The newly crowned Miss Delaware, Kayla Martell, has been a 4-H’er since she was 5 years old. She credits the skills learned through 4-H with helping her prepare for the future, and face health challenges that might hinder most pageant contestants.
“4-H helped me become comfortable in my own skin so when I was diagnosed with alopecia areata, I didn’t feel like I have to hide the condition,” said Martell.
Alopecia areata is an auto-immune disorder that causes hair loss, and affects more than 4.7 million people in the United States alone.
“Delaware 4-H was where I learned poise and self-confidence,” said Martell. “Sometimes I wear a wig, but sometimes I don’t.”
Kayla Martell appears on the CBS Morning show to discuss alopecia and her Miss Delaware win. Photo courtesy CBS. See her appearance on the show here: http://bit.ly/9xn8AU
Martell competed in support of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation and will continue to support the organization during her reign as Miss Delaware. In 2006, she created a program called Caps for Yaps - Caps for Youth Alopecia Patients. She taught youth how to design and create hats for young people with alopecia. More than 2,000 hats, caps and scarves have since been distributed.
“The mission of 4-H is to be a catalyst for positive change and I can’t think of anyone who epitomizes this better than Kayla Martell,” said Dr. Jan Seitz, associate dean and director of University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. “She is such a force for good in the community.”
Before winning her title as Miss Delaware, Martell devoted more than 2,500 hours of community service to the Health Rocks program, a 4-H curriculum that teaches at-risk youth about the hazards of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs. She was inspired to become involved in Health Rocks! ® and other Delaware 4-H initiatives combating youth and teens substance abuse by the loss of a childhood friend to a drug overdose. She even started a group in high school called PLEDGE - People Learning to Eliminate Drugs by Gaining Education.
“Kayla’s life has always been about giving to others and serving as mentor and supporter to those in need,” said Seitz. “I cannot think of an individual more suited to be named the new Miss Delaware.”
“4-H provided Kayla with opportunities that not only enhanced her public speaking and communication skills but helped her to develop leadership, citizenship and community service skills,” said her mother, Rhonda Martell.
Martell is currently a student at Marymount University in Arlington, Va., and will take a year off from school to commit to her responsibilities as the new Miss Delaware. On Jan. 15, 2011, she will compete in the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas.
When Garrett County 4-H decided to hold an open house for local families to learn about the growing 4-H Robotics program, Ann Sherrard wasn’t quite ready for the response.
“It was like dropping a match onto gasoline,” said Sherrard, University of Maryland Garrett County 4-H Extension Educator.
The excitement of 4-H Robotics and the attendance that night in Garrett County was explosive. The 4-H club hosted 200 families from the rural community of just 30,000, located in northwest Maryland.
Judging by the audience, the idea of adding robotics to the Maryland 4-H program appears to be a welcomed idea. Through a partnership with Lockheed Martin, 4-H is working with the University of Maryland 4-H Program to establish and support 4-H Robotics clubs in each of the 24 counties in the state and Baltimore city.
Through this effort, Maryland 4-H is establishing best practices that will be used to create a model for developing 4-H Robotics clubs across the country.
Original plans called for 12 counties to form 4-H Robotics clubs in 2010, with the remainder set for 2011. However, when the Maryland 4-H Robotics Team (consisting of state 4-H Extension Educators, volunteers and existing 4-H Robotics club members) announced their 4-H Robotics training for counties to get started, 22 county 4-H programs registered and made a commitment to begin new clubs.
In 2009, National 4-H Council and FIRST Robotics formed a partnership to introduce youth across the country to robotics, and allow them the chance to explore career opportunities in science, engineering and technology. Nearly 400,000 4-H youth participate in robotics and engineering programs and within the first year of the FIRST partnership, 43 competitive robotics teams were created nationally for youth in grades four through twelve.
Samantha Jo Riddley accepts the Youth Action Award at the 4-H Legacy Awards Gala.
Former US Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman (left) recieves the Abraham Lincoln Vision wa
National 4-H Council hosted the first Annual Legacy Awards Gala April 22, honoring extraordinary individuals and corporations that have made a lasting impact through work in 4-H. And Youth Action Awardwinner Samantha Jo Riddley is just one of those people.
