There’s a cornfield in the distance that separates Monroe farmer Michael Majors’ home from his beloved old Monroe High School.
But this summer the Major and his brothers came up with a new way to turn some of their farm crops into a bridge of generosity, closing that gap and helping the football program that once he was in it.
The family farm business has designated five acres of sweet corn for sale with the proceeds going to local schools.
Their late summer harvest street stand sales raised $20,000 for Monroe Schools and the community’s youth football, cheerleading and high school football program.
The former Monroe High School football star, Majors played linebacker on the 2006 Hornets team that reached the state semifinals, is happy with the first-time experiment and plans to dedicate more wheat crop areas next year for the cause.
“The Monroe football program has been a big part of our family,” Majors said. “So we decided to start giving back to the school community.”
“We wanted to be good neighbors and continue to be good neighbors in the community,” he said as he took a break from his day job at the high-profile farm just off Ohio 63 in Monroe, about a quarter mile from the central campus of the school system for grades 4 -12.
“And we had a very good turnout with the community and everyone came out,” he said of the sweetcorn stand on the street.
“We had several days where we sold corn and had to go back … and pick more.”
Monroe High School football Coach Bob Mullins said he and other schools supporters are grateful for the unique financial crop — and literally raised from the bottom — shared by the Majors family.
“The Major’s farm was a staple in the Monroe community and all the Major’s children came from Monroe (schools) and there is a long history there. And it means a lot that Monroe High School has produced those kinds of people and that they want to give back to our community in that way,” Mullins said.
The Majors “are home grown and are Monroe people (with) a family run business that wants to do something for kids and it’s really special.”
Monroe Superintendent Robert Buskirk echoed his coach, saying: “We are grateful for the level of support we receive from our local business partners and especially grateful for this contribution from the Majors family. “
“As Monroe alumni, they are always looking for ways to give back to the school community and continue to be strong supporters of our students and staff. We greatly appreciate their donation to our high school and youth football programs and look forward to putting it to good use,” said Buskirk.
Michael Clark has covered Greater Cincinnati’s northern K-12 schools for more than two decades. Schools – whether public or private or post-secondary – are often the centerpiece of communities. This is especially true for Ohio’s Butler and southern Warren counties, two of the most populous and fastest growing areas in the state.
