My name is Lily Shultz and 4-H has always been a piece of my life! Some of my earliest memories are centered around 4-H events and projects. I began attending 4-H meetings with my older brother and sister long before I was an official member. I have helped at the county fairs as far back as I can remember, participated in many 4-H competitions and community service projects, and have experimented with numerous different 4-H projects. Art, food science, photography, gardening, knitting/crochet, sewing, space technology, reading, and woodworking to name a few. I have gained many new interests during my years in 4-H and have nurtured many preexisting passions along the way.

I was selected to be the 2017 Osage County 4-H Queen, I received a national youth leadership award, The I Dare You Award, and have served in various official positions within my club and on the Osage County 4-H Council. I am also excited to share that this past 4-H year I won the 4-H Kansas State Performing Arts Award. 4-H provided me with all of these opportunities and I cannot allow my final year as a member in this program to end without giving credit to the parties responsible for making my 4-H career such a successful and pleasant experience.

First I would like to thank anyone that has sponsored or contributed to the sponsoring of a 4-H project award. Please know that I am not simply thanking you for sponsoring awards that I have won – my gratitude is for something so much bigger: Be it at the county fair level or beyond, you have shown your support and I am deeply grateful. It is your generosity and kindness that not only keep this program functioning, but makes participating in it worthwhile.

I want to thank my family, club leaders, 4-H Research and Extension agents (you know who you are!) fair judges, and all those that have invested their time in me, and have been willing to teach me new things and answer my (seemingly endless) questions with patience and love.

To all my younger, fellow 4-Her friends: I have loved learning with you, having the privilege of leading you and watching you all grow and develop your skills. Always remember that you are excellent, you are brilliant, and you are capable of changing the world! Kindness and determination will take you far. Never give up!

Finally, to all of you: 4-H does not create great leaders. 4-H does not forge incredible minds, nor does 4-H breed the next generation of great communicators, agricultural geniuses, engineers, artists, performers, designers or entrepreneurs. 4-H is only an avenue through which such talent and skills can be discovered, honed, encouraged and developed. I dare say that my entire 4-H experience would have been a waste were it not for one key element that is, I’m afraid, far too often overlooked: People. You. Volunteers. Human beings that were willing to contribute their time, energy and resources to providing me with a safe, healthy environment in which I could explore, learn, create and, yes, at times fail. For that is when we have the greatest opportunity to learn and thrive. Success would not and could not come to me or any other 4-Her that has been or ever will be, without the dedication and kindness of people like you who are willing to show your care and support. People are fallible and therefore not every 4-H experience I’ve had has been the perfect, inspiring and wonderful adventure that some might lead you to believe. But each experience has been an adventure – and an opportunity. An opportunity to learn, maybe lead, contribute in your community, And to gain a new perspective. It is the people behind a program, not the program itself, that teach these things – and for that I am forever grateful.

Because of you, I can with perfect confidence and without hesitation state that my 4-H experience has been one where the good far outweighs the bad (no contest), where my time has been spent on something worthwhile, and where I have truly been taught the skills to, as the 4-H motto says, “Make The Best Better!”

God bless you all during these uncertain times and may you continue to build each other up in hope of building up our world.

Sincerely,
Lily Shultz

Celebrating 4-H Week
Oct. 4-10, 2020

Cole Thompson, a seven-year 4-H member, currently serves as junior president of the Willing Workers 4-H Club.

Projects taken to the fair this year included beef, swine, visual arts, foods, and welding.

Favorite 4-H activity from the year: I was glad that we got to show at the fair. I worked really hard and was glad that I got to show my animals and projects.

Best 4-H memory this year: I am proud that I worked really hard and made hand-carved fishing lures this year. I received Reserve Grand Champion at the Osage City fair and a purple at the Overbrook fair.

Celebrating 4-H Week
Oct. 4-10, 2020

Brody Thompson is a member of the Willing Workers 4-H Club, and had been in 4-H for five years. He serves as historian for his club and his main project exhibited at the fair was goats. He has also taken interest in photography and sharing it with others, saying his favorite activity of the past year was “being able to give a talk on taking better pictures at Club Days.”

“My favorite 4-H memory this year is being able to hang out with my family more and being able to show at the fair. With everything going on in the world it was nice to have something to do.”

