Cenex® brand awards Hometown Pride grant to support rural families
The Kids Academy Daycare Center fills an essential gap in the Berthold, N.D., community, providing safe supervision and hands-on learning for children.
Kids Academy Daycare Center, a nonprofit based in Berthold, N.D., has been selected as the next recipient of a $25,000 Hometown Pride grant, presented by the Cenex® brand and Farmers Union Oil Company of Berthold in Berthold, N.D.
The center was nominated by Farmers Union Oil Company of Berthold for its dedication to providing working parents with access to essential childcare services in the community.
The center was founded in 2012, when all three of Berthold’s local daycare centers closed. Concerned citizens, business leaders and parents took action to fill the need for local childcare.
Initially, the center began operations at the local church. Just one year after starting the nonprofit, a group of committed, determined parents and community members raised funds for the Kids Academy Daycare Center building and have been operating there ever since.
“Our community has struggled to keep sufficient childcare, something we consider to be a basic necessity every community should have,” says Seth Gravesen, treasurer and board member of the Kids Academy Daycare Center. “We are beyond appreciative to have the support of Farmers Union Oil Company of Berthold and the Cenex brand as we continue to maintain this service for our community.”
With the next closest childcare center nearly 30 miles away, the Kids Academy Daycare Center keeps its community bonded by allowing parents to live and work comfortably in Berthold, knowing their children are safe and cared for during the day.
The center’s team also prioritizes enrichment and education, offering interactive opportunities for children to learn, including lessons in its outdoor gardens. Children learn to plant, tend to their seedlings and see how they grow.
With the Hometown Pride grant, the Kids Academy Daycare Center will be able to build a new awning to protect its outdoor gardens and ensure the success of its gardening lessons.
“We are very grateful for the essential resource the Kids Academy has given Berthold for the past 10 years,” says Andy Fjeldahl, general manager of Farmers Union Oil Company of Berthold. “It is a good feeling to be able to contribute to a dire need within our community and to have a partner like Cenex who truly cares about giving back to our local towns.”
To date, Cenex has invested over $475,000 into local organizations across its footprint since the Hometown Pride grant initiative was founded in 2019. Each grant is $25,000 and allows Cenex to uplift philanthropic initiatives in local communities.
“We are proud to say that through our network of dealers, we are able to continuously make a meaningful impact within local communities,” says Sarah Haugen, marketing communications director at CHS. “By investing in local organizations like the Kids Academy Daycare Center, the Cenex brand remains devoted to the Hometown Pride initiative and its mission of building, maintaining and preserving strong communities.”