2015 Give Back Program
Jeff Meiners and students from AFC and RTHS
$5,000.00 was up for grabs, and nine students from two local high schools were up for the challenge. In an effort to help students realize the importance of empathy and effective presentation skills, Crest Foods invited groups from Rochelle Township High School and AFC High School to participate in our 5th Annual Give Back Program. The main goals for students participating in this program have always been to understand empathy towards others and to effectively communicate that information through presentation, ultimately to win money for a local charity. For the past 4 years, the only school to participate has been AFC High School, and this year we decided to get a few more schools involved. Rochelle Township High School was eager to be included, and quickly formed a group of students made up of representatives from their Rotary Club, Key Club and Spanish Club to focus on the Rochelle Area Community Emergency Shelter (R.A.C.E.S.). Meanwhile, the FFA group at AFC High School put their efforts into a Grain Bin Rescue Tube for the Ashton and Franklin Grove Fire Departments. Both are great causes that not many in the room were aware of before the presentations on May 12th. In front of a group of about 15 Crest Foods managers, John Hilliker, Lexi and Lacy Meuer, and Addison Wetzel from AFC High School started things off by explaining what a grain bin rescue tube is and how it can be used to help victims in a potentially fatal situation. John, a member of the Franklin Grove Fire Department explained the danger that farmers face when they have to climb into grain bins. If engulfment occurs, a person can be buried in 11 seconds, which leads to suffocation once they are engulfed by grain. The grain bin tube aids in rescue during engulfment by forming a cylinder around the victim. Ropes are then tied around the victim, while rescuers remove grain from the tube with buckets or an auger with a drill. Once the grain level is reduced, the victim can be pulled out. The fire stations of Ashton and Franklin Grove don’t have a rescue tube, but in Franklin Grove alone there are about 100 grain bins. The AFC FFA felt strongly that this kind of device would be a benefit to both towns incase of an engulfment emergency. Next up, Adam Ricketts, Matt Potter, Bhavini Persaud, Yareli Tenorio and Yessenia Guevara spoke to the group about the Rochelle Area Community Emergency Shelter and the great impact that the money could make on this
22 Crest Ink July, August & September 2015
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