06/23/06 Apple Grants Awarded

Apple grants awarded. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. The Washington Apple Education Foundation (WAEF) awarded seven grants this spring to programs assisting farmworkers and farmworker families succeed scholastically. Jennifer Witherbee is the executive director of WAEF and she explains how the grants are awarded. WITHERBEE: We have a committee that reviews the applications and what they are looking for are programs that are going to help kids stay in school, to keep kids engaged in learning. Developing some avenues that compliment the children's and parents schedules, before school, after school, during the summer programs, figuring out ways that through these programs we can help parents feel more comfortable getting involved with their kids school because that makes a big difference to the students progress. The grant monies come from various sources as Witherbee tells us. WITHERBEE: This year we received funding from the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, Wells Fargo Bank, U.S. Bancorp Foundation and the Paul Lauzier Foundation and also from the Jim Matson Memorial Fund. And then we also allocate money every year from our unrestricted funds. The funds we generate at our golf tournament and during the raffle at the Washington State Horticultural Association annual meeting and other activities we do throughout the year. The application process is underway for the 2007 grants. WITHERBEE: We have those applications through our website, www.waef.org that anyone can download and review. And we're happy to answer questions from applicants. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.