A special night to honor 4-H program volunteers in Tuscarawas County
Those who tirelessly volunteer their time and energy on behalf of the Tuscarawas County Ohio State Extension’s youth 4-H program were the guests of honor at the annual Advisors Banquet, held Oct. 27 at Valley View Community Church in Sugarcreek. 4-H committee members hosted the dinner, which is a culmination of yet another year’s worth of 4-H activities by area clubs and their leaders.The committee honored a very surprised Jim Gordon, owner of Gor-Con Construction of Dover, as being the 2009 4-H Friend of 4-H. The award, given annually since 1984, recognizes an outstanding individual, couple, or organization that has made a significant impact on the ongoing success of the Tuscarawas County 4-H Program. Committee vice-president Larry Gross cited Gordon’s many hours of work at the fairgrounds and at 4-H Camp Piedmont. Gordon, a former 4-H member himself, is not the first in his family to receive the honor. In 1996, his parents, Doran and Marlene Gordon, were given the award as well.
“4-H is a great program,” stated Gordon, as he accepted his plaque from Gross. “It makes a huge impact on young people’s lives. It deserves to be supported.”
Currently, the county program has 62 different clubs, supervised by 216 volunteer advisors. The 1,078 area youth enrolled in the program take on hundreds of different projects, each of which is judged in July at county judging. Those with larger animal projects also exhibit at the Tuscarawas County Fair each September, where they compete with their peers in both the quality of their animals and their showmanship abilities.
A highlight of the evening was a comedic skit featuring 4-H advisors Melissa Horn and Jeremy Evans, both wearing giant inflatable costumes and portraying ‘tourists’ who are interested in discovering the many aspects of the 4-H program. As program assistant Barb Airgood introduced them to such events as judging, 4-H Olympics, Safe Kids Day participation, speaking contests, community service projects, working at the Clover Café at the fairgrounds, camping opportunities and other 4-H events, the ‘tourists’ gained a good overall view of the scope of the program, and the audience was entertained by their antics.
Gold Honor Club awards for the 2009 year were presented to the Atwood Lakers, Buckhorn Buckshots, Crooked Run Cloverstitchers and Evergrowing, New Horizons, Stonecreek Peas and Carrots, Thunder Valley Pioneers, Tusco Twisters, and Valley Equestrians 4-H clubs. The honor goes to those clubs that go well beyond meeting basic requirements throughout the year, including participation in extensive community service projects.
The 4-H committee also recognized Sandra Gardner for serving for 25 years as a 4-H advisor, and Dean Brown, Hazel Overton, Guy Zeigler, and Janice Cronebaugh for serving more than 30 years. Louise Harding was recognized for 41, and Mildred Cronebaugh for 59 years of service, respectively. Advisors serving five, 10, and 15 years were also acknowledged.
In addition to regular 4-H project work, the 4-H program offers opportunities to attend horse, 4-H, and Cloverbud camps; provides more than 3,000 students with school enrichment programs; allows 50 youth to participate in the annual Dairy Trip; assists with Safe Kids Healthy Kids Day; volunteers at the Forest Heritage Festival; provides the Teen Driving Road-e-o; promotes the program through school health fairs, and helps coordinate the Fit Youth Initiative.
To contact the local 4-H program, call the OSU Extension office at 330-330-2337.