John Deere Canada presented a cheque for $10,000 to General Manager, Albert Witteveen of West Niagara Agricultural Society.
PRESS RELEASE
West Lincoln, ON – August 24, 2015 John Deere Canada presented a cheque for $10,000 to General Manager, Albert Witteveen of West Niagara Agricultural Society. The monies will help with the Raise the Barn, Grow the Community Fundraising Campaign in building the new West Niagara Agricultural Centre in Grassie, Ontario.
The new West Niagara Agricultural Centre project is well under way with some of the buildings nearing completion, paving complete and details being finalized to host the first West Niagara Fair at the new location taking place September 10th – 13th. This is a culmination of years of planning after the amalgamation of the Lincoln Agricultural Society and Smithville Agricultural Society to form the West Niagara Agricultural Society in 2012. The Richardson International Agricultural Hall and livestock building are almost ready for the fair. Work will continue at a fast pace until the week of the fair itself. The community hall is scheduled for completion in the Spring of 2016.
“We are excited to be able to offer the fair this year at the new facility at the corner of Mud and Mountain roads. Much of this has been made possible by the community support in donations and grants. We are extremely grateful for John Deere’s support in building this community venue and supporting rural-urban ag-education going forward”, said Albert Witteveen, General Manager of West Niagara Agricultural Centre.
Mike Blonski, President, John Deere Canada – ULC presents Albert Witteveen, General Manager of West Niagara Agricultural Centre with a $10,000 cheque toward the project inside the Richardson Agricultural Hall at the grounds. Photo by Debi Katsmar.
“The John Deere Foundation looks for community projects to support especially in communities with John Deere employees present. We have a strong focus on agriculture and community development” said Mike Blonski, President of John Deere Canada.
In March of 2014, the Raise the Barn, Grow the Community Fundraising Campaign was launched to help with costs associated with furniture, fixtures and equipment for the new facility. Grants and donations have been coming in steadily with a renewed interest from the community now that people can see the progress and realize the West Niagara Fair will take place at the new facility this year.