Samantha joined North Dakota 4-H in 2006, and became involved in the archery program. As a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, she brought the Native American tradition back to her community, where it has promoted teamwork and respect.
The high school senior, whose Lakota name is Oyate Wiyanka Pe Win, credits the values and skills that she has learned through 4-H with helping her overcome several challenging obstacles, including illness and poverty. Samantha accepted her award in full Native American dress, and announced that she will take on the next challenge this fall: She will be the first in her family to attend college, and will study medicine at Dartmouth. She hopes to again return to her tribe with the knowledge of medicine to improve the lives of the people in her community.
Former United States Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and JCPenney were also honored at the Gala, held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC. Glickman received the Abraham Lincoln Vision Award for a life-longcommitment to youth advocacy. Glickman, current president of Refugees International and former Chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., began his career in public service as School Board president and has served as Kansas Congressman and eventually the Secretary of Agriculture. Glickman is a member of National 4-H Council’s Board of Trustees.
JCPenney’s strategic partnership with 4-H on 4-H Afterschool programming has impacted millions of youth across the nation for more than 50 years, providing a safe place to learn and grow.Because of their support, Chairman of the Board and CEO Myron E. (Mike) Ullman III accepted the 4-H Corporate Leadership Award
It was an exciting evening hosted by Virginia 4-H alumna Nancy Redd, and filled with tributes to the honorees, a keynote address by National 4-H Council president and CEO, Donald T. Floyd Jr., and a celebration of 108 years of preparing young people to step up to challenges and take the lead in their communities and their world.
National 4-H Council President and CEO Don Floyd Jr. with (from left): JCPenney Chairman of the Board and CEO Myron E. (Mike) Ullman III, recipient of the Corporate Leadership Award; Samantha Jo Riddley, recipient of the Youth in Action Award; Dan Glickman, recipient of the Abraham Lincoln Award; and James Borel, DuPont executive vice president and Chair of the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees.
National 4-H Council kicks off the 4-H Give2Vote Challenge April 1.Give2Vote is a month-long fundraising campaign to benefit state 4-H programs through mobile and online donations.
“New mobile technologies have allowed us to break exciting new ground and offer an easy way for people to support the 4-H movement,” said Donald T. Floyd, Jr, president and CEO of National 4-H Council. “Donations received via text provide an innovative new stream of funding to 4-H programs, creating even more opportunities for youth.”
By participating in mobile donations, funds go to support the state 4-H program that matches the donor’s area code when texting CLOVER to 50555.Each text gives $10 to the program. Online donations at 4‑H.org can also be sent to specific states, and the state that receives the most donations by text or online at will receive a bonus of $5,000, sponsored by JCPenney.
Participating wireless carriers include AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and Nextel. A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. You will also receive up to one message per day from National 4-H Council Alerts. Message and Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of National 4-H Council by the mGive Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.mGive.com/A. To unsubscribe text STOP to 50555, for help text HELP to 50555. Privacy policy available at http://mgive.com/PrivacyPolicy.aspx
From left to right: Marissa Goldberg, Katelyn Schirado, Ada Taylor, and Anna Molosky.
In an effort to encourage more young women to choose careers in technology, the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) and Bank of America have recognized four 4-H’ers, among 33 high-school women nationwide, for their accomplishments and aspirations in computing and technology.
“With technology jobs projected to grow faster than all other job sectors in the next decade, it’s imperative that we nurture the computing aspirations of women, who will make up half the professional workforce,” said Lucy Sanders, CEO and Co-founder of NCWIT. “Bank of America’s support for this award allows us recognize and encourage talent that might otherwise be overlooked.”
The recipients of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing are Alexandra Olivares, Anna Molosky, Ada Taylor and Katelyn Schirado. The NCWIT Award winners were selected from more than 700 applications. Each winner received $500 cash, a laptop computer, a personal engraved award and a copy for her school, and a trip to attend the Bank of America Technology Stars of the Future Showcase & Awards Ceremony, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
About the Winners
Alexandra Olivares, from Dubuque, Iowa, is interested in robotics and attended the Summer Opportunity in Aeronautics for High School Scholars (SOAR) at NASA’s Langley Research Institute. She participated in hands-on, interactive, aeronautics-related challenges. Alexandra has been accepted to the NASA INSPIRE resident internship and is a member of the Computer Science/Robotics Club at Loras College, where she also takes college courses.
