CountryMark Builds Wall Panels for FFA, Habitat

When 50,000 blue-jacketed FFA members from across the nation converge on Indianapolis in October, the theme of the 81^st National Convention will be “Step Up, Stand Out.” Amidst the four-day rounds of motivational speakers, workshops, leadership training, awards presentations and fun, FFA’ers will also take the opportunity to “stand out and help your community” by building two Habitat for Humanity homes for deserving Hoosiers in central Indiana.

To help make that happen, on August 4 employees of CountryMark and their member cooperatives joined volunteers from Dow AgroSciences, Cargill, Kroger and the National FFA Organization for a work day at the National FFA Center in Indianapolis. During the day, volunteers constructed wall panels for FFA members to use on their Day of Service project in October. The panels will become walls in the future Habitat homes.

“When the National FFA Association and Habitat for Humanity called on us to help create a service project for FFA members attending the National Convention, it seemed like our kind of project,” said Jon Lantz, CountryMark Vice President of Marketing. “There will be a lot of Indiana chapters present, and we think the service project will plant some seeds that they can take back to their home communities, and hopefully get involved with Habitat for Humanity there. We’re glad we can be involved in a small way to help nurture those possibilities.”

Over 100 volunteers picked up a hammer to help on the project. Ken Klemme, Acting Director of the State Department of Agriculture, also dropped in to try his hand at carpentry.

With an ample supply of volunteers, workers achieved their goal and completed all the panels by the end of the day. Like Klemme, CountryMark system employees were glad to be of assistance.

“It really felt good to step out of the routine and do something different that will help a needy family in Indiana,” said Howard Jones, Vice President of Energy for Ceres Solutions. “Besides, it was kind of fun.”

Ron Pettet, North Central Co-op Petroleum Department Manager from Wabash, was also glad he volunteered.

“I really appreciate FFA’s emphasis on ‘living to serve.’ It’s a great organization that does a wonderful job of providing practical leadership skills and experiences, and I was pleased to be a part of this effort.”

The FFA National Convention will take place from Oct. 22 to 25 in Indianapolis. The main events will be centered in the Indianapolis Convention Center with tours and special events scheduled at other locations in central Indiana.

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About CountryMark: CountryMark is Indiana’s only American-owned oil refining and marketing company and it is recognized as a nationwide leader in the distribution of biofuels such as biodiesel and ethanol. In addition to its corporate offices in Indianapolis, it operates a refinery in Mount Vernon and terminal locations in Mount Vernon, Switz City, Jolietville, and Peru, Ind., as well as Henderson, Kentucky. Nineteen branded cooperatives distribute CountryMark fuel to every county in Indiana. In addition, these cooperatives operate 90 fuel stations located primarily in Indiana, but also in Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan.