Past Leader Recognition

15-Year

Dustin Dorsey is a 15-year leader though Platte River Ag 4-H Club. He has historically assisted with the Beef project, helping kids as needed through their experience.  Dustin’s family also grew up through the Weld County 4-H program.

Michelle Haave is a 15-year leader project leader through Crow Creek 4-H.  She has assisted the club as a Breeding Beef project member and supported the youth in achieving their goals.  Michelle’s kids were active through the Weld County 4-H Breeding Beef program.

Tammy is a 15-year leader serving with Crow Creek 4-H and the Briggsdale CWF group.  She got involved in 4-H when her kids joined but was drawn to CWF and attended her first trip in 2011.  Tammy prides herself on the relationships she builds with the youth and seeing them work together to reach common goals.  Outside of 4-H, she was a cheerleading coach and volunteered for the high school drama class; she can also be seen collecting chickens and peacocks.  She has entered a new phase of 4-H in watching her grandsons become involved in the program.  The most important aspect of being a leader to Tammy is watching the youth grow up with values, respect, responsibility, and work ethic.

20-Year

Kris is a 20-year leader whose primary area of focus has been organizational leader for Westward 4-H.  She got involved in 4-H 31 years ago with the athletics program and then become a leader when her boys joined.  Kris stays motivated by seeing what all the kids can learn and achieve through their journey.  Outside of 4-H, she is active in her church and loves spending time with family.  To Kris the most important aspect of being a leader is the friendships she has built and being able to work with members and their families.

30-Year

Tara is a 30-year leader who started out as a Resource Leader but 12 years ago began the Blazing Clovers 4-H Club.  She got her start in volunteering from her own 4-H experience and the influence of her mom, who also served in the role of Organizational Leader.  Tara stays motivated through the program by watching the growth and development of the 4-H members and seeing them recognized for their efforts.  Outside of 4-H, Tara is active with her church and enjoys spending time with family and traveling to livestock shows.  The most important aspect of being a leader to Tara is assisting the members to reach their goals.  Her actions, values and dedication inspire them to strive for excellence and embody the positive qualities of leadership.  Being a leader isn’t just about teaching skills; it’s about fostering growth, building character, and masking a lasting impression on young lives.

Bill Erickson Outstanding Leader Award

We would also like to take a moment to recognize the Bill Erickson Outstanding Leader of the Year.  This award is given by the Weld County 4-H Foundation and is in honor of Bill Erickson.  Bill served as a volunteer leader in Weld County 4-H for over 65 years. During that time, Bill impacted the lives of thousands of youth by encouraging and teaching them life skills through positive youth development. His legacy as a diligent and dedicated volunteer with a passion for service to 4-H is what this award is all about.    The recipient was recognized at the 4-H Recognition Night in October and will be receiving their plaque tonight.  Congratulations Matt Carroll.

Matt is a dedicated leader through the Horse Program, going above and beyond to be sure that all youth feel welcomed.  He helps with numerous workshops and events, encourages youth in all they do, and steps up to whatever needs to be done.  Thank you, Matt, for your continued dedication to the 4-H program and congratulations again.

15-Year

Luke and Tami Arnold are 15-year leaders serving as project leaders and organizational leaders.  They both have been involved in 4-H from the time they were members themselves.  Their start as leaders began in Boulder County and then eventually came back to Weld County once their daughter became involved.  They have stayed motivated by seeing the growth in the kids and watching them try new things.  Seeing them step outside their comfort zone and realize their potential is a bonus.  Both are highly active outside of 4-H with Miniature Hereford Association, FFA, and the Weld County 4-H Foundation.  Tami’s grandfather, Bill Frank, was a founding member of the Weld County 4-H Foundation and she is honored to carry on his legacy.  In their free time they serve as their daughter’s driver to shows, love to travel, but their top priority is spending time with their family.  The most important aspect of being leaders is helping youth grow to their full potential and seeing them succeed.  They consider all the members as their “kids” and enjoy watching them grow into successful adults.

Michele Erickson is a 15-year leader project leader through Crow Creek 4-H.  She has historically assisted with the Beef project, helping kids as needed through their experience.  Both of Michele’s daughters were involved in 4-H and graduated from the program.

Mark Karns is a 15-year leader and a project leader in Shooting Sports.  He got his start in 4-H as a member himself and when his own kids were old enough enrolling them in the program.  Mark has since become actively involved in Shooting Sports as a Key Leader and still serves even though his kids have aged out of the program.  He stays motivated by being able to give back to an organization that impacted him greatly and serving as a mentor to the youth.  Outside of 4-H Mark loves model railroading, woodworking, and skiing.  The most important aspect of being a leader to him is teaching youth a skill and then seeing them apply that skill in a positive way.

Mary Ellen LeBlanc is a 15-year leader and Organizational Leader of Tailtwisters 4-H.  Mary Ellen got her start in 4-H as a member herself and then served in college on the Fair Board.  She then took a little time off and got her son Cody involved in 4-H when he was 8 and became an organizational leader, which she has loved.  She stays motivated as a leader by the love that comes from all the kids, parents and guardians when she walks into any 4-H event.  She truly believes that 4-H makes the best better.  Outside of 4-H Mary Ellen is involved in numerous organizations including Hope at the Miracle House, Booster Club, and Ft. Lupton Chamber of Commerce.   She also enjoys swimming, reading, crafting, and planning events.  The most important aspect of being a leader to her is being a part of the kids’ lives and watching them learn and grow.

Troy Schnug is a 15-year project leader for Shooting Sports.  He got his start as a leader through the club in Grover as there was not a Shooting Sports project leader and he wanted to do what he could to build the program.  His primary area of focus has been safety within Shooting Sports, making sure that all youth were following guidelines and procedures; followed by fun and competition.  Troy has stayed motivated by providing an opportunity for youth to learn to shoot safely and to share his own knowledge.  Outside of 4-H Troy has served on multiple boards, Grover Community Club, enjoys training horses, shooting, and camping.  The most important aspect of being a leader to him is helping the kids and watching them grow into amazing adults.

20-Year

Ray is a 20-year leader and project leader in Shooting Sports.  He became involved in the program when his oldest son joined and began volunteering with Shooting Sports.  He enjoys watching the youth realize what they can accomplish when given the opportunity.  Ray also loves the challenge of trying to make the program even better.  Outside of 4-H Ray is involved in his church bible study group, hunting, mountain biking and wind surfing.  The most important aspect of being a leader for him is recognizing the best outcomes come from working together, even if opinions are different.

Ty is a 20-year leader with the Wagoneers 4-H Club. He has served as a project leader for swine, shotgun, and leathercraft projects; and assisted his wife, Tara, wo was an organizational leader.  Ty believes it is important for kids to have an outlet that allows them to experience agriculture, and he sees 4-H as one way to help them stay connected to the ag industry. He is a former youth football and basketball coach, and served on the board for the Cardinal Community Academy charter school. He says that 4-H has made their family who they are and is part of their identity.

Bill Erickson Award

The 4-H Foundation recognizes the winner of the Bill Erickson Leader Award.  This award is given by the Weld County 4-H Foundation and is in honor of Bill Erickson.  Bill served as a volunteer leader in Weld County 4-H for over 65 years. During that time, Bill impacted the lives of thousands of youth by encouraging and teaching them life skills through positive youth development. His legacy as a diligent and dedicated volunteer with a passion for service to 4-H is what this award is all about.    Congratulations Randy Jacobucci on being the recipient this year!

15-Year

Troy Haave is a 15-year horse leader in Crow Creek 4-H.  He began his career as a volunteer when the 4-H club needed a horse leader to assist the kids with their projects.  From there, his kids have kept him motivated to stay involved and continue to help each year.  The most important aspect of being a leader to Troy is being able to use the knowledge that he has gained over the years and pass it along to members and parents.

Shani McBride is a 15-year leader through Severance 4-H.  She was a 10 year member herself and knew when her daughter turned 8 that becoming involved at a higher level was her calling.  She served as an Organizational Leader and in her more recent years a Dairy Cattle Resource Leader and member of the Dairy Council.  Shani has stayed motivated to volunteer because of her love for kids and cows – she loves to connect with the youth about something she is passionate about.  Outside of 4-H, Shani is involved with the Weld County Dairyman, Windsor-Severance FFA, dancing and traveling.  To her the most important part of being a leader is knowing that she was a small part of a child’s life and the hope that she has made a difference.

Kris Stevens is a 15-year leader and Organizational Leader of Valley Ag 4-H.  Along with her role as Organizational Leader, Kris has also served as a group leader for the Greeley/LaSalle CWF, helping numerous youth fundraise for their once in a lifetime CWF trip.  Along with this, Kris has served as a chaperone on these trips, taking it one step farther to see the kids gain additional leadership and 4-H experience.

Kelly Seelhoff is a 15-year leader and Organizational Leader of Wranglers 4-H.  Kelly got her start in 4-H when her daughters joined and was asked to help be a project leader; a year later she started her own club.  Not only is Kelly a club leader but she is the Key Leader for Scrapbooking, member of Leader’s Council, the Colorado State Cloverleaf group and was recognized ass the 2015 Salute to Excellence National 4-H Volunteer.  Her greatest motivation is being able to guide members by developing a relationship with the youth and seeing the young, shy members grow and mature into confident adults.  Outside of 4-H she is involved in multiple scrapbooking groups and project swap clubs. To Kelly the most important aspect of being a leader is the relationships she has formed and the friends she has made.

Tina Dill is a 15-year leader and Organizational Leader of Drylanders 4-H.  She got her start as a leader when her daughter was a Cloverbud and there wasn’t a club close by.  Her daughter has now been out of 4-H for five years but she still finds the passion to continue as a club leader.  Tina stays motivated in her role by being able to give wisdom to the 4-H kids and impacting the development as they grow into young adults.  This includes teaching them about life skills and learning leadership so they become great citizens.  Outside of 4-H Tina enjoys spending time with family, camping and 4-wheeling.  To her, the most important part of being a leader is being a role model for the members and seeing them grow through their 4-H career and transition into respectable adults.  

Ann Gebauer is 15-year leader in Grover Guys N Gals 4-H.  Through her years, she has served as an Organizational Leader and Project Leader.  She enjoys seeing the members find a passion and working to better themselves through 4-H.  Outside of 4-H Ann is involved with her Church and enjoys being with family, her farm life, learning new things and reading.  To her, helping youth find a direction in their lives and being able to become an agriculture advocate are the most important aspects of being a leader.

Aaron Helus is a 15-year and has served as a Resource Leader, primarily for the Goat Project.  Aaron was a member growing up and naturally transitioned into a leader role when he aged out.  He has been  a Superintendent of the Goat Show for numerous years and has served on the Goat Extravaganza Committee and Weld County Fairboard.  Along with these roles, Aaron has been a group leader for Kersey CWF and served as a chaperone for many CWF trips.  He is able to forge a connection with the youth that fosters respect and demonstrates the full benefits that can be achieved through 4-H.

20 and 25-Year

Jennifer Seltzer is a 20-year leader through the Crow Creek 4-H Club.  She grew up in the 4-H program being a 15 year member and when her children joined 4-H she took the natural step to become a leader along with member of the Fairboard.  Jennifer has primarily served as a project leader in goats and horses, offering her years of knowledge to anyone who needs help.  She stays motivated as a leader by focusing on the kids – the program is about them and seeing them grown through the program, learn new things and have fun along the way.  Outside of 4-H Jennifer is involved in AQHA, Paint Horse Association, American Boer Goat Association, Colorado Boer Goat Association and enjoys reading, crafting and gardening.  To her the most important part about being a leader is understanding the needs of the members and helping them reach their goals.

Donald and Rita Johnston are 20-year leaders in Grover Guys N Gals 4-H Club.  Both of them were 10 year members of Weld County 4-H and found it a passion to stay involved with the program.  Rita has been an Organizational Leader for 11 years while also being a project leader in areas such as clothing, foods, cake decorating and rabbits.  Donald has been a Goat Superintendent for 18 years and served on the Weld County Fairboard for 8 years.  Both feel it’s a great feeling to watch the kids grow through the program and remembering, the program is for the kids and about the kids.   Outside of 4-H, they enjoy spending time with family and showing livestock at other shows.  Youth development, community service, and helping the members have the very best 4-H experience they can are the most important aspects of being a leader to them.

Bryan Hogsett is a 20-year leader and Amy Hogsett is a 25-year leader primarily serving as project leaders.  Amy was an 11 year member of Weld County 4-H and became a cake decorating leader upon aging out, something she is still actively involved with today.  Bryan took the leap to become a leader after seeing Amy’s involvement and being encouraged by the Extension Agent to sign up to help with Sports Fishing.  Both Amy and Bryan enjoy helping the youth learn life skills and gain talents they can use as they continue in their lives along with finding success with what they learn.   Outside of 4-H, Bryan is a Hunter Educational Instructor and enjoys hunting and fishing; Amy is a teacher by trade and enjoys cooking, baking, cake decorating, and spending time outdoors.  Amy and Bryan find helping members grow and gain confidence as the most important parts of being leaders.

