KEARNEY – The Nebraska Safety Center at the University of Nebraska at Kearney received a $2,000 grant to provide 4-H ATV Rider Safety Training.
The grant is provided through Farm Credit Services of America’s Working Here Fund for Agriculture Education.
The Nebraska Safety Center will use the money to provide safety training for youth in agriculture and purchase age appropriate ATVs and safety helmets for training youth.
Classes soon will be scheduled for groups at the Safety Center’s driving range. The 3-hour training program teaches riders about safety, safety gear and how to safely handle an ATV.
“We want to provide training so youth who participate in agriculture production can learn how to safely operate ATVs and greatly lower the risk of them getting seriously injured,” said Mick Anderson, Nebraska Safety Center director.
“Even if only one or two youth are saved from a serious injury, the benefits will be enormous,” Anderson added. “We look forward to helping our youth become properly trained for ATV use on the farm/ranch setting through this program.”
The Nebraska Safety Center is one of 71 organizations to receive a Working Here Fund grant in the third quarter of 2014. FCSAmerica awarded $125,290 during the latest grant cycle that ended Sept. 30.
The highest rate of trauma-related injuries involving ATV accidents occurs in youth age 16 and under, according to CHI Health Good Samaritan hospital in Kearney.
“We feel it is very important the riders involved in agriculture production learn ATV safety at a young age,” said Ryan Kirchhoff, vice president of FCSAmerica’s Kearney office. “Supporting a program that provides in-depth knowledge of how to safely operate an ATV is a worthwhile investment.”
ABOUT WORKING HERE FUND
The Working Here Fund provides up to $2,000 each for projects and organizations that make a positive, long-term impact in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota or Wyoming in the areas of agriculture education, young and beginning producers, or hunger and nutrition programs. To complete an application, visit www.fcsamerica.com/workingherefund
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Writer: Todd Gottula, Director of Communications, 308.865.8454, gottulatm@unk.edu
Contact: Mick Anderson, andersonmd@unk.edu, 308.865.9393