Anna Molosky is very involved in her local community in Issaquah, Wash. She is vice president of community outreach for the Student Research and Development Club, which shares materials and guidance with local students who are interested in technology-related projects. She also works at a community center to help the elderly with computer literacy. She has a special interest in biotechnologies and neurorobotics.
Ada Taylor from Durham, N.C., has been hooked on robotics ever since she received her first Lego RCX robotics kit from her dad. She has participated in many science, math, engineering, and technology programs at her high school in Durham, N.C., and Duke University. Her fluency in many different programming languages has helped her in various projects, including one in which she rebuilt computers to give back to the community. Ada plans to study electrical engineering and computer science at MIT.
Katelyn Schirado of Glen Ullin, N.D., loves to design and program robots. She has been a member of the Math Counts team and the Acalympic team, vice-president of FFA Agricultural Education, three-year president of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, and 4-H Morton County Teen Exhibitor of the Year- in addition to many other activities.
l. to r.: Suzanne Le Menestrel, Laura Schleede, Lisa Bottomley, Ryan Brott, Andrew Knight, Dawn Brott.
When Ryan Brott and Andrew Knight met last year through the Journey 4-H Youth mentoring program, neither was sure where their partnership would take them.
Of all the things they planned to do together, attending a White House session on mentoring was certainly not on the list. But that’s just where they found themselves on Wednesday; in the East Room, on stage, two rows behind the President of the United States.
“A year ago, we didn’t even know each other,” said Andrew Knight, mentor to Ryan. “Today, we were sitting on stage with the president, being honored for our partnership.”
Knight and Ryan attended the service as success stories of the Journey 4-H Youth Mentoring program, a one-on-one, community-based mentoring program on Ottawa County, Mich. Part of the larger Michigan 4-H Youth Mentoring program, it helps deter youth from delinquency in the state’s juvenile justice system.
“They were chosen because they possessed the spirit of what Journey 4-H Youth matches are,” said Lisa Bottomley, Ottawa County MSU Extension Specialist.
In the East Room of the White House, Pres. Obama addresses the importance of mentoring in the lives of youth.
Knight, a criminal justice major, was interested in volunteering in a field related to his studies, and felt he had something to offer youth who may just need guidance in better decision making.
“I thought my experiences would help me help someone else,” Knight said. “I saw some great potential in Ryan.”
So, Knight and Ryan were a match, and they were able toparticipate in a number of activities through the program, including sporting events, fishing and even a camping challenge.
“We had weeks of preparation for this race, where we had to complete things like shelter making, canoeing and fire building” on a course, and navigate to each task by using only a map and a compass. Knight noted that Brott is a fan of outdoor activities, and this event and others like it were perfect for the two to bond.
Just a year ago, Ryan Brott was a young teenager who was not interested in school work or doing any chores, says his mother, Dawn Brott.
“He needed the male role model, and it has made all the difference,” said Brott.
The Brotts were joined in Washington, D.C., by Knight, Bottomley, Laura Schleede, program coordinator for Journey 4-H Youth, and Suzanne Le Menestrel, acting director of Youth Development, 4-H National Headquarters.
Ryan Brott shakes the hand of Pres. Barack Obama
In the hours before the trip to the White House, Ryan was nervous, said his mother. He didn’t sleep until 3 a.m. the night before, and his stomach was a bit upset. But once they arrived to the East Room, Ryan and Knight were surrounded by other mentors and mentees – many who achieved the same success they experienced— he appeared a little more comfortable.
“Here’s the thing people need to understand,” said President Barack Obama during the session. “It doesn’t take much to make a big difference. A couple of hours a week shooting hoops, helping with homework, talking about what’s going on in their lives can make a big, lasting impact in the life of a young person.”
Thanks to the Journey 4-H Youth mentoring program and Andrew Knight, Ryan is making positive changes in his life. In this trip alone, Ryan has crossed off four things on his life’s To-Do List, said Lisa Bottomley.
Ryan is now looking forward to a career in the Secret Service.
