By Susie Hovater Malone

The GFWC Book Lovers Study Club is continuing its two-year project celebrating “everyday heroes.” GFWC Alabama state president Jan Greer selected “everyday heroes” as her president’s project. For the past year, many Alabama Federated Clubs have been honoring their local heroes, including firefighters, first response employees, veterans, teachers, nurses and others.

Book Lovers celebrated farmers as September’s “everyday hero.”

The guest speaker was Caleb Beason, agriscience teacher at Phil Campbell High School and sponsor of Future Farmers of America. He is a first-generation cattle producer with his operation, Star B Cattle, located in Franklin County.

Recently, Caleb was selected as one of the top four Alabama Young Farmers by the Farmers Federation Farm and Land Expo in Mobile. He is involved in community organizations and served as the 2019-2020 Franklin County Cattlemen’s president.

His presentation highlighted the importance of advocating for agriculture farming, the largest employer in the world. He stated more than 90 percent of United States farmers and ranchers are family owned and operated; however, less than 2 percent of the U.S. population is involved in the agriculture production, though we all are consumers.

The meeting took place at the Franklin County Extension meeting room. Katerina Cole-Coffey welcomed everyone and shared some of the services available through the Extension service. Each member received printouts of the September Alabama Gardener’s Calendar; Agritourism; Farm-City Program; Caring for Chrysanthemums; and an insulated cooler bag.

President Brenda Oliver distributed the club’s yearbook to each member to review the programs and projects planned for the upcoming year. Cheri McCain and I served as hostesses.

Minutes from the meetings in April and May were approved. Members were encouraged to participate in the GFWC National Day of Service to End Food Insecurity which will be held Sept. 30.

Details of the GFWC Southern Region meeting to be held October 26-29 in Biloxi, Miss., were discussed. GFWC Book Lovers Study Club Brenda Oliver, Cheri McCain, Gayle McAlister and I will represent. I was Alabama’s State GFWC Jennie Award recipient, which qualified me for the nominee of the GFWC Southern Region, which is composed of six states.

The winner of the GFWC Southern Region will advance to the National Jennie Award Contest, which is the highest national honor bestowed by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. This award is named in honor of GFWC’s founder, Jane Cunningham Croly, who wrote for national newspapers under the pseudonym “Jeannie June.”

A donation was presented to Caleb Beason for the Phil Campbell High School Future Farmers of America officers who will be attending the National FFA Conference in Indianapolis this November.

The meeting adjourned with the reading of the club’s Collect.