30-Year

Kim Miller is a 30-year leader who has primarily served as a project leader.  She began her leader career when her oldest joined Cloverbuds at the age of 7 and has been involved ever since.  Kim has been the Key Leader for Poultry and is a Certified Leader in Archery, also serving on the Shooting Sports Council.  She loves working with the members and watching them grow through their 4-H experience.  Outside of 4-H, Kim enjoys camping and spending time with her family.  To her, the most important part of being a leader is teaching the members.

15-Year

Brechen Santeramo has been a leader for 15 years with her primary role being Organizational Leader for Calico N Jeans.  When she first began, there were 8 members enrolled in the club and over her years of involvement she cannot recall the last time it was under 40 youth.  Brechen loves that she can not only teach the youth but have the youth teach her; she has become motivated by their drive and dedication which gives her hope for the future.  She strives to be a role model for all the youth in her club and be a support for all they do.  Outside of 4-H, Brechen is involved with school board, is a music therapist, plays piano and guitar, just to name a few, and loves to read, play with her dogs, and serve others.

Corey Rupple began his leader career 15 years ago when his daughters became involved in the program.  From his initial involvement he has since become an Organizational Leader for Prospectors 4-H and group leader for Weld Central CWF.  Corey stays motivated by watching the kids grow their skills and work towards their life goals.  He has developed many friendships with the families in the program, making friends more like family.  Outside of 4-H, Corey is involved in Farm Bureau, enjoys hunting and fishing, and spending time with his family.

Michelle Hays got her inspiration to be a 4-H leader from the great leaders she had as a member.  She has been a leader for 15 years and started as a Cloverbud leader and has since become an Organizational Leader of Wyatt Ag.  As Organizational Leader, she still holds a passion for Cloverbuds but has also helped with Foods and Nutrition and Model Rocketry.  For Michelle, being a leader isn’t the same for everyone; she strives to include all members, encourage them to think on their own, and be a listening ear for all.  Outside of 4-H, Michelle enjoys reading, quilting, knitting and raising chickens and sheep with her family.

Mike and Amy Frink have both been volunteers in Weld County for 15 years.  Amy is currently serving as an Organizational Leader for Wyatt Ag, giving her the opportunity to be a mentor many youth.  Both Mike and Amy are sheep project leaders, recognizing the importance of agriculture in the community.  Mike has also been actively involved in Sale Committee, Livestock Committee, and Fairboard.  All three of their children have been through the program, giving more recognition of what the 4-H program has to offer. 

Leslie Baumgartner is a 15-year leader in Weld County.  She got her start as being a Cloverbud leader and loved being able to provide learning opportunities for the younger members.  In her time, she has found a passion for the 4-H Dog project but will help wherever needed.  She finds her motivation by helping kids learn and grow in what they are passionate about.  Outside of 4-H, Leslie is involved with wrestling with her sons, and loves doing anything with family, especially being outdoors.

Bill Stevens has been a leader in Weld County for 15 years and began his involvement as his mom was also a leader.  He has been a resource leader at the club level and has served as an advisor for the Youth Executive Council for many years.  Bill enjoys working with the youth and watching them grow into young adults during their involvement.  The most important aspect of being a leader is being able to help the youth and the friendships that develop along the way.  Outside of 4-H Bill is involved in Valley High School, Valley FFA, Colorado Farm Show and Demolition Derby Committee. 

25-Year

Tara Dreiling has been an active leader of 4-H for 25 years.  When the club leader was stepping down, Tara took the charge to take over the role and keep the club going for the future.  As an Organizational Leader of Wagoneers, Tara not only wanted the club to have monthly meetings but to go beyond that with camping, building rockets, working at the Food Bank and organizing their annual Trick or Treat Street.  The experiences, the people, the life-long skills, the memories, teaching to give back and always making the best better are some of the most important aspects of being a leader to Tara.  She says “It doesn’t get better than that.”  Outside of 4-H, Tara is involved with the Keenesburg Fair Board and collects Golden Books and Little Women’s items.

30-Year

Larry Rodenburg has been a 4-H Leader for 30 years, serving in numerous roles.   Many know Larry as an Organizational Leader for Crow Creek and group leader for Briggsdale CWF.  Larry has taken countless trips with youth to the CWF conference serving as chaperone.  He has also assisted with projects focusing on Woodworking and Electronics.  Larry’s motivation lays in knowing that 4-H has played a part in member’s success and their futures; seeing that 4-H has truly made a difference an impact on their lives.  Outside of 4-H, Larry has been involved with Briggsdale Fire Department, church, woodworking, fishing and gardening.

Regan Romero got his start as a 4-H volunteer when he and Father Peter at St. Peter’s Catholic Church started a community 4-H garden club called The City Slickers.  He has since completed 30 years as a volunteer.  Regan promotes 4-H by reaching out to all people and letting them know that 4-H is not just about Ag projects.  He helped deliver 4-H Tech Wizards at the Rodarte Center and provides a lot of behind-the-scenes work for the Food Booth at County Fair.

Phil Rouse's 30-year 4-H leader career began when then 4-H Agent, Mark Cronquist, asked if Phil would be interested in leading the Model Rocketry Program when the previous leader retired. It is especially satisfying to watch the kids finish their 10 years in 4-H. In 2014 Phil was the recipient of the Colorado 4-H Raleigh Brooks Outstanding Leader Award. He is currently retired after having spent 30 years in education mostly working in vocational and technical education.   

35-Year

Teresa Johnson has been a leader in Weld County for 35 years with her primary focus being the Horse Program.  She is the coach for Horse Bowl and Hippology, Key Leader for the Horse Project, and Superintendent of the Horse Show.  Teresa stays motived by watching the kids grow into amazing and successful adults.  She serves as a listening ear to all and has become a role model for many youth throughout her 35 years.  Outside of 4-H, Tesesa is involved in Appaloosa Clubs, FFA, Church, reading, travel and spending time with her family.   
 

45-Year

Judy Stevens was a 45-year volunteer leader in Weld County 4-H and was known by all.  Her motivation for the youth came from helping good kids stay good and finding the positive in all.  She began her leadership as an Organizational Leader for LaSalle 4-H Club and served as leader for 18 years.  In recent years, she was a resource leader who helped with gardening, cake decorating, and clothing projects, Leader’s Food Booth, and Jr. Leadership Greeley.  In December of last year, Judy passed away and our program truly lost a great and influential leader. 

15-Year

Jodi Corliss is a 15-year leader of the Centennial Clovers 4-H Club.  She began her volunteer career after her own kids joined 4-H and she felt the calling to volunteer within the program. Jodi is kept motivated in her role by knowing the youth are our future and she has an opportunity to help them find their own passions in life.  Outside of her 4-H role, Jodi volunteers through her church and Operation Christmas Shoe Box.  She also finds time to garden, craft and spend time outdoors with her family fishing on the boat in the summer and ice fishing in the winter.

Bev Sigmon is a 15-year leader and Organizational Leader of Centennial Clovers 4-H.  She got her start as a leader when another leader stepped down from that role.  Bev stays motivated in her role by knowing that the youth see her as more than a club leader but instead a role model they can look up to.  Bev loves watching the members grow through their 4-H involvement and seeing the excitement from their accomplishments.  Outside of 4-H, Bev enjoys camping, scrapbooking, gardening and recently has started exploring abandoned cemeteries and towns – the history with these is amazing!

20-Year

Clare is the first of our 20-year leaders from last year.  Clare became a leader as she wanted her children to see the positive values that 4-H has to offer.  She has been an Organizational Leader, project leader, and resource leader throughout her years of service.  Clare was also involved with Jr. Leadership Greeley, a program geared towards youth in 8^th grade across the Greeley area.  The most important aspect of being a leader has been watching the youth grow and become confident in what they are doing.  Outside of 4-H, Clare is involved in her church and loves to cook and bake.

Clint and Casey Sidwell have both volunteered in the 4-H project for 20 years.  Clint has served as a project leader for beef and Casey has been a project leader for beef and sheep.  Casey was also an Organizational Leader for many years, providing another avenue to help grow youth.  Both Clint and Casey were involved in 4-H growing up and contribute 4-H as being one of the most significant activities they were involved in.  Clint and Casey live near Gill where they farm and ranch and are seed stock growers. 

Pat Kindvall began as a 4-H leader when her son, Tim, became a member – and she hasn’t stopped since!  She is a 45-year leader who began as a volleyball coach, progressed to being a project leader, and later assumed organizational leader duties with the Galeton 4-H club.  She has been a chaperone on seven Citizenship Washington Focus trips, works with the Fair’s Royalty Committee as a member of the Fair Board and serves as an advisor for Youth Exec Council.  Her drive is giving the youth the opportunity to learn new skills and take leadership of events and activities.  Pat likes to read, knit and crochet, and take part in the life of her kids and grandchildren

Steven Miller is a 15-year leader and got his start as a leader after being an 11-year member of the program.  He has found his passion in helping youth through Shooting Sports focusing on Archery, Muzzleloading, Shotgun and Rifle.  Steven is also a Poultry leader and serves as a co-superintendent at County Fair.  He finds his drive by seeing the kids learn and succeed throughout their projects.  Outside of his 4-H involvement, Steven loves to go hunting, fishing, camping and 4-wheeeling.

15-Year

Vermeda Gerkin is a 15-year leader, starting with the Hudson Shamrocks 4-H club and currently helps lead livestock and Cloverbud projects in the Westward 4-H club. She has also contributed her time to the Leaders Council. Vermeda sees 4-H as one of the most well-rounded youth development programs and wanted her kids to be involved and have the 4-H experience. Her motivation to continue as a leader comes from the smiles on the kids faces and seeing younger and older youth interact in a positive way. In her spare time, Vermeda enjoys art, riding horses, and gardening while keeping life simple and old-fashioned. Vermeda has worked as an appraiser for the Weld County Assessor’s department for the past 19 years.

Kris Elliott started providing volunteer service in 1993 as the 4-H Athletics Coordinator, but it was 15 years ago when she became a certified leader. She is affiliated with the Westward 4-H club, beginning as a resource leader, and presently serving as the organizational leader. She also served for about 10 years on the 4-H Leader’s Council. Kris enjoys watching kids grow and mature in 4-H and appreciates the way 4-H develops their leadership and character. She has a passion for kids and loves to be a part of helping them find their direction. Outside of 4-H, she is also involved with her church’s AWANA program and has given of her time in support of the Platte Valley FFA chapter. Kris has been an administrative assistant for an accounting firm for 28 years.  She and her husband, Phil, live in Kersey. They enjoy family activities and being a part of their children and grandchildren’s lives.

25-Year


Tara Rumsey has been a 4-H volunteer leader for 25-years. She grew up in the Adams County 4-H program and got started as a leader when her mother started a new club and needed her help as a resource leader. Tara is currently the organizational leader for the Blazing Clovers 4-H club, which she says has grown by leaps & bounds. She loves to see kids succeed and tries to make their experience fun as well as educational. Each month her club does an educational tour for members to learn about new and various businesses in the community. Tara says she is all about leadership and helps instill this life-skill in her members. Tara is quick to point out that adults can also learn from 4-H and notes that she learns something new every time a member does a project demonstration. Tara works for Nutrient Ag Solutions. She is married to Justin and they have two children, Emily & TJ.

35-Year

Twila Klussman began as a 4-H volunteer in 1983 when she signed on to be the Foods & Nutrition leader with the Best in the West 4-H Club in Windsor. Later she moved to Eaton and started the Eaton Country Critters 4-H club serving as its organizational leader. She credits Carol Schneider and Pat Kindvall with mentoring her and helping get her connected and involved in leader meetings on the local, state, and regional levels. Twila appreciates the many opportunities 4-H provides for youth to be involved with. One of her favorites is the Citizenship Washington Focus program, noting that she chaperoned nine different trips over a 27-year period. Twila has been a volunteer leader for 35 years and says she has loved working with young people and watching them succeed in meeting their goals. Her hobbies include reading and watching the Colorado Rockies baseball games. Twila lives in Eaton and is retired after working for State Farm Insurance.

15-Year

Debbie Trupp is a 15-year leader with Magic Spurs 4-H. She began volunteering by assisting as a project leader for Family & Consumer Science projects, later adding livestock projects. She has also been the Washington Focus group leader in her area. Debbie’s inspiration to serve as a leader is rooted in her memories of how much she and her children got out of 4-H and she wants others to have that same opportunity. She says that 4-H activities and events are the source of some of their best family memories. Debbie enjoys traveling and time with her family; reading, knitting, and baking. She is a member of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary in Keenesburg, and was on the board of the Cardinal Community Charter School. Debbie and her husband, Kerry, farm near Roggen. She does book work at the farm and at the American Legion, and she is the Event Coordinator at the SE Weld Fairgrounds.

