the grant award.
“It was pretty surprising,” she said.
She said the timing was appropriate as the school had just completed CPR training for the staff. Vallier said a school the size of Peetz needs at least two defibrillator unit and has one in place now. She said it was her husband David’s idea to apply for the grant. Collard describes the defibrillator as a self-contained unit that directs the user how to treat a patient, also known as an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). He said the only required training is done annually through CPR and First Aid classes. The AED will be purchased through the Peetz Volunteer Fire Department.
“It is a way we can help our community,” she said.
She said Peetz is one of 13 grant recipients in Colorado, and the only recipient in Logan County.
The Monsanto Fund has worked to improve people’s lives, providing sustainable assistance to communities in need. The Monsanto Fund has partnered with more than 6,000 schools and 12,000 organizations in 47 countries across six continents, according to the Monsanto Fund website.
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