|
 Two
local supporters were inducted into the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame,
and one local volunteer was chosen for the national 4-H Salute to
Excellence Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer award for the North
Central Region.
The Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame recognizes 4-H supporters who have a
track record of exemplary service to 4-H or outstanding career and
community achievement.
This year’s Illinois 4-H Fall of Fame inductee from
Logan County is Amy Hyde. For twenty years Hyde was employed with
University of Illinois Extension as a 4-H program coordinator in
Logan County. She worked with countless youth, volunteers, teachers,
and community members while assisting with 4-H Shooting Sports, Teen
Teachers, 4-H Ambassadors, and the 4-H shows. She was also
especially well known for her work as an ag literacy coordinator
with the Ag in the Classroom program. “Seeing these children excited
to learn about ag and seeing that I had an impact on them is the
most rewarding part,” said Hyde. She was loved by students and
teachers alike for the engaging lessons that helped students connect
agriculture to the real world.
The Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame inductee from Sangamon
County was David Mendenhall. Mendenhall is a tireless advocate for
4-H in the community, sharing with others why 4-H is so important
and the impact it makes on youth. He is a volunteer that always
answers the call to help, and he goes above and beyond to offer his
time and leadership in a variety of roles. He has also been
excellent at helping to recruit new volunteers and reaching out to
4-H alumni whenever help is needed.
[to top of second column] |
The 4-H Salute to Excellence awards are selected at
the state level. Local volunteer Jerry Hicks was chosen to receive
the Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award for Illinois, which is
given to an individual who has spent 10 or more years as a 4‑H
volunteer. Hicks was also honored as the top Outstanding Lifetime
Volunteer for the entire North Central Region of 12 states.
Hicks has been a dedicated supporter
of 4-H for nearly 43 years. As an Illinois 4-H alumnus, he is a
lifetime believer in the tremendous impact 4-H can have on the lives
of youth. He credits 4-H for putting him on a lifelong path to
career success, and he wants every child in Illinois to have that
same opportunity. Through his work as a 4-H volunteer on the county,
multi-county, and state level, Hicks has gone above and beyond to
make that happen.
Hicks’ commitment to 4-H has allowed Illinois to continue
educational efforts, hire youth development staff and expand
programming. He helped secure funds during a crucial time, when
funding and staff cuts would have drastically reduced opportunities
for growing the 4-H program and reaching new audiences. Not only did
Hicks find the dollars to maintain 4-H programming in his state, but
he secured enough funding to increase staffing that would support
reaching underserved audiences.
To learn more about the opportunities available to local youth
through the 4-H program, please visit extension.illinois.edu/LMS/4-H-youth-development.
[AMY ZEPP
Sangamon County 4-H Program Coordinator
Illinois Extension
Serving Logan, Menard and Sangamon Counties]
 |
