Ambassador Kelly Craft Establishes Forever Blue Fund to Benefit Glasgow and Barren County FFA Chapters

The Kentucky FFA Foundation announced that former U.S. Ambassador and Kentucky native Kelly Craft has made a 0,000 gift to the Kentucky FFA Foundation’s Forever Blue Endowment fund to benefit the Glasgow and Barren County FFA chapters in perpetuity.

The newly established fund is in honor of Craft’s father, Dr. B.A. Guilfoil, DVM. Dr. Guilfoil – or BA as he was known – grew up on a farm in Athens, Kentucky and was a farmer and veterinarian in Barren County for most of his career. His education was always centered around the farm and animals, starting with his active participation in FFA growing up to receiving his DVM at Auburn University. After graduating from Auburn, BA was commissioned in the US Army where he served as the relief veterinarian for the West Point mules. He is remembered as a gifted veterinarian who always had time for friends, family, and to make his community a better place to live.

The Foundation’s Forever Blue Program allows donors to create endowed funds that provide ongoing support for Kentucky FFA programs and/or local FFA chapters of their choosing. Contributions are invested, and a five percent portion of the fund is distributed annually. The annual distribution from Craft’s gift will be used by Glasgow and Barren County FFA chapters to benefit their students in whatever way is needed that year.

Craft served as U.S. Ambassador to Canada from 2017 to 2019 and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2019 to 2021. She is deeply committed to education, co-founding the Craft Academy of Excellence in Science and Mathematics at Morehead State University, serving on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, and founding the Craft Innovation Campus for the Glasgow-Barren County Boys and Girls Club, which will be home to the new Guilfoil Recreation Center.

“This gift from Ambassador Craft, in honor of her dad, will benefit local FFA members for generations,” said Sheldon McKinney, executive director of the Kentucky FFA Foundation. “It honors the agricultural heritage and legacy of Barren County, certainly including the farmers her dad served. But it’s a gift for the future, and a belief that agriculture and FFA make a difference in lives & communities. It’s an honor to work with Ambassador Craft, and to steward this gift for years to come. “

In advance of Kentucky FFA’s 100th anniversary in 2030, the Kentucky FFA Foundation is working to establish at least 100 Forever Blue endowments to support individual FFA chapters and statewide programs. For more information about the Forever Blue Endowment Program, contact Sheldon McKinney at sheldon.mckinney@kyffa.org.