Stuart Gebauer was a 10-year 4-H member and began volunteering while in college, serving as a coach for the Weld 4-H Horse Bowl and Hippology teams. Later, when his kids started 4-H, he signed on as a shooting sports project leader with Galeton 4-H, and has more recently become a co-organizational leader of the club. He likes watching youth develop, and notes that despite some of the competitive distractions that can sometimes surface he stays enthused by seeing the new kids who join 4-H and helping guide them into projects. Stuart is a past member, and President, of the Weld County Fair Board, and the Weld County Extension Advisory Council. He was an elder at his church, and is a member of the Eaton Sertoma Club. Stuart and his wife, Stephanie, live near Galeton.  He has been in the animal feed industry for 25 years and enjoys traveling, hunting & fishing, motorcycles, and mission trips.

Ty Dreiling is a 15-year leader with the Wagoneers 4-H Club. He has served as a project leader for swine, shotgun, and leathercraft projects; and assists his wife, Tara, with organizational leader duties. Ty believes it is important for kids to have an outlet that allows them to experience agriculture, and he sees 4-H as one way to help them stay connected to the ag industry. He is a former youth football and basketball coach, and served on the board for the Cardinal Community Academy charter school. He is on the board for the SE Weld County Fair, and is a member of the Prospect Valley & Horse Creek gun club. Ty enjoys family trips, especially to Mexico, and watching the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Broncos. He says that 4-H has made their family who they are and is part of their identity. He has been farming in the Hudson/Fort Lupton area for the past 30 years.

Ray Sagehorn is a shooting sports project leader with the Tailtwisters 4-H Club, focusing on air rifle, 22, and air pistol disciplines. He remembers growing up in 4-H himself, and he wanted to have his kids in the program too. As a 15-year leader, Ray still enjoys watching the first-year shooting sports member come to the line with their rifle for the first time and seeing the pride and satisfaction that it gives them. His enjoyment continues as he watches them progress and mature through the years. Ray is active in his church, and takes pleasure in mountain biking, snow skiing, hunting, and spending time with family. He and his wife, Ursula, live near Fort Lupton where he has maintained a large animal veterinary practice for 31 years.

20-Year

Beverly Rodenburg is a 20-year leader with the Crow Creek 4-H Club.

Amy Cooksey remembers helping as a project leader in her father’s club in Boulder County while she was in college. Now, a 20-year organizational leader of Magic Spurs 4-H, Amy remembers how much she learned as a 4-H member and likes to be able to pass that knowledge on to other kids. In addition to her organizational leader duties, Amy has served as a Cloverbud leader and project leader for Family & Consumer Science projects. She is appreciative of the lifelong connections she has made in 4-H, both as a member and leader. Outside of 4-H, Amy is a member of the Kiowa Creek Community Church and the Weld County Extension Advisory Council, plus she assists at the SE Weld County Fair. In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, scrapbooking, cooking, and going to cattle shows with her family. Amy and her husband, Jeff, live near Roggen where they farm and ranch.

Dave Marvin became a 4-H leader when his children enrolled as members, signing up to lead in the projects that they were taking. This included Beef, Goats, Swine, Dairy, and Shooting Sports. He also spent time helping fundraise for the Washington Focus trips. Now a 20-year leader with the Keene 4-H Boosters, Dave reflects on all the good his kids got out of 4-H and he stays involved as a way to give back to the program. He appreciates the discipline and good behavior shown by 4-H kids in general. Dave is involved with the Weld Central FFA and is a sponsor of the Catch-it Goat program that is starting at the SE Weld County Fair this year. He enjoys working around the house, taking part in shooting sports, and breeding & raising goats in partnership with his daughter Sarah. Dave has been employed in machine maintenance for 38 years. He and his wife, Claudia, live east of Fort Lupton.

65-Year

If records for tenure as a 4-H volunteer leader were kept, Bill Erickson would certainly be among the top in the nation. Bill has served as a Weld County 4-H volunteer for 65 years with the Galeton 4-H club. He has also been extensively involved in the Weld 4-H Leaders Council, Colorado State Leaders Council where he served as President, and the Western Regional 4-H Council. He remembers being a Junior Leader while he was a 4-H member, and then progressing directly into an adult volunteer leader. He says that it is because of the people he has worked with, both youth and adults, that he has stayed motivated and active as a leader over the years. His advice to other volunteers is that you can’t do it all by yourself; you need to get people working with you whatever you are doing. Bill and his family have hosted numerous exchange students over the years. He has seven grand-children and two great grand-children – however he considers all the kids in the county to be his grand kids. Bill has been involved as a dairyman and farmer for all his life. His roots in Weld County go back to the 1860’s and 70’s when Greeley was still the Union Colony. His great grandfather fought in the Civil War. To say that he has been dedicated and committed to Weld County and the 4-H program would be an understatement. This past Monday, considering his 65 years as a 4-H volunteer, the Weld County Commissioners issued a proclamation declaring Monday, April 23^rd, as Bill Erickson Day.  The proclamation reads as follows:

WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners wishes to formally recognize the service of Bill Erickson, Galeton, for his outstanding dedication to the Weld County 4-H program; and

WHEREAS, Bill Erickson has devoted sixty-five (65) years of volunteer service to Weld County 4-H and the Galeton 4-H Club; and

WHEREAS, he has impacted thousands of youth in Weld County by encouraging and teaching them life skills through positive youth development; and

WHEREAS, his diligent and dedicated service as a volunteer leader is a great example of his legacy that will provide inspiration to all who aspire to contribute to the well-being of all Weld County youth.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED by the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, that the Board appreciates the passion, loyalty, vision, honesty, dedication and service Bill Erickson has demonstrated to Weld County, and do hereby declare that Monday, April 23, 2018, be known as William “Bill” Erickson Day.

15-Year

Rita Johnston is a 15-year leader with the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H club.  She is a project leader for a variety of projects, and has helped at the county level with Self-Development Night, Style Review, and Interview Judging.  Her husband, Donald Johnston, is also a 15-year leader with the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H. Donald is a leader for Goats, Sheep, and Gardening.  He served for eight years on the Weld County Fair Board, and for 13 years as superintendent of the Goat show.   Rita says it’s a wonderful thing to watch 4-H members grow into confident leaders in their club, school, and community, and to feel that she helped them in that  process in a small way. Her hobbies include traveling, singing with the Prairie Songbirds choir, showing goats, and various crafts. Rita has been employed in the information technology industry for 33 years. Presently she is a self-employed software application developer and consultant, while also serving as the Secretary of the Weld County Meat Goat Breeders.  Donald says 4-H is all about the kids to him, and he wants to help every kid have the very best 4-H experience possible. He includes showing Boer goats and helping with 4-H and FFA activities as his hobbies. He has been the Director of Maintenance and Transportation at Pawnee High School for the past seven years. Donald is one of the organizers of the Briggsdale Classic Livestock Show, a member of the American Boer Goat  Association, and President of the Weld County Meat Goat Breeders since 2010. He and Rita operate a ranch, raising cattle & goats, south of Grover.

Jennifer Seltzer is a 15-year leader who became involved when her children started 4-H. She’s a Horse and Goat project leader with Crow Creek 4-H. She has coached Horse Judging teams with both 4-H and FFA, and has assisted with 4-H Horse Bowl and Hippology.  For Jennifer and her family, 4-H is not just about helping kids, it’s about helping families.  Jennifer is a member of the Weld County Fair Board, 4-H Horse Council, Weld County Meat Goat Breeders, and the American Quarter Horse and American Boer Goat associations. For pleasure, she likes scrapbooking, reading, and antiquing. Jennifer is a housewife and substitute teacher, and lives east of Briggsdale with her husband, Tim.

Claudia Marvin started working with the Cloverbuds in her club, and after several months of helping out, it was suggested she become a leader.  Since then, she has also served as project leader for Goats, Market Beef, Child Development, and Leadership projects. A 15-year leader with Keene 4-H Boosters, Claudia says it’s easy to stay motivated as a 4-H leader because of the enthusiasm of the youth when they start a new project, and when sharing with them the endless opportunities they can explore during their 4-H career.  Aside from 4-H, Claudia has served as a youth group leader in her church, volunteered for various FFA events, and actively participates in school events. In her free time, she works with their goat herd (which started as her kids 4-H project!), and refinishes and repurposes antiques. Claudia has worked for the school district for 14 years, and is currently the office Secretary at  Hudson Academy. She and her husband, Dave, live east of Ft. Lupton.

15 / 20-Year

Bryan Hogsett is a 15-year leader with Galeton 4-H, who got his start when former 4-H Agent, Mark Cronquist, tapped into his hobby of fishing and asked him to be a key leader for the new Sports Fishing project. His wife, Amy Hogsett was already an active volunteer, and is herself a 20-year leader. Amy wanted to continue to help members learn about Cake Decorating, and former 4-H Agent, Carol Schneider, told her the best way to do that was to become a leader.  Bryan has served as a Police Officer for 13 years, and is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife Hunter Education instructor and member of the University of Northern Colorado Color Guard. Amy has worked for Eaton school district as a teacher for 18 years. She is a youth leader and Sunday School teacher at their church, and sponsor for the Eaton Middle School’s Chess and Maker clubs.   Bryan and Amy say that the enjoyment they get out of helping kids learn new things, and seeing how 4-H can help them become more than they had ever expected, provides the inspiration that keeps them going as 4-H leaders.  They live east of Eaton and enjoy hunting, fishing, camping, and spending time with their family.

20-Year

Jerry Haffner got his start as a 20-year leader by serving as a coach for the Hudson Shamrock 4-H club’s basketball team.  He went on to be the club’s organizational leader as well as project leader for shooting sports, goat, and beef projects. Jerry says that 4-H has given him great opportunities to meet and work with many great kids. He has also enjoyed getting to know, and work with, other 4-H volunteers.  Jerry lists raising Boer goats and gardening among his special interests.  He is a member of the South East Weld County Fair Board, spends time with both the Weld Central School and Weld Central FFA booster clubs, and is involved in several other community projects. Jerry has worked on telephone systems for the State of Colorado for 38 years. He and his wife, Sherry, live south of Hudson.

25-Year

Kim Miller is a 25-year leader - first with the Keene 4-H Boosters and currently with the Tailtwisters 4-H club. She began volunteering when her son started as a Cloverbud member, and has gone on to become a certified shooting sports instructor for Archery, and has helped with the Ceramic, Poultry, and Rabbit projects. For the past five years she has served as the Poultry Superintendent at the Weld County Fair. Kim enjoys working with the 4-H kids and watching them grow through their 4-H involvement. She enjoys raising poultry and going to poultry shows, camping, and four-wheeling with her family. Besides 4-H, she has also served as a Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader. Kim and her family live in Hudson.

35-Year

Dorothy has volunteered and served the 4-H community for 35 years.  She became a project leader when her daughter, Julie, started 4-H.  In addition to helping members with their projects, Dorothy notes she too gained knowledge and improved her skills by attending 4-H workshops and trainings. Dorothy has served in numerous leadership roles including organizational leader; Leader’s Council; Fair superintendent; and County resource leader for the Foods project.   Dorothy is involved with the local Family & Community Education (FCE) Club, serving as Secretary.  This club does several community service projects including giving books to newborns at North Colorado Medical Center; and donating supplies to support A Woman’s Place in Greeley. She is also the program coordinator for the State FCE Board, and a liaison for FCE on the Colorado Extension Advisory Council. Further, she is Secretary for the Colorado Master Farm Homemakers Guild, and Vice-President and International Chairperson for the National Master Farm.

15-Year

Lynn Walter has served as both a resource and project leader for 15 years, primarily for shooting sports and market goats.  It was her children’s involvement in 4-H that got Lynn started as a volunteer.  Her motivation to continue as a leader stems from watching kids learn and succeed.  She says that it is especially fulfilling when you can sense that the kids feel their success. Aside from 4-H, Lynn enjoys participating in other archery programs, and is a member of the Poudre River Volunteers. Her hobbies include horses, travel, and spending time with grandkids.

A friend of Tara’s started a club and asked her help and, as they say, the rest is history!  Tara Dreiling started as a project leader, but quickly became the club’s organizational leader – and has been at it for 15 years. Tara appreciates watching families in 4-H develop close bonds, and seeing kids develop self-esteem.  While most of her volunteer hours go towards her work with the Wagoneers 4-H club, she also gives time to her church, working with the homeless, and the Weld Food Bank. Her passion is people, and she loves creating new friendships and maintaining old ones.  For 20 years, Tara has owned and operated a consignment shop in Keenesburg.

Jason remembers how others helped him during his 4-H career, so he became a volunteer in order to give back to others.  He has been a project leader with the Wyatt Ag 4-H club for beef, sheep, and swine, and also helped coach 4-H basketball.  His enjoyment for the past 15 years has been watching the new, novice 4-H member with little knowledge or skill progress to be competitive and skilled in their abilities. Outside of 4-H Jason is a member of the National Swine Registry and a board member of the National Hampshire Sheep Association.  When he’s not attending livestock shows, he enjoys golfing and following sports.  Jason and his family farm near Ault, and raise and sell breeding stock including club pigs and lambs.

