Copyright Austin Daily Herald
On Nov. 2, 4-H families and supporters gathered to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of the past 4-H year. Members were recognized for their projects, learning, and leadership. Award recipients include: Friend of 4-H: Don Smith and Hormel Foods The Friend of 4-H award is given to an individual and a business who supports Mower County 4-H by giving their time, talents, and resources. Don Smith is a master gardener and spends many hours helping youth learn about gardening through our Junior Master Gardener program. He also helps clubs landscape around the 4-H Building at the Mower County Fairgrounds, making sure that it is well maintained and looks pretty. Don is always supportive of the 4-H program and 4-H youth. Hormel Foods has been a long supporter of 4-H by sponsoring county fair awards, purchasing ribbons at the Ribbon Auction, and donating items for the 4-H Food Stand at the County Fair. Outstanding 4-H Volunteer: Paul Jenkins This award recognizes a 4-H volunteer who has gone above and beyond for Mower County 4-H. Jenkins has volunteered countless hours to many 4-H youth and adults to help grow the Mower County 4-H Shooting Sports and Wildlife program. Jenkins was described as having a wealth of knowledge, and is always willing to help someone become better, as well as always being willing to show up to help, yet never needing credit. He is always giving praise and affirmation to those he is with, and those he is coaching. Every 4-H Shooting Sports participant loves and respects Paul. Deb Schammel Grow Green Award: Marissa Shute and Haylie Meyer This award is given to a 4-H member who has demonstrated growth and knowledge in the gardening project area. This year’s winners are Marissa Shute and Haylie Meyer Shute’s gardening projects this year consisted of various indoor and outdoor plants that she selected from her gardens. She enjoys gardening as it is something to do with family and it provides a way to enjoy the beauty of nature. Meyer’s gardening project this year was a record book of all the things she did related to her gardening, including planting, sprouting, harvesting dates, watering schedules and compost care. Meyer plans on taking what she learned through her record book and applying it to her garden to improve her garden. She started gardening when she was little and has found it to be a good stress reliever. Knowledge Gained Through the Clothing Project: Lillya Mittag, Amy Smith, Haylie Meyer, and Halle Burke This award is given to a 4-H member who has demonstrated growth and knowledge in the Clothing and Textiles project area. I Dare You Award: Nevaeh Slowinski and Hannah Thome The I Dare You Award is given to an emerging youth leader and dares them to achieve their highest potential and to influence others through a life of leadership and service. Slowinski is in ninth grade and is a member of the Lyle Area Willing Workers 4-H club. Slowinski holds leadership roles as a club officer, Advisory Board officer, and on the Horse Project Development Committee. She shows leadership by being a great teammate: building relationships with others, listening, and offering her ideas. Thome is in ninth grade and is a member of the Country Aces 4-H club. She is a club officer and a youth livestock superintendent and has exhibited leadership by being a leader in the beef project and participating in county wide discussions. Outstanding Animal Science Members Beef: Andrew Timm Dairy: Candace Hanson Dairy Goat: Liam Thompson Llama/Alpaca: Renae Clark Meat Goat: Callie Hillman Poultry: Lydia Drees Rabbit: Courtney Akkerman Swine: Ty Sampson Livestock & Leadership Award: Renae Clark and Marissa Shute The Livestock and Leadership award recognizes members who have grown through leadership activities of the 4-H program while participating in livestock projects. Clark has shown a number of livestock, including rabbit, llama/alpaca, horses, swine, dog, and goats. She has held leadership positions as a club officer, county ambassador, and a youth livestock superintendent. These have given Clark opportunities to teach younger members about 4-H and their animals. One of Clark’s favorite accomplishments as a 4-H member is leading her rabbits to other 4-H members and having those rabbits beat hers. The reason this makes Renae happy is because it is a reflection of her hard work to build her home grown rabbit stock. Shute has shown beef her entire 4-H career. She has also been on the 4-H Livestock Judging team and a youth livestock superintendent. She has held leadership positions as a club officer and on the Advisory Board. Being a leader in the beef project has been challenging and rewarding: It has pushed Shute to learn communication and organization skills while giving her the opportunity to give back and teach other members about their beef project. Key Award: Marissa Shute The 4-H Key Award recognizes youth for contributions to their club and community, and encourages youth to be civically engaged and positive change makers. The 4-H Key Award is the highest honor of achievement in 4-H Youth Development, available only to youth who have shown long-term dedication and growth. Shute is an active member of Enterprise 4-H Club in Austin.She has held officer positions at the club and county level. Shute enjoys working with younger members on their beef projects to teach them what it takes to raise and show the animal. She has also done presentations at schools and written articles in the paper to promote 4-H and encourage kids to join. Shute’s wide variety of experiences make her a shining example of youth leadership in 4-H. Harlow Sayles Memorial Award: Marissa Shute 4-H Member of the Year: Alyssa Klouse This award recognizes one member for their learning and leadership experiences over the past 4-H year. This past 4-H year was a year of learning, leadership, and growth for Alyssa. She made a goal to greet and welcome every member in her club to help them feel connected and build positive relationships with other members. Alyssa stepped into a leadership role within the Ambassador group to plan and organize events like the Haunted House and Little Lock In were organized and ran smoothly. She displayed teamwork to make sure that everyone felt included and had a role in the event. One thing Alyssa has learned is that leadership is not always about being perfect or having all the answers; it’s about showing up, caring about others, and making sure everyone feels like they have a place.