John Benson, a winner of the Power of the Wind competition at the 2009 Colorado State Fair, works on his project.
Colorado 4-H prepared to implement the new The Power of the Wind curriculum with a pilot project competition for local youth, testing their ingenuity and creativity.
4-H youth in the state were invited to enter their wind powered machines, vehicles or sculptures in the 2009 Colorado State Fair, where five winners were chosen to appear at the 2009 Colorado 4-H Gala.
“I wanted to build something that would be useful,” said Ivan Reigel, a Durango County, Colo. 4-H’er. “I didn’t want to build anything that sat around and looked pretty.”
Reigel entered a homemade wind turbine that charges an old car battery. With a DC/AC converter, he is able power any standard electrical device using the power generated by the wind.
Twenty 4-H youth entered the competition, and Reigel’s turbine was selected with four other creations to be on display at the Colorado 4-H Gala. Garrett Guthrie’s wind-powered automatic door opener was also selected.
“I chose the Power of the Wind project because of my interest in alternative energy and engineering,” said Guthrie, a 14-year-old 4-H’er from Grand Junction, Colo.
Guthrie constructed the automatic door opener, which uses a wind turbine that powers a battery pack with a timer. The timer is set so that early in the morning, the battery powers a motor to open the door for his family’s chicken coop.
He got the idea for his project from his desire to help little brother, who was responsible for letting the chickens out early each morning, sleep in a bit later.
“It was much easier thinking of the idea than building it,” said Guthrie, who ran into hurdles obtaining windmill blades and special batteries for his project. Despite his difficulty, Guthrie found a lot of learning experiences working with a master carpenter, an electrician and wind engineer, and a welder, who served as mentors.
“I learned more than I ever dreamed I would,” said Guthrie.
At the Colorado 4-H Gala, the winning projects each received a $200, and were auctioned off to benefit Colorado 4-H.
Colorado state Speaker of the House, Terrance Carroll, served as master of ceremonies for the evening, and was impressed by the 4-H event.
“We have to keep doing things like this, said Jeff Goodwin, Colorado State Program Leader. “It really raised awareness of 4-H in Denver.”
Goodwin is looking forward to the full implementation of the Power of the Wind curriculum, and the projects for the 2010 Colorado State Fair.
Past and current 4-H state ambassadors joined together at the Oklahoma 4-H Green Tie Gala in celebration of the centennial.
4-H clubs in Oklahoma concluded a year-long celebration of their centennial anniversary with a “Green Tie Gala” Nov. 6 in Oklahoma City. Over 400 people attended the event, themed “Honoring, Celebrating, Envisioning.”
“The Green Tie Gala was a tremendous success. Our guest turnout included current 4-H members, alumni, donors and friends, and current 4-H staff,” said Jessica Stewart, Oklahoma 4-H, Coordinator of Special Promotions and Programs. “We were honored to have four of our National 4-H Hall of Fame inductees with us, and a myriad of 4-H talent and inter-generational 4-H families attend.”
Guests were welcomed to the gala by Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, with Eugene “Pete” Williams, former 4-H State Program Leader and 2003 National 4-H Hall of Fame inductee, as master of ceremonies. 4-H alumna Kirsten McIntyre, and 4-H leadership team member Charles Maloy also served as masters of ceremonies.
The program began with the “Centennial Families Award,” where families with three generations of 4-H’ers were recognized. There were many applications, according to Stewart, and four youth winners and four adult winners were chosen. Austin Kindschi, of Logan County; Cheyene Wright, of McClain County; Taler Sawatzky, of Custer County; and Aaron Sharp, of Payne County were the youth winners. Ruth Ann Givens, of Ellis County; Dea Rash, of Payne County; John H. Pfeiffer Jr., of Logan County; and Annette Stowers, of Cleveland County were named the adult winners.
Guest were entertained by the talents of several 4-H’ers. MaKenna Rogers, state 4-H ambassador and nationally known tap dancer, performed “Lost.” Ray Parker, 93, a 2006 National 4-H Hall of Fame inductee, led gala guests in dancing the Hokey Pokey. Parker has been a life-long 4-H member, and was known for leading many dances at 4-H events.
Plenty of youth were in attendance to take part in the fun.