Darin Naibauer was himself a member of 4-H, and once his kids became involved he volunteered as a leader. He has served as a leader for the shooting sports project with Box Elder Ag for 15 years. Darin gets  satisfaction watching 4-H kids learn and master new things. Along with his wife, Kathy, he worked as part of the committee that founded the Weld County Goat Extravaganza. In his free time, Darin enjoys riding horses, rodeos, and team roping.  He lives near Kersey and has been the operations manager for Central Weld County Water District for 16 years.

Becoming a 4-H leader was a natural progression for Clint Sidwell since his parents were both leaders.  Together with his wife, Casey Sidwell, they are both 15-year leaders with Countryside Ag 4-H.  Clint has served as a project leader for beef, and helped coach 4-H softball. Casey is a project leader for sheep and beef, and currently is the co-organizational leader for the club.  Both have also spent many years helping to coach the Weld 4-H Livestock Judging program. Casey considers her involvement in 4-H, particularly livestock judging, to be the most significant activity she participated in as a kid, and she is glad to be able to share her knowledge with others. Clint notes that 4-H provided him with so many opportunities that it’s hard not to give back to the organization. Both enjoy attending livestock shows with their sons.  Outside of 4-H, Clint serves on the Weld County Junior Livestock Sale Committee and is a past member of the Platte Valley FFA Advisory Board.  Casey is a regional director for the Continental Dorset Club, and a member of the Platte Valley School District Accountability Committee and FFA Ag Advisory Committee.  Clint and Casey live near Gill where they farm and ranch, and are seed stock growers.

25-Year

Larry Rodenburg is the Organizational leader for the Crow Creek 4-H Club.  He remembers starting out 25 years ago as a project leader for woodworking, electricity, entomology, and coaching sports. He has also enjoyed being a chaperone on multiple Citizenship Washington Focus trips.  He notes that as soon as one bunch of kid’s age out of the program, you are already involved with a new bunch and the fun starts all over again.  He enjoys woodworking and building scale model trains and wishes he had more time for fishing.  He is a firefighter and EMT for the Briggsdale Fire Department, and active on various school and church boards. Currently, he drives bus and is the food service director for the Briggsdale School district. 

Regan Romero got his start as a 4-H volunteer when he and Father Peter at St. Peter’s Catholic Church started a community 4-H garden club called The City Slickers.  He has since been a resource leader for the Bicycle project and has completed 25 years as a volunteer.  Regan promotes 4-H by reaching out to all people and letting them know that 4-H is not just about Ag projects.  He helped deliver 4-H Tech Wizards at the Rodarte Center, and provides a lot of behind-the-scenes work for the Food Booth at County Fair. Outside of 4-H, Regan is a representative for Union Local 1 at JBS.  He enjoys working on old cars and putting tons of lights on his 1948 Ford fire truck for local Christmas parades.

Phil Rouse's 25-year 4-H leader career began when then 4-H Agent, Mark Cronquist, asked if Phil would be interested in leading the Model Rocketry Program when the previous leader retired. He states that as we help 4-H members develop skills, planning and organizing their time is critical to their growth and development.  It is especially satisfying, Phil says, to watch the kids finish their 10 years in 4-H. In 2014 Phil was the recipient of the Colorado 4-H Raleigh Brooks Outstanding Leader Award. He is involved with a number of community groups including Eaton Lions Club, American Legion, VFW, Coast Guard Auxiliary, and 9-Health Fair. Phil and his wife Pat live in Eaton. He is currently retired after having spent 30 years in education mostly working in vocational and technical education. 

30-Year

Teresa Johnson began volunteering as a leader when the Hoofbeats 4-H Club contacted her about helping with the Horse project as a riding instructor.  Her 30 years as a leader has been focused on those involved in the Horse project, and has included coaching the Horse Bowl team, serving on the 4-H Horse Advisory Council, and being Superintendent of the Horse show at the Weld County Fair. She believes that 4-H volunteers make a difference in the lives of members, not through wins, but through the lessons learned in pursuing their goals.  Outside of 4-H, Teresa loves to read, travel, and show horses.  She is a member of the Platte Valley FFA Foundation, and the Mountain Plains and National Appaloosa Horse clubs. She has worked as a custom seamstress, a bus driver for Platte Valley Schools, and currently is the 4-H Events Coordinator with Weld County Extension.  She and her husband, Wayne, live in Greeley.

Lenny Simpson was looking for a way to stay involved in 4-H after his stint as a 4-H member.  So, he became a leader with the Wyatt Ag club as a coach and a livestock project leader and has been at it for 30 years.  Lenny believes that the competition 4-H offers in livestock mirrors real life and teaches youth responsibility and a work ethic that they will need later on in life.  He served on the Athletic Committee for six years and was swine superintendent at the County Fair for 15 years.  He has enjoyed watching the different generations of kids and their families become involved and grow up through 4-H.  He is on the board of the West Greeley Conservation District, and a member of the Eaton Country Club.  He enjoys golfing, target shooting, and following sports.  He lives northeast of Ault where he farms and raises show lambs and pigs.

40-Year

Judy Stevens has been a leader for 40 years.  Her motivation comes from helping good kids stay good, and tipping the scale on the positive side for those that may be on the borderline; plus the fantastic friendships she has made over the years.  She got her start when two other leaders wanted to step down from their roles in the LaSalle 4-H Club. She was organization leader for that club for 18 years.  Currently she is a resource leader, helping with gardening, cake decorating, and clothing projects, the Leader’s Food Booth at County Fair, and Junior Leadership Greeley.  Judy has served on the Leaders Council, Weld County Fair Board, and Weld County’s 150^th anniversary committee.  Judy was a cake decorator at Safeway for 10-1/2 years, attended Aims Community College to be an auto mechanic, and spent time babysitting grandkids.  She and Regan live on the outskirts of Greeley where she enjoys spending time with her kids and grandkids, working with her animals, painting and reading.

15-Year

Lauri Sutton is a 15-year leader.  She is a third-generation 4-Her, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother.  She has served as a project and organizational leader, and has been an active member of 4-H Leader’s Council. Lauri says that inspiring young 4-Hers to become active community members as adults is priceless. She enjoys helping other volunteers realize their abilities, and believes that when we help each other learn new skills our communities becomes stronger.  Lauri loves playing with robots, and has helped deliver the 4-H Tech Wizards program in Weld County for the past five years.  In addition to 4-H, she is a board member of the Gifts from the Heart organization, is part of the school booster club, directs community drama, volunteers at the Jesus Rodarte Center, and is the women’s ministry coordinator for the Living Hope Community Church in Ault.  She has owned a photography and children’s programming business for 20 years; and in her spare time likes to garden, and play guitar and piano.  She has been married to her husband, Douglas, for 24 years.

25-Year

4-H has always been a part of Patti Ogg’s life.  She grew up a member of 4-H in Louisiana, and has collected her 25-years as a 4-H leader in four states: Wyoming, Montana, Kansas, and now in Colorado. Patti’s first year as a volunteer started in Converse County, Wyoming, where she served as a bucket-calf leader.  Since then, she has been an activity leader; project leader for beef, sheep, and swine; and an organizational leader.  Patti recognizes the impact 4-H has had on her children, and feels that anyone willing to get involved in the leadership aspect of 4-H will reap benefits in any of their future endeavors. Patti likes to be in a supportive role where she can encourage kids to be active and compete in 4-H where they will realize their potential.  Aside from 4-H, Patti serves as a substitute teacher at Platte Valley Schools, is an FFA alumni, and is an active member of St. Mary’s church in Ault.  She has been married to her husband, Bill, for 36 years.

40-Year

Sometime about 38 years ago, Dale Pralle and his wife Judy were at a 4-H achievement program where leaders were being recognized for 30-years of service.  Judy recalls Dale saying “We’ll never be in 4-H that long!” He was right…it was longer!  Dale is a 40-year leader with the Tail Twisters 4-H club in Fort Lupton.  He became involved when his children joined 4-H, beginning as a sheep project leader, and later he and Judy taking over as organizational leaders.  Working with the kids has made his time as a volunteer worth it.  Looking back, Dale is especially proud of the 4-H restoration project that he and Barry Marrs started.  Besides 4-H project and club duties, Dale has served on the 4-H Leaders Advisory Council, helped in the Leaders Food Booth at Fair, and is a former Weld County Fair Board and Sale Committee member.  He and Judy are active in a local RV club and enjoy traveling with the club and on their own.  Dale collects toy tractors and started the Antique Tractor Pullers Club in Fort Lupton.  He retired several years ago after 45 years as a truck driver.  He and Judy live in Fort Lupton and lead an active life keeping up with seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Pat Kindvall began as a 4-H leader when her son, Tim, became a member – and she hasn’t stopped since!  She is a 40-year leader who began as a volleyball coach, progressed to being a project leader, and later assumed organizational leader duties with the Galeton 4-H club.  Pat notes that she received good leadership from former Extension Agent, Marion Kreuger, when she first started as a leader.  Marion made her feel important, which encouraged Pat to continue on as a leader.  Pat is on the 4-H Leader’s Advisory Council and serves as an advisor to the 4-H Youth Executive Council.  She has been a chaperone on seven Citizenship Washington Focus trips (that deserves recognition all by itself!), and works with the Fair’s Royalty Committee as a member of the Fair Board.  Pat likes to read, knit and crochet, and take part in the life of her kids and grandchildren.  She worked for 24 years as a paraprofessional educator at Galeton Elementary School, and for the past two years as a substitute teacher.  She credits her husband,Ron, for being her biggest supporter of her 4-H activities. Pat is thankful for the opportunities that 4-H provides youth, and for the many friendships she has developed through her involvement as a leader. 

20-Year

Tara grew up in the Adams County 4-H program and first became a leader when her mother started a new club and needed her help as a resource leader. Now, 20 years later, Tara is the organizational leader for the Blazing Clovers club here in Weld County. She shares her many talents by also serving as the project leader for 19 different projects taken by members of her club.  Tara says she is all about leadership and helps instill this life-skill in her members through officer training and encouraging the use of parliamentary procedure in club meetings. She has a passion for kids and takes time to learn something about every single member of her club. Tara is the office manager at Wright Choice, Incorporated in Evans, and is active in the Union Colony School Friends Group, and the Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in LaSalle. Tara has been married to Justin for 17 years and they have two children, Emily and TJ.

30-Year

Twila has been a volunteer leader for 30 years, getting her start in 1983 when she signed on to be the Foods & Nutrition Leader with the Best in the West 4-H Club in Windsor.  Later, she moved to Eaton and started the Eaton Country Critters 4-H Club and has served as its organizational leader ever since.  Starting the club, she says, scared her to death but getting to know the families who became involved in the club eased her fears.  Twila serves on the Weld County 4-H Leader’s Council, has been superintendent of the Consumer & Family Science Department at County Fair, and has attended four Western Regional Leader’s Forums.  She has chaperoned several Citizenship Washington Focus trips         and is gearing up for the next trip in June of this year.  Twila says she loves working with young people and watching them succeed in meeting their goals.  Her hobbies include reading, collecting souvenir spoons, and watching Colorado Rockies baseball games.  Twila lives in Greeley and works for State Farm Insurance.

35-Year

Judy Pralle has served as project and organizational leader for 35 years with the Tailtwisters 4-H Club.  Judy notes how 4-H develops lasting bonds with members and their families.  In part, this happened because Judy encouraged parents to stay and be a part of the club meetings and activities.  Some of the members she helped lead now have their own children in 4-H.   She appreciates how they remember and recognize her, and husband Dale, and that they consider them family and friends.  Together with Dale, Judy has served on the 4-H Leaders Council and is a member of the Weld County Fair Junior Livestock Sale Committee. They are active with a local camping club and with a tractor pulling club they started several years ago.  One of her special activities is making each of her grandchildren a “Book of their Life” scrapbook which she presents to them when they graduate from high school.  Judy lives in Ft. Lupton and is retired after 24 years with the Adams County Assessor’s Office.

15-Year

Dave Marvin is a 15-year leader with the Keene 4-H Boosters club.  Dave became involved as a leader when his oldest child started 4-H and the club was in need of a project leader.  Over the years he has shared his knowledge in various project areas including Beef and Shooting Sports.  Dave says it is important to keep kids active and interested in an activity which helps keep them out of trouble.  In addition to his 4-H volunteer work, Dave is a youth leader at the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church.  In his spare time he enjoys target shooting and working with his small herd of cattle and goats.  Dave is married to Claudia and lives east of Ft. Lupton.  They have four children who have all been 4-H members. 

Tim Scholfield's calling as a 4-H volunteer leader began when he became the softball coach for the Box Elder club when his oldest daughter joined 4-H.  Since that time, he has also served as a project leader for the Dairy and Leathercraft projects.    He remembers learning a lot during his years as a 4-H member and he wanted to help his daughter and other 4-H youth learn too.   Tim has been a leader for 15 years and says his motivation to continue volunteering in 4-H can be summarized in one word – KIDS.  Tim is a member of the Weld County 4-H Dairy Advisory Council, the Colorado Wool Growers Association, and the Agfinity coop.  He and his wife, Renee, live in rural Weld County near Gill.  In his spare time Tim is an amateur bird watcher.

