The foundation owes a great deal of thanks to our founding members as HYFA would not be where it is today without their foresight and passion for the next generation. One of those founding members, who led the charge to lay the groundwork in 2002 for today’s scholarship and leadership programs, was the late Robert D. Call. Bob and his wife, Dolores Call, Cushing, Okla., owned and operated CBY Polled Herefords and loved nothing more than supporting Hereford youth and watching them succeed.
In 2005, thanks to the generosity of Bob and Dolores, a scholarship in their name was endowed in HYFA. Since then, the CBY scholarship has been helping Hereford youth fund their college educations each fall. Dolores passed away last March, and with her passing, $125,000 was gifted from the Robert D. Call Trust to HYFA during this Season of Giving.
“HYFA has many fond memories of Bob and Dolores Call and this gift means so much to the future as we work together to carry on and honor the legacies that have built us. Bob taught me a lot about accounting and fundraising, and I still find myself going back to the Bob Call files as there is so much wisdom that he shared in his famous spreadsheets and fundraising plans,” said Amy Cowan, Director of Youth Activities and Foundation for the American Hereford Association (AHA).
In addition to serving as the first president of HYFA, Bob led the host committee in Oklahoma when the first Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) was held 25 years ago. “As we celebrate 25 years of the JNHE this summer, we will celebrate Bob and Dolores Call and all they meant to the beginning of HYFA and all that they mean to the generations to come.” Cowan added. Bob and Dolores were both active in the AHA and Bob served many years as the manager of the Oklahoma Hereford Association. He was inducted into the AHA Hall of Merit in 2010.
The final gift unwrapped during the Hereford Season of Giving was made possible by Grimmel Schaake Cattle Co., Manhattan, Kan. HYFA is so thankful for breeders like Shane Schaake and Melissa Grimmel-Schaake who recognize the impact that breed organizations had on their youth, and want to give back to continue that legacy. This gift goes towards an exciting new development for the senior showmanship contest at the Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE), and is in partnership with the Grand Drive to 25 campaign during the JNHE’s 25th anniversary celebration.
