LoAnn Haines receives the 4-H Alumni Award from Ohio State University Extension Educator Christy Clary. Photo by Wade Linville
Lynn Kragler receives the 2022 Friend of the 4-H Award from Ohio State University Extension Educator Christy Clary. Photo by Wade Linville
Fall is a time of reflection and also a time to celebrate. Within OSU Extension and the 4-H program we give out several awards and honors throughout the year. Many of those are announced at the fair. These specific awards were announced on Monday night of the fair during the King and Queen contest but deserve to be celebrated again and all year round.
The Friend of 4-H Award and 4-H alumni awards are given annually to an individual or business who gives to the 4-H program at the local, state, or national level. This support may come through time, monetarily, or through service. These are one-time awards and are awarded through a nomination process with final selection made by the 4-H Committee. The recipient of the 4-H alumni award must be a 4-H alumni.
The 2022 Friend of 4-H Award recipient is Lynn Kragler. Lynn is a 33 year volunteer with the Huntington Hotshots 4-H Club. Lynn always has a smile on her face and is focused on providing opportunities for youth to succeed within their club. Lynn goes out of her way to make things accessible for youth and invite them into the program. Her club members recognize her for her efforts in helping them to succeed. Recently, Lynn has been responsible for coordinating the junior fair decorating contest, working with clubs to help decorate the fairgrounds for fair week.
The 2022 4-H Alumni Award winner is LoAnn Haines. LoAnn has been a 4-H volunteer for 40 years. She started out her 4-H career as a member in Brown County primarily in horses. For many years she helped provide leadership to the Silver Spurs 4-H Club and has assisted many horse project members as well as with horse camp. LoAnn was also a long-time member of the Brown County 4-H Committee helping with countless events throughout the years. As a teacher at Fayetteville-Perry Middle School, she has also been a key partner in offering Real Money. Real World. annually. LoAnn was also the co-coordinator for the PROSPER program with the school.
The Outstanding 4-H’er Award is given annually to two 4-H members who have excelled in their 4-H careers. The recipients must be nominated by their club or advisor, fill out an application and complete an interview. The honorees are announced at the King and Queen contest and receive an award sponsored by the Paul Woods family as well as a $500 scholarship from the 4-H Committee. Caitlyn Sweet and Aiden Wilhelmy were selected as the 2022 Brown County 4-H Outstanding 4-H’ers.
Caitlyn Sweet is a 10-year member of the Hooves and Halters 4-H Club. Caitlyn was also an active member of the Brown County Junior Fairboard. Caitlyn’s primary project area has been cattle where she has shown both breeding and market cattle. Several years Caitlyn has earned the title of Outstanding Market Exhibitor. Within her club Caitlyn has taken on multiple leadership roles including as serving as club president and helping younger youth with their cattle projects. Caitlyn is currently a Freshman at Findlay University majoring in Animal Science.
Aiden Wilhelmy is an 8-year member of the Ringleaders 4-H Club. Aiden has taken a variety of projects in 4-H including Foods & Nutrition and Leadership. His primary project area has been Swine, where he has been very successful at the Brown County Fair as well as at open shows with his family. Within his club Aiden has taken on multiple officer roles and been successful in judging within those areas also. He participates in multiple other events such as Workforce Development Contests. Aiden is an active member of the Brown County Junior Fairboard and was just elected as the 2023 President and will also be one of two youth representatives on the 4-H Committee for 2023. Aiden is currently a senior at Eastern Brown High School and future plans include attending college for Engineering.
Caitlyn and Aiden are both very active members who strive to do their best as well as help others. This includes taking on leadership roles, mentoring younger youth, and helping wherever needed. These actions, along with their achievements, hard work and dedication are examples of why they were selected as the 2022 Outstanding 4-H’ers.
The Brown County 4-H program is part of the Ohio State University Extension services. For more information on the 4-H program and how to get involved, contact the Brown County OSU Extension office at 937-378-6716. You can also find more information on our website brown.osu.edu or follow Brown County 4-H on Facebook at facebook.com/brownco4h.
Christy Clary is the Ohio State University, Extension Educator for 4-H Youth Development in Brown County.