20-Year

Mark Hodgson got his start as a 4-H volunteer in Larimer County, serving as the Sheep Superintendent at their County Fair.  In 1995 he signed on as the Sheep project leader with Box Elder 4-H and has served in that capacity ever since.  He spent a few years coaching 4-H softball and is currently an active member of the Weld County Fair Livestock and Junior Livestock Sale committees.  The thought of helping out kids with their projects and their goals has been the motivator for Mark to continue as a leader for 20 years. He believes that the ethics and lifelong experiences that kids gain in 4-H will benefit them later in life.  Mark has also been the Swine Superintendent at National Western Stock Show for 22 years.  For pleasure, Mark enjoys elk hunting, packing and riding mules, and spending time with his family.  He is a plumber by trade and has worked for U.S. Engineering for 20 years.  Mark and his wife Marla have two children and live near Gill.

Norma Smith is a 20-year leader with Grover Guys & Gal’s 4-H.  She was an 11-year 4-H member in her youth and started as a leader when her children became 4-H members.  Norma helps with the Cloverbuds, and provides leadership for the Ceramics and Heritage Arts projects.  She believes youth need guidance to improve self-discipline and self-esteem, and it is a great personal reward when she sees this happen.   Norma has worked for the United States Postal Service for the past 25 years driving over 100 miles a day on her rural mail route.  She really does live the motto “neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night will keep her from her appointed rounds!”   Norma and her husband, Gary, live west of Hereford and have three grown children.  In addition to 4-H, Norma enjoys gardening, ceramics, and being involved with the antique tractor club in Cheyenne.

25-Year

Bill’s 25-years as a leader spans several states, including Wyoming, Kansas, Montana, and Colorado.  He currently is a project leader with Box Elder 4-H and helps with Horse and livestock projects.  In prior years he helped coach dairy judging and parliamentary procedure teams.  While in Montana, his parliamentary procedure team won a trip to National 4-H Congress by winning the state competition.  Bill believes it is important to develop leadership and public speaking skills in our youth because they don’t always go back into production agriculture and these life-skills will be of value regardless of their future profession.  He sees 4-H as an organization that helps boys & girls develop into honorable men & women and productive citizens.  Bill also supports FFA and the Boys & Girls club.  Currently, Bill is a regional sales representative for North Fork Iron & Metal.  He has over 30 years' experience in fair & show management.  He and his wife Patty live east of Ault and have four children, all of whom were 4-H members.

30-Year

While attending college, Rod Reinick was asked to be the swine project leader for the Box Elder 4-H club.   In the 30 years since, he has been the club’s organizational leader for seven years and assisted with rocketry, electricity, woodworking, and other livestock projects.  Under his leadership, Box Elder’s membership grew to include 96 members and eight project leaders in the late 1990s.  Rod believes kids are looking for attention and guidance when working with their projects, and their excitement and the fact that 4-H still involves the entire family are what keeps him motivated to continue as a leader.  Rod has worked for Platte Valley Schools in Kersey as the facilities supervisor for the past 23 years.  He is also involved with the Platte Valley Fire Protection District; Platte Valley FFA Alumni, Little American Royal Superintendent, and various swine groups and associations.  Rod’s family raise natural pork and this year celebrated 30 years of home pig sales hosting over 70 production sales.  Rod and his wife Tammy have three children and live south of Kersey.  For fun, Rod enjoys hunting and ice fishing.

60-Year

Bill has accomplished something that only a handful of people in Colorado ever have 60 years as a 4-H leader; the entire time with one club - Galeton 4-H.  A graduate of Colorado State University, Bill started his volunteer leadership after getting out of the Air Force.  He was a 4-H member himself, taking the Junior Leadership project among others, and felt that being a volunteer leader would be a good way for him to give back to the community.  His leadership includes time being the club’s Organizational Leader, at times having more than 100 members in the club.   He also helped with the Tractor, Dairy, and Junior Leadership projects.  Bill was recognized in the 107^th U.S. Congressional Record for his accomplishment as a 50-year leader.  He has served on the Ag Committee for the Greeley/Weld Chamber of Commerce and has been a member of the Weld County Farm Bureau for over 60 years.  He has been a member of numerous associations and organizations and held leadership positions in many of them.  One thing about his 4-H experience that stands out to him is the friends he has made locally in Galeton and Weld County, the State of Colorado, and the Western United States Extension region.  Bill is proud of the fact that less than 2% of the population is feeding and clothing the rest of the United States and that he, his late wife Clara, and his two children are a part of that with their farming and dairy operation east of Galeton. 

15-Year

As an 11-year 4-H member alumni, Amy Hogsett began her service as a 4-H leader as a way to give back to Weld County 4-H.  4-H was a very positive activity for Amy and offered her a lot of opportunities; she feels that all kids need those life skills that lead to positive experiences. Amy has given 15 years as a leader, becoming the counties key leader in Cake Decorating and project leader for Sport Fishing at the Galeton 4-H Club.  Amy has been a teacher at Eaton Middle School for 13 years, she coaches the chess team; she is also a Sunday school teacher and Vacation Bible School coordinator for Gloria Christi Lutheran Church.  In her spare time, Amy enjoys her family, fishing, gardening and reading.  Amy credits all of her 4-H leaders from Grover to the county office, especially Carol Schneider and Mark Cronquist for pushing her to realize her goals.  She believes that 4-H allows kids to do well and find talents that they never knew they had.

Jerry Haffner’s 15 years of leadership in 4-H began when he became the Goat Project leader for Hudson Shamrocks 4-H.  He stays motivated to help youth, enjoying the opportunity to see them grow from their first experiences in 4-H until they became young adults and move on to the next steps of life.  Jerry has worked for Telecom Tech for 30 years, he lives in Hudson where his family; wife-Sherri, sons Justin (Hoss) & Jason; daughter Jessica Villela enjoy raising goats.  Jerry feels that 4-H gives kids an outlet to try new things with supervision, and to learn it is “ok” not to win all the time, but to always to do their best.

Mike & Nancy’s 15-year 4-H leader career began when their oldest daughter started in 4-H.  They became organizational leaders for Country Side Ag 4-H Club when Nancy’s sister, Linda Sidwell, stepped down after years of leadership.  During their leadership, Nancy has served as the volleyball and soft ball coach, while Mike coached Basketball and softball.  They are also members of the Weld County Livestock Association & Galeton Community Church.  During their years as leaders, they were motivated by watching not only their own children grow up in the 4-H program, but by seeing all of the other kids as they moved through the program.  Nancy has worked as an escrow-closer for 29 years, Mike has been self employed, raising and running the  cattle heard and owner of Country Johns for the past 10 years.  They live in Gill, Colorado where they raised their children, Casseday, Ross, Reid and Jaylinn on the family farm.  Mike and Nancy believe that 4-H teaches kids responsibility, hard work and dedication & develops lifelong friendships.

Kris Schreibvogel got started as a 4-H leader by starting a Cloverbuds group to entertain her younger children while the older kids were in their regular meetings.  She has served as a club leader for 15 years and traveled on the Citizenship Washington Focus trip in 2011.   Kris is an active member of the Southeast Weld County Fairboard, currently serving as their queen coordinator.  She has been a teacher for 30 years, and currently is teaching 2^nd grade. Kris feels that the most important role for 4-H is the lasting memories and self development it allows kids.  The leaders her own children have known have always gone the extra mile to help them – whether it was coming over late at night to check on a sick animal or spending extra time with them a shooting practice.  There is truly power in being a leader that invests time in our youth.  Without the 4-H leader role, 4-H couldn’t continue to make a difference for kids.  Kris would like to say a big thank you to all the leaders that give unendingly of their time.

20-Year

Kim Miller began as a Cloverbud leader when her son, who is now 27, was 6 years old, since that time her other two children have completed their 4-H careers, and now her niece is just getting started.  Her major roles in 4-H leadership have included being a Ceramic and Rabbit project leader, and for the past two years she has served as the Poultry Superintendent.  Kim has served on the Shooting Sports Council for a number of years; she helps to organize and run the County Shoots, and is also certified as an archery instructor for shooting sports. She enjoys working with the 4-H kids and watching them grow through their 4-H involvement.  Kim is married to Arnold and they have three children:  Steven, Jonathon & Stephanie, they live in Hudson Colorado.  She has been a leader with Keene 4-H Boosters for 20 years and has also served as a Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader.

30-Year

Dorothy Bates has been serving the 4-H community for 30 years.  She became a foods leader when her daughter, Julie, became a member.  Dorothy lives with her husband, Dave in Kersey, Colorado.  Dorothy has served in numerous leadership roles including organizational leader, 4-H leader’s council and Fair superintendent. She has presented many bread making workshops and demonstrations, helped with after-school programs in District 6; taught bread making and cake decorating through Aims Community College’s College for Kids and served as the Foods & Nutrition Resource Leader for 25 years.  She is motivated as a leader by seeing youth gain self-esteem and self-confidence after completing a project.  They have learned something new and now have a skill to use for the rest of their life. Dorothy is retired from Aims Community College, were she worked in the Human Resources Office for 20 years.  In addition, she was a member of Weld County Family & Community Education Club, CSU Extension Advisory Council, Friends of the Greeley Museums, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, and Master Farm Homemakers Guild.  Dorothy believes that 4-H helps children to build relationships with other youth and adult leaders in a fun and safe environment while learning a variety of life skills, while offering many opportunities to explore different projects and build a strong educational foundation for their future.

20-Year

Larry Rodenburg’s 20-year 4-H leadership began when he became a 4-H sports coach in 1984 and continued until 1990.  Then, as a leader he assisted in other projects until he was asked by his organizational leader to take over her position.  Since then he has served as a baseball, volleyball, and softball coach, project leader in woodworking, entomology, electricity, and shooting sports, organizational leader, and CWF chaperone.  In addition to 4-H, he serves on the accountability committee and sports program for Briggsdale High School and as a trustee for the Briggsdale Congregational Church.  He is a firefighter and EMT for the Briggsdale Fire Department and serves on its Board of Directors.  Larry owned a manufacturing company for 14 years and was in construction manufacturing for over thirty years.   Currently, he is “semi-retired” and works at the Briggsdale School as a bus driver and head cook.   His special interests include woodworking and tending to his yard and garden.

Regan Romero has been a 4-H leader for 20 years.  He credits Judy Stevens for helping him get started with a garden club for Hispanic kids in the hopes of opening doors for more city kids to get involved.  He serves as the 4-H Project and Key leader for the Bicycle project and also assists with the Leader’s Food Booth at Weld County Fair.  Outside of 4-H, Regan decorates a fire truck for the Chamber of Commerce parade at Christmas time for Valley Ag 4-H and for the La Salle day parade.  Regan’s motivation as a 4-H leader is helping the kids, leaders, and people in the community.  He has been a mechanic for 20 years.

Phil Rouse’s 20-year 4-H leader career began when then 4-H County Agent, Mark Cronquist, asked if Phil would be interested in leading the Model Rocketry Program when the previous leader retired.  Phil has served as Weld County Model Rocketry leader and as Superintendent of Model Rocketry at the Weld County Fair for 20 years.  Phil is involved with a number of community groups including Weld County School District RE-2 (Eaton) Board of Education, Eaton Lions Club, and Weld County Boys and Girls Club.  He is a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.  He is currently retired after having spent 30 years in education mostly working in vocational and technical education.  His wife, Pat, has been  involved in most of his time working in 4-H and his son, Topher, was in 4-H for 10 years with the Drylanders 4-H Club. 

25-Year

Karen Helus participated in 4-H when she was growing up and became a leader when she and her husband Ron, were asked to help coach softball.  As a 4-H leader for 25 years, Karen has been a coach, project leader, and organizational leader.  She is a member of the Weld County Meat Goat Breeders and the Weld County Goat Extravaganza Planning Committee.  For 16 years Karen has worked as manager of the Platte Valley Elementary School kitchen and as a substitute bus driver.  Karen enjoys spending time with her family, husband Ron, son Aaron, and daughter Jocelyn.  Her interests include goats, gardening, and flowers. 

Ron Helus started as a 4-H leader coaching softball and has continued leading for 25 years.  He has served as a coach, leader for several different projects, and taxi driver when needed.  Throughout his time as a leader, Ron has enjoyed watching the kids he leads grow from clover buds to responsible adults.  Ron also helps with the Platte Valley FFA Foundation, Weld County Goat Extravaganza, and the Weld County Meat Goat Breeders.  He has worked for five years as a chemical technician for Baker Hughes. 

Teresa Johnson is a 25-year 4-H leader.  She got her start when a local group needed a horse instructor and then her own children became involved in the program.  She has served as organizational leader, coach of Horse Bowl and Hippology, Fair 4-H Horse Show Superintendent and on the Horse Council.  Outside of 4-H, Teresa is involved with the Platte Valley FFA, Appaloosa Regional Horse Club, and Peak to Peak Appaloosa Directory.  She also works as a school bus driver and substitute teacher.  Teresa understands the importance of mentoring our youth and seeing them mature into outstanding adults.  She credits her husband, Wayne, with helping her in her volunteer activities.  Her hobbies include raising appaloosas, reading, and sewing.  She presently is the 4-H Events Coordinator with Weld County Extension.

