For more information contact: 2/15/05 Agricultural Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Six Volunteers Honored by Delaware 4-H Delaware 4-H recently honored six volunteers as recipients of County Salute to Excellence awards—three for a lifetime of service to 4-H and three as Volunteers of the Year. Hard work, excellence and dedication to the 4-H organization were the criteria on which these honors are based. Recipients are evaluated on their demonstrated ability to work with young people, their dedication to youth empowerment, the recruitment of 4-H volunteers, the advocacy of the 4-H youth development movement, and professional attitude, character and morals. The winners of the Lifetime Volunteer Awards are Sally Moller of Kent County, Brenda Wiedenmann of New Castle County and Jay Hukill of Sussex County. Recipients of this award must have been involved with 4-H for 10 years or more and must demonstrate a willingness to beyond what is expected. An organizational leader in Kent County for 20 years, Sally Moller of Woodside has been involved with 4-H for 30 years. She is the leader of the Woodside Emeralds 4-H Club and has served on several 4-H committees. Moller also received the State Salute to Excellence award and has been nominated for national recognition. One project to which she has been devoted for eight years is First Night Dover on New Year's Eve. She coordinates the children's craft area, preparing 11,000 craft kits for youngsters attending the event. Wiedenmann—a 4-H volunteer for 15 years—resurrected the Porter Gang, the largest 4-H club in New Castle County, after it had been defunct for several years. First as an organizational leader and now as general leader, the New Castle resident uses her vacations from work to serve as the nurse at state 4-H camp and to volunteer at the Delaware State Fair, where she oversees the nightly parade float and costumes. A 4-Her herself, she is devoted to the organization, especially to the Favorite Foods Contest. Hukill's 34 years as a 4-H leader began when her daughter Charlotte became a 4-Her. A resident of Harbeson, she was Hollymount project leader for 26 years and organizational leader for the Green Thumbs Club—a county horticulture 4-H project. For eight years, she served as president of the Sussex County Leaders Association, and wrote the Delaware 4-H Leader's Guide. Hukill also applied for and received a $1,000 grant from RJR Nabisco to develop a 4-H leadership project. Tracy McCracken of New Castle County, Laura Blacksten of Kent County and Phillip Norton of Sussex County received Volunteer of the Year awards. McCracken of Newark has volunteered with the New Castle County 4-H for the past five years, contributing time, energy and talents in a variety of ways. She has served as a leader in the Porter Gang 4-H Club, as well as the leader of the New Castle County's Favorite Foods Contest and the director of the New Castle County's 4-H day camps. McCracken is a passionate believer in youth/ adult partnerships to promote success through cooperation, which is evident in the way she runs her programs and events. McCracken also was a winner of the State Salute to Excellence award and is a nominee for national recognition. Blacksten of Camden has been a volunteer 4-H leader for seven years, initially serving as a Cloverbud (beginning 4-H club for 5- to 7-year-olds) leader for three years and an organizational leader for her club of 55 members and 19 club leaders for the past four years. An ardent advocate of community service for her club, she has helped to organize and participate in food drives, Make a Difference Day, Salvation Army Coat Drive, Adopt-A-Family, Read-Aloud Delaware book drive, Coastal Clean-Up, and programs and collections for the USO, DHCI residents, A.I. DuPont Children's Hospital and Goodwill. Blacksten is also a member of the Kent County 4-H Advisory Committee. Norton of Lewes has been a Sussex County 4-H leader for five years. A former 4-Her also was a leader in Maryland for many years, before moving to Delaware. His involvement in 4-H has been as an advisor to the Junior Council. In this role, he works side by side with youngsters in planning, organizing and implementing Junior Leader Weekend, the Sussex Horse Show, Holiday Overnighter and fundraising events for the Sussex Leaders Association. Norton is also a supporter of state camp, 4-H livestock auctions and Interstate Exchange Trips.
### MB/2/15/05
|