At the recent Pennsylvania 4-H State Leadership Conference, 24 4-H'ers received Diamond Clover Awards, the highest achievement possible in the Pennsylvania 4-H program.
The Clover Award Program encourages 4-H members to explore new projects and activities that will help them acquire the seven leadership life skills: communicating; decision making and problem solving; getting along with others; learning to learn; managing; understanding self; and working in groups. Engagement with the Clover Award Program is generally a multiyear process and consists of planning and implementing a service-learning project in the community.
"Now more than ever, the skills learned as 4-H’ers are needed all over our world," said Jeanette Stackhouse, Penn State Extension 4-H education specialist for leadership and civic engagement. "We are delighted to see so much thought and effort go into these projects that make a great impact on the 4-H'ers' local communities."
Following are 4-H Diamond Award winners by county, with descriptions of their projects:
Centre County
- Hannah Trigg: "Clothes for the Community." Trigg organized a community workshop teaching basic sewing skills and conducted a free clothing giveaway, with leftovers donated to local organizations.
Chester County
- David Gober: "Operation Elevate." In honor of his Marine uncle, Gober assembled care packages for deployed troops throughout the year, aiming to uplift the spirits of soldiers during challenging times when they miss their families.
- Ronak Suchindra: "4-H STEM." Suchindra led a 4-H STEM camp to advocate for STEM fields and encourage other 4-H'ers to pursue their interests through activities such as cooking, coding, 3D printing, and rocketry.
Clinton County
- Phaedra Bower: "Stock the Show Closet." Bower established the closet as a community resource to provide free, gently used show clothing and supplies to members of the Clinton County 4-H program.
Columbia County
- Bethany Martin: "Recycled Planters." Martin focused on the importance of conservation in her community by teaching others about the art of recycling through creating recycled planters.
Crawford County
- Abigail Mozina: "Palfund Produce Patch." Mozina sought to provide fresh produce to an elderly community in a food desert by building accessible gardens.
- Anne Meszaros: "Finding Your SPARK in 4-H." To raise awareness of the 4-H program, Meszaros designed promotional signage for the Crawford County Fair and visited third-grade classrooms at a local school.
Huntingdon County
- Adria Russell: "Petersburg Volunteer Fire Company Sign Beautification." Russell led efforts to replace an outdated sign at her local fire department, organizing fundraisers and promoting awareness of the fire department and its messaging.
- Evangeline McGargle: "A Blue Ribbon Buy." McGargle aimed to educate the public on supporting youth at junior livestock sales, emphasizing that exhibitors are taught the importance of ensuring a safe and wholesome food supply for the growing population.
- Mackenzie Coffman: "Explore 4-H and Agriculture." In this event, Coffman educated the public on the importance of agriculture, providing attendees with 4-H informational pamphlets, bags containing agricultural educational materials, and passports for exploring stations covering topics such as livestock, farm safety, and vegetable gardens.
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Categories: Pennsylvania, Rural Lifestyle, Farm Safety