On Sunday, Naper Settlement hosted a ribbon cutting event for its new 4,000 square foot building, the Mary and Richard Benck Family Agriculture Center.
About the center
“This is going to serve two very important purposes, all about education. In this larger space, we are going to have a variety of exhibits that will be coming and going to talk about different parts of agriculture, everything from nutrition to transportation to economics, just a plethora. And then the back end of this area will be the STEM lab,” said Rena Tamayo-Calabrese, President at Naper Settlement.
In partnering with the Illinois Soybean Association, the STEM lab will be used to teach kids about STEM. Currently, there are 400 kids already registered to take classes with 2,100 spots still available.
The Benck family
The Mary and Richard Benck Family Agriculture Center also will serve as a place that recognizes the role that farming has played in Naperville’s history.
“This is the perfect place to to have this the center. When we look at Illinois in Naperville, our history, so many of our roots come right from the agrarian economy. Illinois grew into a state through farming. Naperville grew into a city through our farmers, through our family farmers. And recognizing our history is key,” said Illinois State Senator Laura Ellman.
The agriculture center is named after Mary and Richard Benck, two local residents that have had a long lasting agricultural impact on the community.
“Mary and Rich have been passionate supporters for the vision that we have. And not only that, but they have been mentors and they have been advisors. And of course they’ve also been advocates,” said Tamayo-Calabrese.
A special day
For Mary Benck, this was a big day for her.
“Well, it’s very special. My husband and I both grew up on our farms, and we are very familiar with what farm life is like and how important it is to our society,” said Mary Benck.
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