35-Year

Judy Stevens has been a leader for 35 years.  She got start as a 4-H leader by being mentored by Edna Rains and Bobby Kurzyna who retired from their leadership positions.  She was organization leader for La Salle 4-H club for 18 years.  Other major 4-H roles include Overall Superintendent for General and Natural Projects at Weld County Fair, Leaders Council, and Weld County Leader’s Food Booth.  Judy has served on the Weld County Fair Board, Weld County 150th anniversary committee, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Weld County.  Sharing time and talent with kids, parents, and leaders in addition to knowing how much more people can be by being in 4-H keeps her motivated as a leader.  Many of her kids and grandkids have been involved with 4-H over the years.  All five of her children were 10-year members of 4-H.  She enjoys spending time gardening, working with her two donkeys, two goats, four dogs, and being with her kids and grandkids.  Judy was a cake decorator for Safeway for ten and half years.  At 45, she attended Aims Community College to be an auto tech and currently spends time  doing child care for her grandkids.   

55-Year

Dorothy Zabka has been serving the 4-H community for 55 years.  She began her years as a 4-H leader when Otis Axsom of Greeley Elevator invited her to take over his 4-H club leadership.  She accepted and has been a leader ever since.  Dorothy and her husband, Dewey, started the Catch A Calf program with Weld County Fair and sponsored it for twenty years.  She organized and sponsored the Weld County Fair Royalty program and served on the Fair Board for 27 years.  Dorothy had the honor of being elected the first and only woman Mayor of Greeley and served two terms.  She was also the first woman to be elected to serve on the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Board in Washington D.C.  In addition, she has served on many boards in the area including the Salvation Army Board.  Dorothy has enjoyed working with the 4-H kids and their parents over several generations.  She and Dewey have gained many friends throughout her leadership.  She has nephews and nieces that are ten-year members of 4-H.  Among her hobbies, she enjoys collecting antiques such as cars and has collected more than 36,000 pens and pencils.    Dorothy has worked all her life for her family business, Martin Produce Company which is 75 years old. 

20-Year

Barry Marrs is from Fort Lupton and has been a leader for 20 years with the Tailtwisters club.  Barry recognizes the value that 4-H had in the development of his children and that inspires him to continue as a leader so other children can benefit from 4-H.  Because of his interest in a general project that involved restoration of antique items, Barry teamed with Dale Pralle to create the Weld County 4-H Restoration project.  Additionally, he has served as a project leader for Weeds, Model Rocketry, and Wood Working.  Barry serves on the board of directors for four ditch companies.  He also is a member of the Fort Lupton Buyers group that supports 4-H kids at the Junior Livestock Sale.  He and his wife Val have two children who were both in 4-H.  Barry and his family have been involved in production agriculture for 37 years.

35-Year

Dale Pralle is a 35-year leader with the Tailtwisters club.  He was a 4-H member himself, and became involved as a leader when his children joined 4-H.  He started as a sheep project leader, and later he and his wife, Judy, took over as organizational leaders.  Together with Barry Marrs, the restoration project was started several years ago.  Dale collects toy tractors and started the Antique Tractor Pullers Club in Fort Lupton.  He retired a few years ago after 45 years as a truck driver.  Dale is a former Weld County Fair Board member and has served 20 years as a trustee at his church.  He and Judy live near Fort Lupton and stay active in 4-H by participating in the 4-H Leader’s Council and helping with the Food Booth during Fair.  They are active with a local RV club and enjoy travelling with the club and on their own.

Pat Kindvall is a 35-year leader beginning as a volleyball coach, progressing to being a project leader for knitting and crocheting and later becoming the Galeton 4-H club’s organizational leader.  Pat is on the 4-H Leader’s Council, serves as an advisor to the 4-H Youth Executive Council, and is a sponsor and treasurer in the Washington Focus program.  She is a past member of the Weld County Fair Board and still works with the Fair’s Royalty committee.  Pat is thankful for the opportunities that 4-H provides youth, and for the many friendships she has developed through her involvement as a leader.  She credits her husband, Ron, for being her biggest supporter of her 4-H activities.  Pat likes to read, knit and crochet, and take part in the life of her children and grandchildren.  She has worked for 24 years as a paraprofessional educator at Galeton Elementary School.

Judy Rush has been a leader for 35 years, first with Prairie View 4-H and later with the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H club.  Growing up in Denver, Judy was a 4-H member in Arapahoe County where she participated mainly in Horse and Dog projects.  Later she attended Colorado State University majoring in Ag Journalism.  Having worked with horses for many years, it was just a natural thing for her to continue that work as a horse project leader.  Judy later helped with goat and dog projects after her daughter Lee joined 4-H.  Looking back, Judy says her 4-H leadership has just evolved over the years.  Her husband, Kirk, has been a quiet supporter helping to haul kids and animals around and helping her get ready for her demonstrations.  Judy is a member of the American Quarter Horse Association, has worked as an Election judge and for both the 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census.  Judy and Kirk have a cow-calf ranch near Grover.

40-Year

Sharon Hahn has been a volunteer leader for 40 years.   She has provided direction for several projects and activities, including Foods, Gardening, Child Care and as a coach for the girl’s volleyball team.  She has been involved with 4-H ever since her marriage to her husband, Eugene, who is being recognized as a 45-year leader.  Gene got started as a leader when he was 20 years old.  He didn’t have a background in 4-H, but was asked by the local 4-H organizational leader to step in and take over when he retired.  Gene Hahn also helped lead Livestock, Poultry, Woodworking, and Leathercraft projects.  Sharon and Gene say it is easy to stay motivated, all you have to do is watch those first year members mature and become outgoing, progressive leaders after being in 4-H for a few years.   Gene and Sharon have been key leaders and County Fair superintendents of the Poultry project since 1983 before retiring from that position last year.  Their children, Becky and Kevin, seen above them in this picture, were both 11-year 4-H members.   Both enjoy gardening and sports and working on their cow/calf ranch east of Grover.

15-Year

Julie Kammerzell is a 15-Year Leader.

25-Year

Twila Klussman has been a volunteer leader for 25 years.  She first became a leader in 1983 when she signed on to be the Foods & Nutrition Leader with the Best in the West 4-H Club in Windsor.  Three years later, she moved to Eaton and started the Eaton Country Critters 4-H Club and has served as its organizational leader ever since.  Twila has served as an officer on the Weld County 4-H Leader’s Council and been superintendent of the Consumer & Family Science Department at County Fair.  She has chaperoned three Citizenship Washington Focus trips and is gearing up for a fourth trip in 2011.  Twila says she loves working with young people and watching them succeed in meeting their goals.  Her hobbies include reading, collecting souvenir spoons, and attending school sporting activities – especially if her granddaughter Brittany is competing.  Twila lives in Eaton and works for State Farm Insurance as a Central Operations Assistant.

30-Year

Rolland & Sonora Jones are 30-year leaders who started volunteering when their children joined 4-H in 1978.  They are the organizational leaders of the Keene 4-H Boosters 4-H Club.  Sonora notes that she began as the Leathercraft leader, admitting that she knew nothing about it but learned right along with the kids.  She has also worked with the Cake Decorating, Foods, and Cloverbud projects.   Sonora says that kids all have busy lives, and 4-H allows them the chance to concentrate on 1 or 2 projects where they can be proud of what they have learned.   Rolland began as a leader for the Electricity project, and later helped with Woodworking, Swine, Sheep, and Restoration projects.  He believes that the importance of serving the youth is more important now than ever before.  4-H, he says, offers many opportunities for young people to grow successfully into adulthood.  Sonora and Rolland live near Hudson, are active in their church, and are members of the Ye Olde Auto Club of Brighton.   They have fun restoring old cars and tractors and spending time with their children and grandchildren.  Sonora has worked at United Power in Brighton for 23 years.  Rolland is retired after working 26 years for the Keebler Company.

Judy Pralle has served as project and organizational leader for 30 years with the Tailtwisters 4-H Club.  During her years as a leader, Judy has served on the Leaders Council and helped plan 4-H Recognition Night.  Her husband, Dale, has also been involved as a leader, and Judy notes that almost all of their kids and grandkids are, or have been, 4-H members.  Judy and Dale are active with a local camping club, and with a tractor pulling club they started a few years ago.  One of her special activities is making each of her grandchildren a “Book of their Life” scrapbook which she presents to them when they graduate from high school.  Judy lives by Ft. Lupton and is retired after 24 years with the Adams County Assessor’s Office.

40-Year

Bernadene Leffler started her volunteer leader career when her neighbor asked her to take over leadership of the Wyatt Willingworkers 4-H Club.  That was 40 years ago, and she continues as organizational leader for the club, now known as the Wyatt 4-H Club.   Bernadene says that 4-H is still her favorite hobby and that it is a place where kids can find somebody who cares about them.  She is amazed that former 4-H members are now bringing their children to join her club.  Bernadene loves gardening and flowers, so her summer is filled with lots of outdoor work.    She served on the Highland School Board for six years and was a member of the Highland Booster Club when her kids were in school.  She has worked as a bookkeeper for 40 years and prepares tax returns for various clients.   Bernadene and her husband, Charles, live northwest of Eaton.

15-Year

Robert “Dave” Marvin is a 15-year leader with the Keene 4-H Boosters club.  Dave became involved as a leader when his oldest child started 4-H and the club was in need of a project leader.  Over the years he has shared his knowledge in various project areas including Beef and Shooting Sports.  Dave says it is important to keep kids active and interested in an activity which helps keep them out of trouble.  In addition to his 4-H volunteer work, Dave is a youth leader at the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church.  In his spare time he enjoys target shooting and working with his small herd of cattle and goats.  Dave is married to Claudia and lives east of Ft. Lupton.  They have four children who have all been 4-H members. 

Mark Hodgson is a 15-year leader with Box Elder Ag who says that being involved in 4-H is a family tradition.  He became a leader because he wanted to give back for what others gave him while he was in 4-H.  He has served as a project leader for market livestock species and is a member of the Weld County Fair Livestock and Junior Livestock Sale committees.  Mark has also been the Swine Superintendent at National Western Stock Show for 17 years.  Mark says it’s easy to stay motivated as a 4-H leader because the kids are so enthusiastic and eager to learn.   He believes that the ethics and lifelong experiences that kids gain in 4-H will benefit them later in life.  Mark is a plumber foreman for U.S. Engineering and enjoys black powder hunting when he gets the chance.  Mark and his wife Marla have two children and live near Gill.

Norma Smith is a 15-year leader with Grover Guys & Gals.  She started as a leader when her daughter began in 4-H.  Norma helps with the Cloverbuds, and provides leadership for the Ceramics and Heritage Arts projects.  She enjoys helping kids and knowing that they appreciate it.  Norma lives west of Hereford with her husband Gary.  They have three children and two grandchildren.  In addition to 4-H, Norma enjoys gardening, ceramics, and being involved with the antique tractor club in Cheyenne.  Norma has worked for the United States Postal Service for the past 20 years driving over 100 miles a day on her rural mail route.

25-Year

While attending college, Rod Reinick was asked to be the swine project leader for the Box Elder Ag club.   In the 25 years since, he has been the club’s organizational leader for seven years and assisted with rocketry, electricity, woodworking, and other livestock projects.  Rod is also involved with the school Finance Committee, Fire Board, Wrestling Foundation, Platte Valley Ag Advisory, Weld Swine Breeders, and State Fair.   He says that Tammy, his wife of 27 years, deserves a big thank you for his being able to volunteer time to 4-H and these other organizations. Her assistance with paperwork and last minute details has been a big help to him.  Rod and Tammy have three children and live south of Kersey.   He has worked for Platte Valley Schools for the past 18 years.  He enjoys going to livestock shows and visiting with people.

30-Year

Kathy Showers is a 30-year leader, having worked with the Evans and Crow Creek 4-H clubs.  Kathy learned cake decorating after graduating from high school and was asked to help start cake decorating as a project in 4-H.  She has been a project leader for cake decorating, crocheting, cooking, and knitting.  Kathy’s motivation to be a leader is a result of her own 4-H experience and the many wonderful things that she was able to do in 4-H.  She enjoys watching kids accomplish their goals and carry their knowledge into their careers.  For fun, she enjoys scrap booking, antiques, and cake decorating.  For the past 29 years Kathy has worked as a mail carrier for the Briggsdale Post Office, and for 9 years she has worked as a part-time bookkeeper.   She and her husband Myron have two daughters and operate a ranch east of Briggsdale.