Celebrating 4-H Week
Oct. 4-10, 2020

My name is Ethan Kneisler and this is my sixth year in 4-H. I am the president of the Osage County 4-H Council and the treasurer of the Lyndon Leaders 4H Club.

My favorite thing about 4-H is working on the projects and working with my animals. This year I showed a heifer, steer and pigs. I also really like working on my garden for horticulture and I love working on different woodworking projects. This year I made a blanket chest. This year was very different as I competed in a judging contest online.

Since I am in the leadership project I am a junior leader for livestock and electrical. I enjoy helping our younger members in the club with their projects. I really enjoy 4-H and I plan to keep showing animals and working on my different projects. I also enjoy the 4-H meetings and hanging out with my friends at the fairs.

What 4-H means to me is that it’s a learning curve in someone’s life – that they can learn so much by talking to people, interacting with one another, and having fun at the same time. I really love seeing the younger kids enjoy being at the fair, and seeing them and interacting with them.

Celebrating 4-H Week
Oct. 4-10, 2020

Hi, my name is Braelyn McNally and I am a member of the Melvern Jr. Highline 4-H Club, where I am serving as our club president. This was my fourth year in 4-H and this year I was enrolled in beef, clothing, foods and nutrition and visual arts.

In my beef project I bought one steer, Gonzo, and two heifers, Adelee and Rosie. I got Reserve Grand Champion with Gonzo at the Osage City fair, and Grand Champion with my heifer Adelee. At the Overbrook fair, my heifer Rosie got Grand Champion!

I had so much fun this summer showing my steer and heifers as well as hanging out with my friends in the barns. For cooking, I made a new recipe, Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins, and I entered them at both of our fairs. For clothing, it was hard because I couldn’t go out like I normally do and try on different outfits, but lucky for me I had outfits already in my closet that fit nicely! I bought my dress last fall on clearance and have got a lot of use out of it last fall and this summer. For visual arts, I made a painting with buttons in the shape of a hot air balloon. This was really fun to paint and make! I also entered it at both fairs this summer.

Due to COVID-19, a lot of events were cancelled, including one of my favorites, 4-H camp. I was able to participate in our district’s favorite foods contest, which was held virtually. This year I made a family favorite, Rita Casserole. I created a cute centerpiece that coordinated with my casserole from things we already had at our house. I then talked about the nutritional value of the casserole and told how to make it and how the centerpiece fit with the theme of my dish. For the district contest I was first place for Osage County intermediate, and received third place at our SE area contest.

I also participated in my club’s local activities, such as our making Christmas packages for local men and women who are deployed overseas, and caroling around Melvern. I also helped our club with the local Trunk or Treat.

Even though I was not able to do all the events and activities I normally do my 4-H year was still a great year and I can’t wait to start the next!

Celebrating 4-H Week
Oct. 4-10, 2020

Hi, my name is Gradey McNally and I am a second year member of the Melvern Jr. Highline 4-H Club. For my second year in 4-H I enrolled in the beef, visual arts, clothing and foods and nutrition. In my beef project I bought two steers, Spot and Star. I was able to show them both at the Osage City and Overbrook fairs.

I had so much fun with my friends at the fairs this summer working with our animals and spending time together. For cooking I made one of my favorites, banana bread! For visual arts, I put a Lego kit together and entered that for both fairs.

Besides the fairs, which is always one of the highlights of my summer, was getting to help my club with our annual caroling event and putting together a box of goodies for local soldiers who are deployed during the Christmas season.

A few other activities I attended were our district’s officers training, where I went to the recreation training, and County Club Days, where I gave a Demonstration on “Show Day”. I also got to help with the annual Melvern Thanksgiving dinner as well as our local Trunk or Treat.

I cannot wait to start my third year of 4-H and continue having fun while learning about my projects and giving back to my community!

Celebrating 4-H Week
Oct. 4-10, 2020

Ryanne McNellis is a member of the Clover Wranglers 4-H Club and has been in 4-H for five years. Projects exhibited at the fair this year includes photography, crocheting, wildlife sport fishing, constructed clothing, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and ceramics.

While her favorite 4-H activity this past year was participating in the Osage City fair, she said her memories of this summer were not her favorite due to COVID-19.

“My memory of this year (didn’t say it was my favorite) was no state fair to attend, and not being able to go to the county fairs and have fun,” she said.

Celebrating 4-H Week
Oct. 4-10, 2020