Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Pat Daninger was a typical Forest Lake kid 24 years ago when he finished high school and went off to college. He enjoyed sports, numerous school activities and life in Forest Lake on the family farm south of town. He also understood a college education was vital to his future.

Daninger, now 42, made the college run in four years, married and returned to his family roots to take over the Daninger dairy farm, a family operation that has more than 100 years of history in Forest Lake.

ìI farmed and went to school (college) at the same time,î Daninger said. ìI graduated without any student loans. I donít know if that can happen today.î

Daninger, a solidly built but soft spoken man, speaks respectfully of his college days at the University of Minnesota in Waseca where he spent his first year and the final three years at the University in St. Paul where he earned a degree in animal science.

His college experience wouldnít have happened quite as easily without scholarship help, Daninger said, thinking back on his college days from 1981-1985.

When he marched off to college that first fall, Daninger was armed with a $500 scholarship awarded by the local Community Scholarship Foundation that had formed in 1973. It was one of two scholarships the Forest Lake senior had received.

ìThey took care of most of my first quarter expenses,î he said. ìIt was a nice boost.î

In the years since high school, Daninger has continued to appreciate the efforts of the CSF effort and the help it gives to deserving students who, like him two decades earlier, needed a boost to begin their college education.

In 1981, Daninger was one of 11 seniors who shared in the total scholarship fund of $5500 that was raised through community donations.

2005 CSF plans

This year the CSF board hopes to secure a record scholarship money pot for distribution to deserving students.

The spring fund-raising drive is now in full swing. CSFís goal this year is $50,000, nearly 10 times the amount distributed in 1981 when Pat Daninger graduated high school.

In 2004 the local scholarship committee raised and distributed $40,000 in financial aid to residents of ISD 831. Since organizing in 1973, CSF has awarded some $500,000 to local students.

Dick Gross, CSF president, said a mass mailing has gone out to businesses and organizations in the school district seeking financial support. As the school district area continues to grow, Gross said CSF hopes to attract more donations from private residents who recognize the value of higher education and support worthwhile efforts.

ìEven though CSF has been around a long time, some people say they didnít know we existed,î Gross said in a letter to community members. ìSo I am asking you to let your friends and neighbors know that you support us and please encourage them to do the same.

ìThere is much satisfaction in knowing you have helped someone attain educational goals. Act promptly and we can begin our process of selecting worthy recipients.î

A success story

Pat Daninger is a good example of a success story made possible in part by CSF.

One of six children of Mike and Florence Daninger, Pat Daninger knew early in life that he one day wanted to return to the family farm where he spent his youth working.

He joined the family operation upon his return to school in the Twin Cities in 1982, working 30-40 hours a week on the farm while attending school. He earned his college degree in four years and has been in charge of the farm since that time.

The degree was important, he said, as it provided an insurance policy in the event the move to farming would not work out. ìIt also broadens your horizon so much,î he says of college.

The Daninger homestead has been Pat and Sharleneís home since 1988. She is from Fountain, MN and they met through FFA activities and married in 1986. They have four children ranging in age from 15 to 9.

ìEveryone who lives here works here,î Daninger said, surveying the 260-acre operation. The Daningers milk 60 Holstein cows and have 130 animals in the herd.

The farm has 110 acres of managed pasture land with the balance in cultivation for corn, alfalfa and barley that is used for feed for the dairy herd.

Daninger continues to log long days on the family farm but takes stock in his past. Small things like a $500 CSF award 24 years ago still means a lot, he said.

As small business owners and a family that appreciates the value of CSF, the Daningers have made past donations to the yearly fund-raising drive.

ìItís definitely a positive program and it is neat to see the community support its young people. I am appreciative to the donors who gave so I could benefit.î

The help CSF gave Daninger in 1981 played a small but important part in his life goals to live and work on the farm.

ìWe wanted to raise a Christian family on the farm,î Daninger said. ìWe are fortunate to be able to do that.î

How to Help

Hereís how the public can help the 2005 Community Scholarship Foundation fund-raising drive.

Tax deductible donations may be mailed to Community Scholarship Foundation, c/o Student Services Department, Forest Lake High School, 6101 Scandia Trail N., Forest Lake, MN 55025.

For more information, visit www.ForestLakeCSF.org.

The Community Scholarship Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. All funds raised in the annual drive go directly to student scholarships.

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Forest Lake Times
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880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
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