55-Year

Bill Erickson has accomplished something that only a handful of people ever do, 55 years as a 4-H leader!  He has been a leader with the Galeton 4-H club for the entire time.  A graduate of Colorado State University, Bill started his volunteer leadership after getting out of the service.  He was a 4-H member himself and felt that being a leader would be a good way for him to give back to the community.  His leadership includes a time at being the club’s Organizational Leader and helping with the Tractor, Dairy, and Junior Leadership projects.  Bill was recognized in the 107^th US Congressional Record, in a resolution by Congressman Bob Schaeffer, for his accomplishment as a 50-year leader.  Bill has served on the Ag Committee for the Greeley/Weld Chamber of Commerce, has been a member of the Weld County Farm Bureau for over 50 years.  He is proud of the fact that less than 2% of the population is feeding and clothing the rest of the United States and that he and his children are a part of that with their  farming and dairy operation east of Galeton.  Currently, Bill is the President of the Weld County 4-H Leader’s Council and a weather observer for COCORaHS, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.

15-Year

Kim Miller is a 15-year leader who got started as a leader when her oldest son started 4-H.  Her first five years were with the Pony Express club, and the last 10 have been with the Keene 4-H Boosters.  Kim notes that she had no experience in any of the projects that she has led; she learned them right along with the kids.  She has been a county co-leader of the poultry project for the last four years, and is a certified archery instructor for the shooting sports project.  Her desire is to help kids learn, and being active in 4-H helps keep them out of trouble. Kim has worked for seven years as the school librarian at Hudson Elementary and in her spare time enjoys needle craft and rug making.

Barb Welch was a 10-year 4-H member who found it a natural progression from being a member to becoming a leader.  Her experience as a member taking the Junior Leadership project and being on the 4-H Youth Executive Council sparked her desire to be an adult leader.  Barb and her husband, Jim Welch, are both 15-year leaders.  Jim notes that their son’s involvement in Citizenship Washington Focus really got them invested as leaders in that program.  Barb has worked as a nurse for 29 years and enjoys gardening and canning.  She and Jim love to help watch the grandkids. Barb says that the 4-H kids inspire her to continue on as a leader, and that 4-H is one of the best programs around for shaping future leaders.  Jim has been in the electrical business for 33 years.  He notes that his involvement with the Washington Focus program gives him the opportunity to work mainly with the older 4-H members who are amazingly resilient in the face of many challenges and opportunities that today’s youth encounter.  Jim and Barb live near Kersey and have served for 23 years as Wranglers with the Greeley Independence Stampede and are on the leadership team for the “Kid’s Hope” program at their church.

25-Year

Dorothy Bates has been a 4-H leader for 25 years.  She helped organize the Patterns & Pans 4-H club in Kersey, and currently is a county leader for Foods & Nutrition.  She actively participates in the Family & Community Education program on a local and county level, and is a member of the Friends of Greeley Museums.  Dorothy says 4-H provides her the opportunity to see youth develop skills and achieve goals that will be a part of their life.   She and her husband, David, live outside of Kersey where she enjoys baking, gardening, and sewing.  Dorothy is the Human Resources Benefits Specialist at Aims Community College.  She will retire this June after 20 years of service.

Frank Burnett lives southwest of Grover and provides leadership to members of the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H Club who are involved with market & breeding beef projects.  He got his start as a leader when his wife Sherry said to him “If I’m going to be the organizational leader of this club, you’re going to help and be a leader too.” He is involved with the Grover Rodeo Community Club and is a member of the FFA Advisory Board.  One of the special programs that his club offers is a $300 scholarship to any member completing ten years of 4-H.  Frank has worked for Liquid Waste Management in Ft. Lupton for 12 years.

Carol Walker started the Fort Lupton Tumbleweeds club 25 years ago and has been a leader ever since.  She served as an organizational leader for 19 years and now is a project leader in a club that she helped her niece start.  Carol loves watching the kids learn and grow into upstanding young adults.  Their smiles and the energy they give off keeps her feeling young.  For fun, Carol loves to go camping and ATVing.  She is currently an Administrative Assistant for the United Parcel Service where she has worked for 29 years.

Judy Rexford has been a 4-H leader for 40 years, starting first with the La Salle 4-H club where she helped with the sheep, chicken, sewing, and cooking projects.  Currently, she serves as the county key leader for the rabbit project.  From her perspective, 4-H is a learning process for kids and leaders alike.  She enjoys the time it provides for families and communities to come together.  Judy believes that 4-H helps kids mature into more responsible citizens.  She was recognized as a “Friend of the Fair” in 2004 by the Weld County Fair Board for her years of service as the superintendent of the rabbit show.  Judy and her husband, Vernon, have five children, 12 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.  They live near LaSalle where they have operated Rexford Rabbit processing for the past 24 years.

15-Year

Doug Kammerzell from Milliken is a 15-year leader.  He became a 4-H leader after completing his 10-year membership in 4-H.  He had younger brothers still in 4-H and his parents were serving as organizational leaders, so Doug signed on as the livestock project leader.  He assisted in coaching the county livestock judging team for 14 years.  As a leader, Doug hopes to pass on and help kids achieve the vast benefits and opportunities available through 4-H.   Doug and his wife Julie have four children and farm approximately 500 acres raising mostly corn and alfalfa.

Larry Rodenburg has served as the Crow Creek 4-H club’s organizational leader for 15 years.  Larry is an industrious person who enjoys building things for himself, or his family and friends.  When he has some spare time, he enjoys cars, camping, and fishing.  He is active in the community serving as an EMT with the Briggsdale Fire Department, president of the Briggsdale Fire Protection District, on the school district’s accountability committee, and is a trustee at his church.  Larry notes the positive role that 4-H offers kids.  He enjoys being involved with the kids and sharing in their successes and defeats that 4-H competition offers.

Deborah Warehime is a 15-year leader of the Horse Whisperer’s 4-H club.  She credits her husband, Marvin, and her daughter, Jessica, for introducing her to the world of 4-H.  She is the county key leader for the horse project, has coached the horse judging team, served as superintendent of the Weld County Fair Horse show, and has coordinated many clinics and special events for horse project members.  Deborah currently serves on the board for the Northern Colorado Riding Club.  She appreciates the many friendships she has made through 4-H.  Deborah’s motivation to continue as a leader is the smiles and laughter and appreciation of the club members.

20-Year

Ron Helus got his start as a 4-H leader when he helped coach one of the Box Elder softball teams.  He later married one of the players from the team, his wife Karen Helus, and the two of them have been leaders for 20 years.  In addition to continuing his coaching duties, Ron has served as project leader for breeding and market goats and sheep, and for rabbits.  Ron says that 4-H is an outlet that helps kids follow their dreams and have some fun, and a few tears, along the way.  He also serves on the advisory committee for Platte Valley FFA.  Karen is presently the organizational leader for Box Elder Ag 4-H Club which is the largest club in the county with 100 members.  She likes to help new members find the right project, and enjoys being involved with families that follow the 4-H tradition.  Karen also provides leadership to the Awana program and is a Bible school teacher.  Both are committee members for the Weld County Goat Extravaganza.  They have two children, Aaron and Jocelyn.  Ron is employed by Cox Oil of Greeley, and Karen by Platte Valley Schools.

Mike Reed is a 20-year leader.  He enjoys working with people and feels that 4-H is more family oriented than some other organizations.  Mike is a project leader for electricity and model rocketry in the New Horizons club, and has helped with their fund raising activities.  He has been involved with the county Washington Focus program for 16 years.  He and his wife have three children who have each been active in 4-H.  Mike lives in Greeley and has worked 24 years for the City of Greeley’s Water & Sewer department.

Lori Rhoadarmer is a 20-year leader with the Helping Hands 4-H club where she helps organize some of the club’s special events and activities.   She was inspired to become a leader because her parents were leaders and because of her experience as a 4-H member.    Lori says it is very satisfying watching older member’s complete 4-H and then return to become leaders themselves.  She appreciates the bond she has developed over the years with club members and leaders.  Lori is active in her church and is on the board of her Homeowners Association.

Jack Robb married into the role of 4-H leader when he married Lucille who was already a club leader with the Helping Hands 4-H club.  He currently helps with organizational duties, and with baking and cooking projects.  Jack loves to be where the kids are, they are the ones who keep him inspired.  He appreciates the love he receives back from the underprivileged, and handicapped youth involved in their club.  Jack is a 20-year leader and enjoys traveling, bowling, and activities with his church. 

Lenny Simpson was looking for a way to stay involved in 4-H after his stint as a 4-H member.  So, he became a leader with the Wyatt Ag club as a coach and a livestock project leader and has been at it for 20 years.  His wife, ***Lisa Simpson, is also a 20 year leader.  Lisa was a 10-year member of 4-H and her mother was a leader, so it was natural for her to become involved as a leader too.  Lenny believes that the competition 4-H offers in livestock mirrors real life and teaches youth responsibility and a work ethic that they will need later on in life.  He has served on the Athletic Committee for six years and was swine superintendent at the County Fair for 15 years.  He farms 450 acres northeast of Ault, and raises show lambs and pigs.  Lisa has coached volleyball and softball for the Wyatt club, and co-chaired the Highland area Washington Focus group.  Lisa says that 4-H builds lifelong relationships and develops a sense of responsibility and character in those who participate.  She enjoys seeing kids do some of the same things she used to do when she was a member.  Lisa and Lenny have two children, Nikki & Logan, who were both active in 4-H.

25-Year

Vicki Christian and her husband, Stephen, live in Windsor and have two children. She became a leader in 4-H when her daughter first became a member and she helped with the sewing project. Her main involvement has been as a county key leader for the Clothing project, though she also was an organizational leader for a time. Vicki has been a County Fair superintendent and was a sponsor on the 1985 Washington Focus trip. She has been a leader for 25 years, and sees herself staying active in 4-H to help encourage members and parents.  Vicki operates her own business called “Drapes by Vicki Christian.”

Christine Milne was a 10-year 4-H member and had great memories of her experience in 4-H so she became a leader.  She started by helping coach volleyball and softball teams.  That evolved into being the horse project leader and then organizational leader of the Night Riders 4-H club.  Chris and her husband, J.G., live southeast of Eaton and have three daughters who have all been involved in 4-H.  Chris is also active as a volunteer at Eaton and Galeton elementary schools, Pantry Pals (an Eaton service group), Sunday School, and High School Rodeo.  Happy kids are what have kept Chris motivated in her 25 years as a leader.

30-Year

Ted Magnuson is a fourth-generation farmer southwest of Ault.  He was asked by a friend to help lead the Wyatt Ag 4-H club and has served in the capacity of project and organizational leader for 30 years.  Ted is proud of all the kids that have participated in 4-H, and notes that a blue ribbon isn’t the only measure of success.  Ted has served as a board member of Agland for 25 years, and has been active in the Weld County Livestock Association, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and Farmers Bank board.  He has many memories of smiling faces of kids when they first join 4-H, learn the pledge, and begin to feel a part of everything.  Ted and his wife Suzie have two sons, Tim and Jim.

Judy Stevens of Greeley says that “4-H keeps good kids good.”  During her 30 years of 4-H leadership, she has been an organizational leader of the La Salle 4-H club and the overall chairperson for General and Natural Resource projects at County Fair.  She currently is on the Weld County Fair Board and has also assisted with the Leader’s Food Booth and the Citizenship Washington Focus program.  Judy received a degree from Aims Community College as an auto technician, which is her current profession.  She likes to work on old cars, and enjoys spending time with her family and animals.  She is proud to have five children that all were 10-year members, and one son, Bill, who is now himself a leader.

15-Year

Kristin Eidson is a 15-year leader with the Milliken Pacesetters club.  She is the project leader for Macrame, has coached volleyball and softball, and helps with organizational leader duties.  Kristin believes the 4-H program provides opportunities to learn by trial and error, and that it teaches kids that doing your best is what is most important.  She is involved with her church as an elder and choir member, and is a member of the Milliken Business Association.  Kristin and her husband Craig have three daughters.  Kristin’s mother, Peggy Wakeman, was a 4-H leader who was instrumental in getting Kristin started as a leader.  Kristin enjoys macramé and other needle work, camping, fishing and riding ATVs.

Deborah Orr started as a 4-H leader 15 years ago when her children became of 4-H age.  Because of distance, they started 4-H as an independent family with Deb serving as the leader.  Later, she and her husband Clair moved to the Kersey area and became involved with the Westward club.  Deb believes all children gain by being involved in 4-H, whether they are greatly involved or minimally involved.  She has witnessed this first-hand with her own children.  She has met many wonderful people during her years in 4-H both as a member and a leader.  Deb says that 4-H prepares our young people for tomorrow, and it keeps those of us from yesterday young-at-heart by working with our young people.

Barry Marrs from Fort Lupton has been a leader for 15 years with the Tailtwisters club.  He and his wife Val have two children who were both in 4-H.  Barry feels that 4-H was such a beneficial program for his kids that he wanted to continue to help other kids that are also involved in 4-H.  Because of interest in a general project that involved restoration of antique items, Barry teamed with Dale Pralle to create the Restoration project.  Barry serves on the board of directors for several ditch companies and other water related organizations.  He also is a member of the Fort Lupton Buyers group that supports 4-H kids at the Junior Livestock Sale.

