Volunteerism pays off

摘要

Apple and cherry grower Jim Kelley gets a big kick out of donating his time -- from a Kawasaki Mule. Jim Kelley went from president of the Washington State Horticultural Association, to immediate past president, to winner of the big prize at the organization's 2001 show, a Kawasaki Mule. "I joked with the rest of the Hort Association Board that if you go through the chairs, you'll be eligible for some great prizes," says Kelley with a laugh. "Because you know, not everyone wants to volunteer." The Mule drawing -- which was, incidentally, conducted completely at random -- was sponsored in cooperation with the Hort Association by BASF and Western Fruit Grower. When Kelley was told he had won by several friends at the recent annual show in Wenatchee,he didn't believe them. That's the price you pay for being a prankster. "I pull a lot of people's legs," Kelley explains. "I figured people were joking. Besides, I've never won anything like this."