“There was a great turn out of youth,” said Stewart. “Local donors bought tables and filled them with local youth who were known for their achievements throughout their community.”
Jonathan Smith, an Oklahoma 4-H alumnus, concluded the evening with the keynote address.
Oklahoma began its year of celebration with the 2008 annual round-up. Throughout the year, individual clubs and districts held their own centennial-themed celebrations, from local reunions and parties, to events like trips across the state.
The Green Tie Gala concluded the festivities, and hosted two other National 4-H Hall of Fame inductees, who joined Williams and Parker: Mary Sue Sanders, a 2002 inductee and the most recent inductee, Barbara Hatfield, who was honored in October.
The funds generated from the gala are used to help underwrite the other centennial events, and support the development of the Oklahoma 4-H history book. The book describes the positive effects that 4-H has had on Oklahomans in across the state, and includes photos and feature stories on events, such as trips by local 4-H’ers to Washington, D.C., for Citizenship Washington Focus. It will be available next spring through the Oklahoma state office for $39.99.
Oklahoma 4-H has grown to now include more than 140,000 members across the state, in 77 counties. For more information about the gala contact Jessica Stewart at jessica.stewart@okstate.edu.
From left to right: Kirsten McIntyre, 4-H alumnua and em cee; Barbara Hatfield, 2009 National 4-H Hall of Fame inductee; Dr. Eugene “Pete” Williams, National 2003 4-H Hall of Fame inductee, former state program leader, and em cee; Ray Parker, 2006 National 4-H Hall of Fame inductee and former state program specialist; and Mary Sue Sanders, 2002 National 4-H Hall of Fame inductee and state 4-H ambassador program founder.
Applications are now available for the 2010 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program that honors youth for their extraordinary efforts in serving others through volunteerism. 4 H’ers involved in community service are encouraged to complete the online application before the Nov. 2 deadline. To be eligible for the awards, youth must be in grades 5-12, a legal resident of the U.S. and must have engaged in a volunteer activity in the past 12 months.
Students chosen as Local Honorees receive a Certificate of Achievement from their schools or organizations. Those who qualify (50 hours of service for age 14 and younger, 100 hours for those older) also receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
From these winners, an independent judging organization names the top middle level and high school volunteer in each state and Washington, D.C. State Honorees receive an award of $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C., for national recognition events.
After those winners are selected, 10 National Honorees are chosen by a panel of prominent public figures, and announced at a special ceremony in Washington, D.C., in May. National Honorees receive an additional award of $5,000, an engraved gold medallion, a crystal trophy for their schools or organizations, and a $5,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation for a non-profit, charitable organization of their choice.
This past May, over 20 4-H members received national recognition at the 2009 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The program seeks to applaud young people who already are making a positive difference in their towns and neighborhoods, and to inspire others to think about how they might contribute to their communities. For more information on honorees, visit Prudential Spirit of Community Awards to read their quarterly newsletter.
National 4-H Council is looking for Program Assistants (PA) for the Wonders of Washington (WOW) and the Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) programs. This is a great chance for youth to experience professional and leadership development opportunities of a lifetime.
“My experience as a Program Assistant was a significant influence in my decision to pursue a career related to national government, and helped me develop the wide breadth of skills that it took to achieve my goal,” said former PA, Cori Byrum. Byrum is now working as a consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton in the DC metropolitan area.
The WOW program, which takes place from February through May, gives youth the chance to explore, develop, and refine the skills necessary to become outstanding citizens and leaders in their communities. Using Washington, D.C., as their living classroom, WOW PAs help youth learn about the history of our nation and various leaders who have shaped it. PAs receive opportunities for professional development not only through interactions with school groups, but also through internship experiences with various departments of National 4-H Council.
The CWF program gives 4-H’ers the opportunity to strengthen their communication, leadership, and other citizenship skills on a national level. Held during the summer, CWF PAs lead nearly 2,000 youth in exchanging ideas, practicing respect, and forming friendships with other youth from across the country. PAs guide hands-on activities, simulations and tours of many of Washington’s monuments and memorials, as youth CWF participants find out what citizenship means to them and how to make a difference in their own communities. PAs have the unique ability to make a lasting impression on the lives of many youth, while spending summer just outside of the Nation’s Capital.
