Allenton, WI – It was the end of January 2024 when Curtis Nehm, 27, died in a tragic farm accident in Slinger, Wi. Today his family is working to keep his legacy alive raising money for a memorial scholarship.
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“We are working to keep Curtis’s agriculture legacy alive,” said Cheryl.
It was Saturday, January 27, 2024 when Nehm lost his life in a farming accident that left the community stunned. In the weeks following farm families gathered to heal and pay their respects. More than 100 tractors rolled down Railroad Street in Allenton generating strength in numbers during a time of heartache and loss.
Now, eight months later, hope rises again with a multifaceted scholarship to honor Nehm’s dedication to farming.
“The scholarship doesn’t have to go to school, it can help with someone who needs tools or if they want to start a farm,” said Cheryl. “I’m okay giving that money to buy a tractor or a cow. Curtis never went further than high school so if someone doesn’t want to go to school, that’s perfectly fine, and we’ll support them, the younger kids, any way we can.”
The donations to help fund the scholarship fall under a 501c3 non-profit. “It’s going through the Allenton Area Advancement Association and then transferred to the Greater West Bend Community Foundation, and they’ll handle the terms,” said Cheryl.
The goal is to award a broad scholarship, up to $3,000 annually.
Nehm was 15 years old when he picked up a job at Farmers’ Implement in Allenton. “He didn’t even have a driver’s license so his mom would have to drop him off,” said business owner Tim Kreilkamp.
Working behind the scenes Kreilkamp had difficulty launching the scholarship when the Allenton Area Advancement Association stepped up. “We were able to use that organization to collect the dollars to get to a $25,000 base level so we could pursue other opportunities with the foundations,” he said.
“Right now, we’re up around $60,000 and it was the Allenton Area Advancement Association that gave us a good start, tax free. At some point we will transfer the funds from the AAAA to the Greater West Bend Community Foundation. They will invest it and the Nehm family will decide where the interest from the money goes.”
One of the sidebar stories, came in the form of a donation from young Tucker Gehl. He’s the 10-year-old from the Addison Achievers who sold his 289-pound market hog during the Washington County Fair for a record $45 a pound.
“Tucker donated $500 to Curtis’s scholarship,” said Cheryl. “We thought it was super sweet and we want to thank everyone who donated.”
A recent brat fry by the Allenton Lions brought in a strong donation as well.
“It was crazy all the support,” said Cheryl. “I don’t think Curtis realized how many people he knew or how many lives he impacted.”
The Nehm family said it was Curtis’s work ethic that was really felt in the community. “He simply had such a passion for farming and helping people,” said Cheryl. “He wasn’t just there 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. So, for kids who are thinking, I love farming, but am I going to be able to make a career or a living at it? If we can just give them that encouragement that if Curtis did it, you can do it.
“It takes time and patience and money, but you just got to go with your passion.”
Donations for the Curtis Nehm Scholarship can be made out to the Allenton Area Advancement Association. Write Curtis Nehm in the memo. Checks can be dropped off at Farmers’ Implement, 525 Railroad Street, in Allenton.
Applications for the scholarship are expected to begin processing in 2025.
