Communities around the world have felt the effects of COVID-19 in various ways. Many businesses have closed temporarily, while others have closed permanently. Families everywhere are struggling to pay their bills and essential workers are risking their health and safety to serve our communities.
The virus has also affected our youth, as proms and graduations have been postponed. Additionally, state fairs and rodeos were cancelled to control the spread of the virus. For many agriculture students, this was emotionally and financially devastating. Students who have invested in and raised show animals for months are now unable to show or sell their animals.
For many of us at Springwood Marketing, this hits close to home. Our Founder and President, Ashley Easterwood, raised many 4-H animals throughout her youth, and served in various 4-H leadership roles, that eventually helped pay for college through the sale of those animals and receipt of multiple 4-H affiliated scholarships. Therefore, we wanted to respond to the burden and disappointment that thousands of youth faced when being told they could not show their animals.
In an effort to show our gratitude to the organization that did so much to mold Easterwood’s character, leadership, determination, time management, and more, Springwood made several donations to area youth’s livestock auctions.
Springwood continues to support youth throughout this pandemic so students may continue to work, learn, and contribute to their higher education aspirations. We hope this setback, paired with the efforts that many community members and businesses have made to show their work was not at a loss, will only inspire the youth to stay tough during struggles and form a foundation to persevere in years to come.