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April 02, 2009
“Helping Hand Award” Recognizes Exemplary Citizenship
LINCOLN, NE – Steve Schmit, an agricultural instructor and FFA advisor at Osceola High School, is the first Gary Scharf Helping Hand Award recipient, an award sponsored by the Nebraska FFA Foundation.
The newly established award recognizes a Nebraska agricultural instructor or FFA advisor for what he or she has done in helping others, specifically in the school and community, outside of agricultural education and FFA.
Nominations for Schmit were received from teachers in Osceola, parents of FFA members, school board members, current and former students and local FFA Alumni. The award presentation was made during an evening session of the Nebraska State FFA Convention in Lincoln, with many members of the Scharf family in attendance. Schmit was presented with a plaque and a $500 cash award from the Nebraska FFA Foundation.
Schmit was described by those who nominated him as very caring and diligent. “As a parent and school board member, I’ve never known a teacher to give so much of himself to others,” said Janet Neujahr, one of individuals who nominated Schmit.
Additional comments included:
- “Many times he is the first at school in the morning and the last to leave in the evening.”
- “He works with young people not just on their FFA projects, but with their Eagle Scout and 4-H projects.”
- “He is known as always being there for his students, even those that have graduated from high school and are off to college or working.”
- “If there is something going on in the community, Steve is there.”
“The recipient of this award is one who exemplifies the commitment, self-sacrifice and genuine kindness that defined Gary Scharf’s life, and Steve Schmit is a perfect choice,” said Keith Olsen, president of the Nebraska FFA Foundation.
Gary Scharf was a victim of an Omaha mall-shooting in December of 2007. He grew up on a family farm outside of Curtis, Neb., and worked in the agricultural chemical industry. He made significant contributions to Nebraska’s agricultural and FFA community through his years of service on the Nebraska FFA Foundation Board, including a year as Board president in 2002-03. Those who served with him recall that he was genuinely interested in people and always willing to help – two attributes that greatly benefited the FFA Foundation as the private fundraising arm for programs that support young men and women enrolled in Nebraska FFA programs.
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