On March 20, National 4-H Council will hold its 9th annual Legacy Awards in Washington, D.C., honoring and influencers True Leaders and 4-H Grown Alumni, and bringing together dignitaries, community leaders, entertainers and more to celebrate 4-H and its impact.Here are the honorees and special guests that will be in attendance:
This year, we are honored to have proud Georgia 4-H Grown alumna and 4-H Luminary Nikki Clifton emcee this year’s event. As the Vice President of UPS Global Public Affairs, Nikki Clifton attended her first Legacy Awards in 2017 as a member of the inaugural 4-H Luminaries class.
Nikki first developed her leadership, public speaking and performing arts skills through 4-H in Clarke County (Athens) Georgia. Under the dedicated guidance of Marilyn Poole and Roger “Bo” Ryles, she mastered in Public Speaking, won the Georgia Governor’s Tray and was ultimately awarded the Presidential Tray for her leadership, citizenship and project work. Nikki served on the Georgia State Board and was a member of the Georgia 4-H Performing Arts Group, 4-H & Company.
The 4‑H Youth in Action Awards recognizes four youth who exemplify what it means to be a True Leader, each impacting their communities through our four pillar areas: agriculture, citizenship, healthy living and STEM.
Through Oklahoma 4‑H, Agriculture pillar winner (sponsored by Bayer) Serena Woodard developed the leadership skills she needed to start an agricultural education program called “Woodard’s Workshops.” Since the program’s inception five years ago, Serena trained nine youth teachers and six adult volunteers to help expand the program, which has reached 36 counties and more than 40,000 youth.
When Citizenship pillar winner (sponsored by Nationwide) Kyra-Lee Harry was just five years old, her passion for helping others was sparked when she learned that her mom’s lungs had collapsed on both sides. Her commitment to meeting the needs of those in her community allowed her to provide training in leadership, mentorship, and workplace skills to more than 300 young people.
As a military kid, Healthy Living pillar winner (sponsored by Bernadett) Sophia Rodriguez knew that she wanted to help military youth like herself. She developed “Tie Dye for Troops,” creatively helping military youth understand the importance of positive mental health and how to effectively deal with challenges specific to military families. Since the program’s conception, the Georgia 4‑H’er has trained more than 150 youth and adults and has impacted more than 500 kids nationwide.
For STEM pillar winner (sponsored by HughesNet) Cassandra Ivie, being a part of 4‑H meant developing her passion for STEM while learning the value of unity amongst diversity. As a result, the Utah 4‑H’er developed the Incredible Machine, a curriculum and activities kit that allows her to provide STEM resources to youth in various communities and events across the nation.
While we are proud to honor our young people, we recognize 4‑H Grown alumni and supporters, through their 4‑H experiences and work, are impacting lives today.
This year, we will award United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue with the Abraham Lincoln Vision Award. Secretary Perdue is a long-standing supporter of 4‑H and continues to advocate for the organization, as well as agriculture education.
Receiving this year’s National Distinguished 4‑H Alumni Medallion is Zippy DuVall, Georgia 4‑H alumnus and president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. A third-generation farmer, Zippy DuVall remains a voice for agricultural producers and continues to advocate for agriculture education in the country.
Under the leadership of Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer David Cohen, Comcast has played an instrumental role in raising awareness of 4‑H through the grow True Leaders Campaign since 2016. Since the company’s involvement, 4‑H public service announcement as aired thousands of times at no cost to 4‑H, earning David Cohen the recipient of the 4‑H Brand Champion Award.
Since 2005, the 4‑H and New York Life partnership has focused on supporting families with financial literacy educational programs. This includes the expansion of Juntos 4‑H – a program dedicated to empowering more Latino youth to succeed in high school, graduate on time and pursue a college education.
Learn more about the 2018 4‑H Legacy Awards and how you can support!
