Volunteer farmers raise $400,000 annually for Texas student scholarships
A 640-acre farmland donation in Gruver has helped nearly 300 students fund higher education through community-led farming.
Volunteer farmers in Gruver, Texas, are using harvests from 640 acres of donated land to raise approximately $400,000 a year for college scholarships, according to the Times of India.
The land was left to the Gruver Independent School District (ISD) in 1984 by Karl Nielsen, a Danish immigrant who lived in the town until his death at age 105.
The Gruver Farm Scholarship Foundation was established in 2012 after then-school superintendent David Teal and farmer Chad Logsdon discussed farming the land to support students. Local farmers volunteer their time, machinery, diesel, and labour to grow corn and wheat.
Since the foundation began awarding money in 2016, nearly $3 million has been distributed to approximately 300 students. Individual scholarship awards can reach about $40,000.
Students qualify through a points-based system involving grades, extracurricular activities, and community service. The programme also supports postgraduate studies for students and teachers within the district.
Gruver ISD superintendent Wade Callaway told Texas Standard that the initiative is about growing graduates and good neighbours.