4-H celebrates dedication of volunteers

Dec. 1—GALLIPOLIS — This fall, the Gallia County 4-H Advisory Committee hosted its 2021 Gallia County 4-H Volunteer Awards Celebration at the Gallia County Fairgrounds.

This event honors and celebrates the efforts and dedication of volunteers that serve youth through the Gallia County 4-H program. 4-H advisors were recognized for their years of service in addition to special awards recognition for outstanding efforts made by community partners, teen leaders, and 4-H clubs.

According to a news release sent on behalf of the committee, the following were recognized:

Hall of Fame Awards — In memory of Sheryl Slone & Kim Jividen.

This award recognizes the lifetime effort of individuals who contribute to the 4-H youth development efforts of Gallia County.

Clover Award Winner — Bossard Memorial Library.

The 4-H Clover Award was initiated in 1988 to recognize the significant efforts and contributions to the 4-H program of Gallia County. Each year the 4-H Advisors Association selects a community partner who goes out of their way to help the 4-H youth of Gallia County.

Teen Leadership Awards — Emalee Jones, Cody Mathias, Braden Rapp, Lydia Jones, & Katelynn Higginbotham.

Throughout the year, teen 4-H members earn points for their leadership efforts by participating in programs such as CARTEENS, serving as a camp counselor, and attending other leadership events. The top point earners receive an award for their leadership efforts.

Honor Club Award Winners:

Gold Award — Aftershock, Gallia Shooting Aces, For His Glory, Raccoon Valley Livestock Club, Pairs & Spares, Sundance Kids, & Thivener Pioneers;

Silver Award — Kountry Kritters, Triangle, Country to the Core, The Rising Stars, Pegasus, & Hope's Helping Hands;

Green Award — Rio Hopefuls, Tail2Rail, Country Roads, Raccoon Rowdies, & All for 1.

Clubs receive points each year for participation in teen leadership events, special trainings, state fair participation, county fair participation, camp attendance, community service, and more.

Biographies of award winners as submitted by the committee:

Hall of Fame Award in Memory of Kim Jividen

Kim Jividen is a 2021 Gallia County 4-H Hall of Fame inductee. Growing up in 4-H, Kim was a nine-year member of the Thivener Pioneers 4-H club. Throughout her years in 4-H she held a variety of club offices and was very active in market beef and beef breeding projects. In 1979 she had the Grand Champion market steer at the Gallia County Jr. Fair. She won several Champion Polled Hereford classes with her breeding projects and numerous showmanship awards. She was also the Gallia County Jr. Fair Beef Queen and served on the Gallia County Junior Fair Youth Board as president. After aging out of 4-H, she became a 4-H advisor for the Thivener Pioneers 4-H club and served as an advisor from 1982-1999. During that time, she was a member of the Gallia County 4-H Horse Committee for several years. Even after leaving her role as a 4-H advisor, she continued to support the Gallia County Junior Fair and the livestock sale. Her family business, Jividen Farm Equipment, donated equipment for use the week of the fair year.

Hall of Fame Award in Memory of Sheryl Slone

Sheryl Slone is a 2021 inductee into the Gallia County 4-H Hall of Fame. Sheryl didn't grow up in 4-H, but she recognized its benefits as a parent and supported her children and grandchildren as they participated in 4-H activities. During the fair, Sheryl could always be found sitting in the stands cheering on her 4-H club members and offering her support. Sheryl was a long-time advisor of the Pairs & Spares 4-H Club and 2021 marked the completion of her 30th year as an advisor. As a 4-H advisor, her dedication and commitment to the program did not go unnoticed. She was elected to the Gallia County 4-H Advisory Committee under 4-H Agent Fred Deel and continued to be a valuable resource to the program. Through her 4-H career, she served multiple terms on the committee between 2000 and 2015, providing guidance and insight to the county 4-H program. Sheryl enjoyed attending the State 4-H Volunteer Conference and went nearly every year, attending sessions and taking part in the state 4-H fundraisers. Ronnie and Sheryl are great supporters of 4-H fund raisers- always providing donations and supporting 4-H benefit events for the county programs, state programs, and camping programs. She was a great supporter of Canter's Cave 4-H Camp, attending the camp's open house every year. In addition to supporting 4-H, Ronnie and Sheryl are great supporters of the Gallia County Junior Fair, sponsoring trophies and other awards to make the experience the best it can be for the 4-H members. Sheryl dedicated her life to helping other though 4-H, the fair, and her work as the Volunteer Coordinator at GDC. Even in her passing, she and her family are still helping 4-Hers as they start up the new Slone Family 4-H college Scholarship in memory of Sheryl Slone.

Clover Award

This year's Clover Award winner is Bossard Memorial Library- chosen for their willingness to partner with 4-H and other organizations to promote the education of our Gallia County youth. The library has partnered with 4-H for many years. One long-standing program they continue to support is 4-H Cloverbud day camp. Since 2005, the library has been a part of camp, presenting a camp-themed educational program which includes a story time, game, song, and craft for the Cloverbud campers. Recently, the library has partnered with the local 4-H organization to improve the 4-H fair project judging by allowing the use of their conference room for general project judging, allowing their staff to participate as guest project judges, and even allowing 4-H clubs to host club meetings at the library. Just before 2020 put many 4-H programs on hold, a new partnership between 4-H and the library called Digital Tech Change Makers was launched. Through this program, 4-H members partnered with the library to offer tech programs to older adults and its hoped to revive that program soon. In addition to partnering with 4-H, the library provides youth educational programs at the Gallia County Junior Fair. As a partner in youth development and education the Bossard Memorial Library offers great programs like the community story walk, kids clubs for all ages, and special event programs both online and in-person.

Information submitted by the Gallia County 4-H Advisory Committee.