Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Craft speaks to a crowd gathered on the north side of the public square in her hometown of Glasgow on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Melinda J. Overstreet/Glasgow News 1
STAFF REPORT
Glasgow News 1
Kelly Craft, a former U.S. ambassador and Kentucky native, has made a $100,000 gift to the Kentucky FFA Foundation to support agricultural education in Barren County.
According to the Kentucky FFA Foundation, the donation creates a Forever Blue Endowment fund that will benefit the Glasgow and Barren County FFA chapters in perpetuity.
The newly established endowment is in honor of Craft’s father, Dr. B.A. Guilfoil, a farmer and veterinarian who spent most of his career serving Barren County.
Known locally as BA, Dr. Guilfoil grew up on a farm in Athens, Kentucky, and built a life centered around agriculture and animal care.
His path included active participation in FFA as a student and earning his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Auburn University before serving in the U.S. Army as the relief veterinarian for the West Point mules.
The Kentucky FFA Foundation says the Forever Blue program allows donors to create endowed funds that provide ongoing support for state and local FFA programs of their choosing.
Contributions are invested, and five percent of each fund is distributed annually.
Foundation leaders say the annual distribution from Craft’s gift will go to the Glasgow and Barren County FFA chapters and can be used each year in whatever way is most needed to benefit students.
Craft’s donation continues her long record of involvement in education and youth programs across Kentucky.
She previously served as U.S. ambassador to Canada from 2017 to 2019 and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2019 to 2021.
In addition to her diplomatic roles, Craft co-founded the Craft Academy of Excellence in Science and Mathematics at Morehead State University and serves on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees.
She also founded the Craft Innovation Campus for the Glasgow-Barren County Boys and Girls Club, which will house the new Guilfoil Recreation Center.
Kentucky FFA Foundation Executive Director Sheldon McKinney said this latest gift will support local FFA members “for generations” and honors both the agricultural heritage of Barren County and the farmers Dr. Guilfoil served.
McKinney said the donation is also a statement about the future, reflecting a belief that agriculture and FFA programs make a lasting difference in lives and communities.
In advance of Kentucky FFA’s 100th anniversary in 2030, the Foundation is working to establish at least 100 Forever Blue endowments to support individual chapters and statewide programs.
Officials say Craft’s gift moves that effort forward while creating a permanent source of support for FFA students in Glasgow and Barren County.
Key Facts
– Kentucky FFA Foundation announces a $100,000 gift from former U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft
– The money creates a Forever Blue Endowment for Glasgow and Barren County FFA chapters
– The fund honors Craft’s father, longtime Barren County veterinarian Dr. B.A. Guilfoil
– Five percent of the endowment will be distributed annually to benefit local FFA students
– The gift supports Kentucky FFA’s goal of establishing at least 100 Forever Blue endowments by 2030
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