Posted: February 22, 2024
At the recent Pennsylvania 4-H State Leadership Conference, 24 4-H'ers received Diamond Clover Awards, the highest achievement possible in the Pennsylvania 4-H program.
The Clover Award Program encourages 4-H members to explore new projects and activities that will help them acquire the seven leadership life skills: communicating; decision making and problem solving; getting along with others; learning to learn; managing; understanding self; and working in groups. Engagement with the Clover Award Program is generally a multiyear process and consists of planning and implementing a service-learning project in the community.
"Now more than ever, the skills learned as 4-H’ers are needed all over our world," said Jeanette Stackhouse, Penn State Extension 4-H education specialist for leadership and civic engagement. "We are delighted to see so much thought and effort go into these projects that make a great impact on the 4-H'ers' local communities."
Following are 4-H Diamond Award winners by county, with descriptions of their projects:
Centre County
— Hannah Trigg: "Clothes for the Community." Trigg organized a community workshop teaching basic sewing skills and conducted a free clothing giveaway, with leftovers donated to local organizations.
Chester County
— David Gober: "Operation Elevate." In honor of his Marine uncle, Gober assembled care packages for deployed troops throughout the year, aiming to uplift the spirits of soldiers during challenging times when they miss their families.
— Ronak Suchindra: "4-H STEM." Suchindra led a 4-H STEM camp to advocate for STEM fields and encourage other 4-H'ers to pursue their interests through activities such as cooking, coding, 3D printing, and rocketry.
Clinton County
— Phaedra Bower: "Stock the Show Closet." Bower established the closet as a community resource to provide free, gently used show clothing and supplies to members of the Clinton County 4-H program.
Columbia County
— Bethany Martin: "Recycled Planters." Martin focused on the importance of conservation in her community by teaching others about the art of recycling through creating recycled planters.
Crawford County
— Abigail Mozina: "Palfund Produce Patch." Mozina sought to provide fresh produce to an elderly community in a food desert by building accessible gardens.
— Anne Meszaros: "Finding Your SPARK in 4-H." To raise awareness of the 4-H program, Meszaros designed promotional signage for the Crawford County Fair and visited third-grade classrooms at a local school.
Huntingdon County
— Adria Russell: "Petersburg Volunteer Fire Company Sign Beautification." Russell led efforts to replace an outdated sign at her local fire department, organizing fundraisers and promoting awareness of the fire department and its messaging.
— Evangeline McGargle: "A Blue Ribbon Buy." McGargle aimed to educate the public on supporting youth at junior livestock sales, emphasizing that exhibitors are taught the importance of ensuring a safe and wholesome food supply for the growing population.
— Mackenzie Coffman: "Explore 4-H and Agriculture." In this event, Coffman educated the public on the importance of agriculture, providing attendees with 4-H informational pamphlets, bags containing agricultural educational materials, and passports for exploring stations covering topics such as livestock, farm safety, and vegetable gardens.
Montgomery County
— Adriana Grecco: "New Herb Garden." Grecco established a community herb garden and developed an educational presentation about each plant species, enabling community members to identify and understand the diverse uses of the plants, from culinary applications to herbal medicines.
— Giuseppe Schiano Di Cola: "Learning to Quilt." This project focused on teaching younger club members the art of quilting. The completed quilt was auctioned for $600, with proceeds donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Perry County
— Morgan Deiter: "Equine Arena Renovation." Deiter renovated the Perry County Fairgrounds arena and organized a ribbon-cutting event with educational stations, food, and 4-H information, attracting equine lovers to the improved facility.
Potter County
— Crystal Clark: "Project Playground." Clark collaborated with her local garden club to revitalize the community park, aiming to enhance its appearance, foster a sense of community, and demonstrate leadership by uniting community members for the collective benefit.
Somerset County
— Bailey Knott: "Bailey's Little Free Library." Knott established Meyersdale’s first Little Free Library at Festival Park, providing an accessible resource for thousands of visitors, with books catering to all literacy levels.
— Caleb Antram: "Stuff a Clover Campaign." Antram organized a clothing and shoe collection drive, encouraging community members to donate items, which he then sold by weight, generating funds to support the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department.
— Hannah Mitchell: "Blooms of Joy." Mitchell created a mental health initiative that provides free flowers to individuals, promoting awareness of the positive effects of flowers on mental well-being, including boosting oxytocin, endorphins, and energy; reducing anxiety, stress, and depression; and bringing smiles.
— Josiah Antram: "Can-A-Van." Antram collaborated with Tableland and Somerset County Mobile Food Bank to gather canned food items, establishing drop-off points at his church and a VFW-sponsored turkey dinner, while also educating attendees about 4-H.
— Laurel Cornell: "Blue Ribbon First Aid." Cornell donated first aid kits to Somerset County Fairgrounds and Saddle Club and conducted an automated external defibrillator training workshop for fair board members, 4-H'ers and community members.
— Rori Allen: "Help-A-Home." Allen addressed homelessness concerns by organizing a toiletry donation drive at Berlin’s elementary school, educating K-4 students on the issue and ways to help, and presenting the initiative to her 4-H club, resulting in the creation of care packages for the Next Step Center in her community.
Washington County
— Mackenzie Mitchell: "Learning to Love Livestock." Mitchell attended 23 community events to educate others about livestock, emphasizing proper handling and care, with the goal of fostering both knowledge and love for these animals.
Westmoreland County
— Luke Sanner: "Stream Clean-Up." Sanner organized a stream clean-up and education day, teaching participants about fly tying, fly casting, and macroinvertebrates and emphasizing the importance of environmental education to instill these values in the next generation.
— Emma Hayes: "Lifesaving Techniques." Hayes conducted a workshop on CPR and the Heimlich maneuver, inspiring participants to pursue further certification in life-saving techniques.
York County
— Eliana Fetters: "Winter Shelters for Community Cats." Fetters organized a community workshop where 10 crates were transformed into cat shelters for the York County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She also educated participants about distinguishing between stray and feral cats.
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Pennsylvania 4-H website.
