The Washington Apple Education Foundation held its annual meeting to elect and recognize officers and board members.

Laurie Knebusch was elected chairman of WAEF, replacing outgoing chairman Chris Willett.  Knebusch was elected to the board of directors in 2017.  At that time, she was the general manager at Cowiche Growers.  She has served in an officer capacity at WAEF for the last two years.

Chelan Fresh, Gebbers Farms and Apple House Warehouse & Storage Inc. made a donation for families in rural Washington. The Church of Christ building located at 128 Independence Street in Pateros, WA, will soon be purchased and renovated for a new child care and learning center. During a ceremony, the companies presented the Pateros Treehouse Early Education Organization with a check in the exact amount of $110,000. The companies made the donation after learning about the area’s extreme daycare shortage and the organization’s effort to help families.

Courtney Lane of Zirkle Fruit Co. is the Washington Apple Education Foundation Individual Volunteer of the Year.  Her recognition was announced last week at a company production meeting held in Selah, WA.  While the meeting was pre-planned, the interruption from WAEF with the special announcement occurred as a surprise to her.

CMI Orchards has been announced as the 2020 Washington Apple Education Foundation Volunteer Organization of the Year. Annually, the non-profit WAEF recognizes an organization for their efforts to make a difference through volunteerism.

In addition to financial support, 16 CMI Orchards staff members have volunteered with WAEF to support a variety of eight events and activities to further the mission of impacting lives through access to educational opportunities this year. CMI Orchards’ employee volunteer contributions include the following: