Crosby’s win a win for SPI

February 25, 2011

BOOST FOR SPI ... A $2,500 gift was recently made to St. Peter-Immanuel Lutheran School of rural Decatur by a local farmer, Mike Crosby, who won that amount in a Monsanto-sponsored program. From left are, David Huhn, a Monsanto representative; Bonnie Crosby and husband Mike; Jim Fuelling, president of the SPI School Board; and John Weber, the school's principal. (Photo provided)

    A rural Decatur farmer, Mike Crosby, who recently became a winner in a program called America's Farmers Grow Communities (AFGC), designated that the $2,500 amount he won be turned over to St. Peter-Immanuel Lutheran School in northern Adams County.
    The AFGC program is sponsored by the Monsanto Fund to let farmers select nonprofit recipients for the money the farmers win, a news release said.
    Crosby said in the news release that he was happy to choose St. Peter-Immanuel School because it is "such a close-knit part of the community and we care deeply about it. With the economy like it is, any extra money is a big help. I'm happy to be able to contribute."
    He is a fourth-generation graduate of the school, which has students through eighth grade.
    John Weber, the school's principal, said the $2,500 will help the school improve its sound system, which is used for sports events, plays, etc.
    The AFGC program aims to provide more than $3 million in various states, the news release said. More than 60,000 farmers have taken part in the AFGC program.
    An announcement from Osborn and Barr Communications, a public relations firm that's promoting America's Farmers Grow Communities, said the program "is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund to highlight the important contributions farmers make every day to our society by helping them grow their local communities."