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Colony Brands donates to BTC
Foundation gives $40K to ag fund
colony btc donation
John Baumann (Colony Brands Foundation President) presented Blackhawk Technical College with a donation check for $40,000 for the Fund for the Future of Agriculture program. From left, Dr. Tracy Pierner, (BTC President), Dustin Williams (BTC Agriculture Instructor), Baumann, and Lisa Hurda (BTC Foundation Director) in the BTC Ag Lab on the BTC Monroe Campus.

MONROE — Colony Brands Foundation of Monroe presented Blackhawk Technical College officials with a $40,000 donation to the Fund for the Future of Agriculture. The fund created by Jim and Therese Gratz and Fran and Sandy Donny aims to provide scholarship and program funding for BTC agriculture programs. The goal of the initiative is to attract and retain young people to agricultural professions.

“At Colony Brands Foundation, we want to do everything we can to create transformative, positive initiatives on a local basis,” said John Baumann, Colony Brands Foundation President. “The Fund for the Future of Agriculture is very forward-thinking and creates a lot of opportunities for local farmers and agriculture as a whole in this area.”

Headquartered in Monroe, Colony Brands believes in generously supporting their local communities; it is a part of their core values. Each year, Colony Brands, Inc. partners with over 350 different organizations to help build their communities through monetary donations and growth challenges. They proudly support worthy causes — from the arts to education, youth activities and community needs.

“This life-changing gift to the BTC Foundation will go directly to help students pursue an agricultural degree at Blackhawk. The generosity of Colony Brands will impact students for years to come,” said Lisa Hurda, BTC Foundation Director.

The Fund for the Future of Agriculture was founded to help make agriculture education possible for students in their region. Further, the fund will help train and retain professionals for the agriculture industry in south-central Wisconsin.

“This generous donation is just one example of Colony Brands commitment to our community,” said Dr. Tracy Pierner, President of Blackhawk Technical College. “They clearly understand the importance of a technical college education, and how our graduates fill essential positions in the workforce and contribute to the economic growth of our region.”

For more information about scholarship opportunities or to make a financial gift to the Fund for the Future of Agriculture at Blackhawk Technical College, contact the Blackhawk Foundation at 608-757-7704 or lhurda@blackhawk.edu.