CHICAGO – Beth Gehrke, of Kane County, Jon and Kim Chamberlain who volunteer in Henry and Rock Island counties, and Jacque Cullison of Edwards County, were presented the 2018 Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) Volunteer of the Year Award. The award was presented during Illinois Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in Chicago Dec. 1-4.

Beth Gehrke, of Elgin, is active on the AITC advisory committee and has been for more than 15 years. Each year, Gehrke plays a part in impacting nearly 20,000 students, teachers and community members through the Kane County Ag Days, SPROUTS third grade program, Summer Ag Institute and Touch a Tractor program. 

Jon and Kim Chamberlain, who reside in Henry County, have been involved in Henry and Rock Island AITC programs for more than 13 years. Beginning with Young Leader classroom presentations, the Chamberlain’s passion for agriculture branched out to presenting at the annual AgXperience and now includes hosting multiple Henry County preschool and elementary classrooms on their farm to show their love of agriculture.

Jacque Cullison, from Albion, has been involved with the Edward County Farm Bureau AITC program for more than 10 years. She has served as an advocate for agriculture at the Autumn Adventure, Field Trips to Beall Woods, County Safety and Conservation Days, as well as coordinator of tree and pollinator plantings across Edwards County. She is a nine-year member of the Edwards County Advisory Council and her work the Department of Natural Resources continues to make an impact on agriculture. 

The Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom Volunteer of the Year award recognizes county volunteers who have done an outstanding job with Agriculture in the Classroom and agriculture literacy efforts. Since 1983, 94 individuals have been recognized for contributions to agriculture literacy.