The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard about the new degree program in Agriculture at Richland Community College in Decatur, during their weekly meeting Tuesday at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.
Jess Smithers was hired as Director of Ag Programs at Richland 3 years ago, after a career working for various ag education programs. Smithers grew up on a crop and livestock farm near Pittsfield, Illinois, and also showed cattle which is children are now doing.
Smithers told Kiwanis members that Richland’s new Agriculture major offers a host of 2-year degrees in the ag industry, including ag business and crop production. He added that Richland also has an agreement with the University of Illinois so that graduates of Richland’s Ag degree program are guaranteed acceptance at the U-of-I.
He credits his many ag instructors at Lincoln Land Community College, as influencing him to teach agriculture himself in a community college.
Kiwanis meeting attendance awards were presented by Dick Wamsley at Tuesday’s meeting. Wamsley now has some 30 years of perfect attendance at Kiwanis meetings, while member Diane Beatty was honored for 12 years perfect attendance. Member Larry Kemner was honored for 8 years of perfect attendance at Kiwanis meetings, while Cliff Beatty was honored for 6, Will Perkins and Blain Cornwell for 5, Martin Vota for 4, and Adam Jeffrey for one year of perfect attendance at Kiwanis meetings.
Non-profit organizations are reminded that 11:59pm October 31st is the deadline for applications from non-profit community groups that want funded thru the Taylorville Kiwanis Club Foundation. The application can be found at the Taylorville Kiwanis Club’s Facebook page, or by e-mail’ing committee chair Randal J. Miller, whose e-mail address is rjm1955@gmail.com.
The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time. Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Moose Lodge. For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.
