WAEF Transition Pt 1
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. With just a few months left as executive director at the Washington Apple Education Foundation, Jennifer Witherbee has much to appreciate of her 20 years at the helm.
Witherbee says she’s loved working with the wonderful students and the outstanding volunteers … even during these more challenging times …
WITHERBEE … “And these last couple of years we haven’t had much face-to-face time with our donors and the loyalty has just been so strong. We’ve been so fortunate. Of course, we launched our Washington Apples license plates during the COVID time and are seeing lots of those vehicles on the road right now.”
And that kind of generosity, Witherbee says hasn’t slowed down, even with all that’s going on …
WITHERBEE … “Fundraising has continued to go well. You know, some of it looks different than what it’s been in the past, but that donor loyalty has just been so strong to WAEF and WAEF students. A lot of people reach out to us, you know, saying are things going okay and we just continue to be top of mind by, for a lot of people.”
All that, Witherbee says as the number of students that they get to help continues to grow …
WITHERBEE … “Isn’t it amazing. So, we have 350 students this year and they are sharing in just over a million dollars in scholarship support and then continuing to get lots of opportunities to interact with volunteers.”
Witherbee will stay on through the end of March to assist the board of directors with the search for a new executive director and ensure a smooth transition.
During Witherbee’s tenure at WAEF, scholarships granted grew from just under $100,000 to over $1 million awarded annually.
