Beginning in November, the WROF, Inc Board of Directors will be adding two new members.   The Board represents leaders from across Wisconsin who value strategically investing in educational opportunities for rural Wisconsin students.Over $6 million has been awarded to more than 5000 bright, talented Wisconsin students.  Past WROF Scholarship recipients are encouraged to consider serving on the board. For more information, or to submit your name to the Nominations Committee, please contact Jim Caldwell, WROF President, at 262-473-1400, [email protected] or Marcy Heim, at 608-772-6777, [email protected].)  

Once a year, 4-H'ers in grades 7-10 are invited to Madison to experience a week of daytime seminars and keynote speakers designed to help them strengthen their communication and leadership skills. On June 24, 2013, more than 400 youth and adult leaders came together at the 93rd Annual Wisconsin 4-H & Youth Conference on the UW-Madison campus to learn new skills to share with their 4-H programs and communities at home. 

In addition to the usual range of seminars about radio and video production, public speaking, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and agriculture, everyone attending Youth Conference is required to spend the morning of Tuesday, June 25 engaged in service learning. Groups learned about food security while working in community gardens and food pantries, helped conserve Wisconsin's natural resources by clearing out invasive species and re-establishing native plants at the UW-Madison Arboretum and Lakeshore Nature Preserve, and more.

Wisconsin 4-H & Youth Conference is also a chance for the State 4-H leadership teams to meet; Wisconsin 4-H Youth Leader Council, Drama Company, Showcase Singers, Art Team and Press Team all arrived in Madison several days early and helped get the conference off to a great start. For more information on the Wisconsin 4-H & Youth Conference, visit http://www.uwex.edu/ces/4h/events/youthconf/index.cfm.

To "turn on a dime" is usually an expression you hear when referring to high performance cars or boats.   Since a dime is the smallest U.S. coin, the ability to "turn on it" is a figure of speech meaning you can change direction very quickly in a very small space.

Circumstances impacting rural Wisconsin can also change course very quickly.

The WROF, Inc. Board of Directors keeps abreast of the most pressing needs of rural Wisconsin.   Through our network of former award recipients, donors, educational institution partners and agricultural business and organization leaders we discover new ways to help.

Each year, the Board of Directors determines the numbers and amounts of awards to be presented to more than 30 educational institutions to best serve the needs of rural Wisconsin. We can "turn on a dime' to laser focus support where it will have the most impact.  

UW Veterinary School Dean, Daryl Buss and farmers across the state shared that more large animal veterinarians were needed in Wisconsin. Many of our graduating veterinarians were leaving the state.  In response, the WROF, Inc. established the WROF Veterinary Loan Program. Graduating students compete for loans of $12,500 and, if they continue to practice in large animal work in Wisconsin, the repayment is reduced for every year they practice here.  Competition is fierce and we are keeping some great young talent right here in rural Wisconsin. 

Remembering the WROF, Inc. in your will, or making a gift outright, makes a difference to a student now....and helps us continue to "turn on a dime" to foster the vibrancy and vitality of rural Wisconsin.

To invest in the WROF, Inc. please give me a call at 608-772-6777 or via email at [email protected].  We'd be honored to have you join our family of supporters.