Sue Rosenquist – and her husband Steve have two daughters and live east of Greeley. She is a 15-year leader and was involved with both the Westward and Hi Plains Ag clubs.  Sue appreciates that 4-H is a family oriented program that teaches kids responsibility and helps them build character.  Some of her 4-H responsibilities included club fundraising efforts, instructing sheep shearing and the sheep project, and serving as the county key leader for the forestry project.  Sue works at Platte Valley schools where she volunteers on both the spirit and courtesy committees.  She enjoys gardening, working with her flowers and camping.

25-Year

Charles Martin got his start as a leader when his kids became involved in 4-H and the club needed a coach for their Pee Wee basketball team.  That was 25 years ago, and he has helped coach both basketball and softball for the Milliken Pacesetters ever since.  Additionally, he has helped kids get their projects ready for fair, and helped in the club’s fund raising activities.  His long term commitments don’t stop with 4-H.  Charles was on the RE5-J School Board for 28 years and the Milliken Town Board for 20 years.  He works at Martin Supply & Salvage, a company started by his father in 1951.  Charles and his wife, Jeanne, have five sons who each earned scholarships through the 4-H Foundation, for which they are grateful.  He enjoys collecting old cars, hunting, fishing, and playing with his grandchildren.

30-Year

Patricia Kindvall is a 30-year leader and got involved in 4-H when her son Tim first became a member.  She began as a volleyball coach, and progressed to being a project leader for knitting and crocheting and later became the club’s organizational leader.  Pat has served as an advisor to the 4-H Youth Executive Council, and as a sponsor in the Washington Focus program.  She is a member of the Weld County Fair Board and was Colorado’s delegate to the Salute to Excellence program.  While she has seen many of her 4-H members win some top awards and championships, she is just as proud of the delight and pride she sees in a young member who completes a project.  Pat is active in her church and Sunday school, and also assists with the Galeton Boys & Girls Club.  She credits her husband, Ron, for being her biggest supporter of her 4-H activities.  Pat likes to read, knit and crochet, and take part in the life of her kids and seven grandchildren.

Judy Rush is a 30-year leader with the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H club.  Growing up in Denver, Judy was a 4-H member in Arapahoe County.  Later she attended Colorado State University and during the summer was a counselor at a horse camp in Estes Park where she met her husband Kirk.  Having worked with horses and kids for many years, it was just a natural thing for her to continue that work as a horse project leader in 4-H.  Judy later served as a resource leader for non-dairy goats after she and Kirk became the first breeders of Registered Pygmy goats in Colorado and her daughter expressed an interest in taking them as a 4-H project.  Judy has served as superintendent at the Weld County Fair, and enjoys working with her animals, writing articles for the Rocky Mountain Rodeo News, e-mailing friends and family, and doing other work on the computer.

Dale Pralle lives at Ft. Lupton and is a 30-year leader with the Tailtwisters club.  He became involved as a sheep project leader, and later he and his wife, Judy, took over as organizational leaders.  Dale says he enjoys the good relationships with the families involved in 4-H and notes that he is currently providing leadership to the children of individuals he had as member’s years ago.  He says that helping and watching that bashful 8-year-old grow and develop to become the club president are the kind of things that keep him motivated to be a leader.  Together with Barry Marrs, they started the restoration project in 4-H a few years back.    Dale collects toy tractors and started the Antique Tractor Pullers Club in Fort Lupton.  He served on the Weld County Fair Board for 8 years, the Leader’s Council for 10 years, and is currently on the board for the Fort Lupton area buyer’s group.

30-Year

Sharon Hahn has been a volunteer leader for 35 years.   She has provided direction for several projects and activities, including foods, gardening, childcare and as a coach for the girl’s volleyball team.  She has been involved with 4-H ever since her marriage to her husband, Eugene, who is being recognized as a 40-year leader.  Gene got started as a leader when he was 20 years old.  He didn’t have a background in 4-H, but was asked by the local 4-H organizational leader to step in and take over when he retired.  Gene and Sharon say it is easy to stay motivated, all you have to do is watch those first year members mature and become outgoing, progressive leaders after being in 4-H for a few years.   Gene and Sharon have been key leaders and County Fair superintendents of the Poultry project in Weld County for 15 years.  During this time they have seen a 400% increase in Poultry project members, and now have 42 youth involved.  Gene and Sharon operate a 120-head cow/calf ranch east of Grover.

40-Year

Rodine Rhoadarmer – was involved with 4-H as a 10-year member and later was in collegiate 4-H while at Colorado State University.  Larry Rhoadarmer recalls that his father started a club because of Larry’s desire to be in 4-H and there wasn’t a club in Evans at the time.  After Larry & Rodine were married, they were invited to assume leadership of the club Larry’s father started, and they have continued their 4-H involvement for 40 years.  4-H, they say, is a part of their life.  They are currently involved with the Helping Hands 4-H club, which is a club for special needs members.  They enjoy seeing the confidence 4-H builds in youngsters and note that many times their careers follow the project work they have done in 4-H.   They have twice served as chaperones on the County’s Washington Focus program, and Rodine is currently the treasurer for the Weld County 4-H Foundation. Larry and Rodine have two children, are involved in their local church, and both work for Ghent Chevrolet in Greeley.

15-Year

Rachel Guenther was a 10-year 4-H member who wanted to continue being involved in the 4-H program, so she volunteered as a leader.  She is a project leader with the Helping Hands 4-H club.  She has been a part of the recycling program that their club does, and outside of 4-H she has been involved in Special Olympics.  Rachel says that 4-H has meant a lot to her, and she enjoys helping and getting involved with the other people.  Her parents have been supporters of her involvement in 4-H. 

Shellie Hood is also a leader with the Helping Hands club.  She became a 4-H member at the invitation of her neighbor, Lucille Robb, and volunteered to be a leader after completing her 10-year membership.  Shellie helps the club members with photography and their Mardi Gras booth.  She says that meeting all the people in 4-H keeps her motivated to continue on as a leader.  She would like to acknowledge her mother and brother as helping her with her 4-H involvement.  Outside of 4-H, Shellie is involved in the Meals on Wheels program. 

Helen Nunn is following in the steps of her grandmother who was also a 4-H leader.  Following her years as a member, Helen wanted to continue to be involved with 4-H so she chose to volunteer as a leader.  As part of the Helping Hands 4-H club, she works with members involved in cooking projects.  One of her cooking members won Grand Champion at the Weld County Fair and was able to compete at State Fair.  In addition to 4-H, Helen is involved in the S.H.A.R.E. program.  She is excited to have her nephew in 4-H, and looks forward to when other family members can join. 

Gene Peterson is the organizational leader for the Drylanders 4-H club.  He became involved as a leader when his kids were members and the club leader at that time asked him to help.  Ever since, Gene has enjoyed seeing the kids develop as they move through the program, eventually getting to the point where they lend their knowledge to new, or younger members.  Gene has been a faithful assistant in setting up for Mardi Gras, and has served as a county key leader for Leathercraft for 15 years.  He drives bus for the Ault school district, and lives with his wife Kim northeast of Nunn.  Favorite hobbies include bow hunting and leathercraft.

Charlie Schaefer is the project leader for market and breeding swine in the Pony Express club, teaching members proper management practices as well as showmanship skills. In addition to 4-H, Charlie stays active in the community assisting the local FFA chapter with their student auction.  He has served 10 years as a volunteer fireman; one of those years as captain.  Charlie enjoys watching the friendships that develop in 4-H, and seeing the improvement kids make over the years.  He and his wife Nona live southwest of Ft. Lupton. 

20-Year

Twila Klussman got her start as a volunteer leader when she was recruited as an assistant project leader for Foods in the Best in the West 4-H club.  She is now the organizational leader for the Eaton Country Critters 4-H club, while also providing direction for the foods, home furnishings, and cloverbuds projects.  Twila notes that several of her club members have completed their 10-year membership, with several earning 4-H scholarships to help with their continuing education.  Two other highlights for Twila include her chaperoning an exchange trip to Alaska and a Washington focus trip in 1987.  Her daughters, granddaughter, and grandsons have all been involved in 4-H. 

25-Year

Sonora Jones got involved in 4-H by attending club meetings with her son and daughter, learning about their projects right along with them.  Sonora teams with her husband, Rollie, to perform the duties of organizational leader for the Keene 4-H Boosters club, as well as serving as project leader for leathercraft and cake decorating projects.  She helps club members with community service projects, such as helping needy families at Christmas and state highway cleanup.  Sonora says that 4-H keeps her in touch with the youth of today.  She participates in Relay for Life in Brighton, and together with Rollie is a member of Ye Olde Auto Club.  Rollie Jones, in addition to working with Sonora as organizational leader for Keene 4-H Boosters, he leads the electricity project and helps with shooting sports and restoration projects.  He likes to keep the kids motivated to learn more about their projects.  He received the 7 Everyday Hero Award in July 2001 after being nominated by club members.  In addition to 4-H, Rollie also helps with benefit auctions for different groups.  He and Sonora live west of Hudson and have two children.  

Judy Pralle became active as a volunteer leader after her kids joined 4-H and her husband Dale began serving as a sheep project leader.  She is the organizational leader for the Tailtwisters 4-H club in Ft. Lupton.  During her years as a leader, Judy has served on the Leaders Council and helped plan 4-H Recognition Night.  She has watched many kids grow from cloverbuds to 10-year members.  It is always special to her and Dale when they have contact with former members who remember them and recognize them for their work as leaders.  Judy is active in her church, and with Dale are part-owners of a sled belonging to the Wanabe Pullers Antique Tractor Club. 

Lucille Robb says she didn’t know what she was getting into when Rodine Rhoadarmer asked her to be a leader with the Helping Hands 4-H club, but she has enjoyed every minute of her leadership experience!  She has been organizational leader and project leader in cooking.  Lucille likes helping members with their projects and seeing their accomplishments.  One highlight has been when one of their members earned the right to compete with their project at State Fair.  She credits her husband Jack for helping her with the 4-H club. 

Shirley Wiggin says it all began many years ago when she became a 4-H member, and how does one quit 4-H?  As with many others, being a leader has been a family affair as Shirley notes that her mother was also a 4-H leader in Wyoming for many years. Shirley has assisted as leader for a variety of projects in the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H club.  She continues to be involved as a leader so as to provide encouragement to her granddaughters and neighbor children.  Aside from 4-H, Shirley is involved with the Weld Cattle Women’s Association, Grover Depot Restoration, school alumni, and is a pianist & organist at her church. 

30-Year

Sherry Burnett is a leader with the Grover Guys & Gals club, and became involved after attending a local judging contest.  She has served in many leadership roles, including coaching, project leader, organizational leader, and food booth at Weld County Fair.  She states that the overall personal accomplishments of each of their members have been very rewarding.  Shirley also thinks that 4-H is a wonderful adventure for kids and she likes to see how it builds leadership and self confidence in children.  She has served on the board of the Pawnee Fire Protection District, and belonged to the Grover-Hereford Lions Club. 

Sharon Peters started as a Home Economics leader until the Livestock and Home Ec. Clubs combined into the Grover Guys & Gals club.  She served briefly as co-organizational leader, and has also been project leader in clothing, cooking, and home environment.  Sharon says 4-H is the best way to meet people in the community.  She credits her husband, John, for supporting her efforts in 4-H, and notes that her three daughters were involved in 4-H even before they started school.  One special achievement for her club was when they established a scholarship program to help members who were continuing with their educations after high school. 

35-year

Bernadene Leffler took over the Wyatt Girls 4-H club prior to her children becoming active members.  She had been a 10-year member herself and knew she wanted to continue on in 4-H as a leader.  In addition to organizational leader responsibilities, she has helped coach softball and volleyball teams.  It is a special joy to her when former 4-H members bring their children to be part of the 4-H club.  To Bernadene, 4-H means “family.” It takes the whole family to be involved if the members are to be successful.  4-H offers many opportunities for parents to help their children learn responsibility by working together.  She has been a school board and booster club member for the Highland High School.  Bernadene is thankful for her husband, Charlie, who recognizes how important 4-H is to her and is especially proud of her children as they were all successful 4-H members and all are club leaders.

15-Year

Teresa Johnson and her husband Wayne live east of Greeley with their two daughters. She has served as organizational leader for the Hoofbeats
4-H club, and has also helped with Horse Bowl, Horse Council, and the Equitation program.  Teresa’s motivation to continue as a leader comes from her enjoyment is watching kids develop their leadership abilities and maturing into young adults and parents.  One of her fondest memories is when her team won Reserve National Champion Horse Bowl at the 2000 Western Roundup.  Teresa does professional photography, runs a custom horse show clothing business, and drives bus for Platte Valley Schools.  She is President of the Colorado Appaloosa Association, and in her spare time enjoys reading. 

20-Year

Bill & Evelyn Hoffman have both completed 20 years of volunteer leadership with the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H club.  Unfortunately, they were not available for pictures and an interview, however Evelyn wanted everyone to know that they both have enjoyed watching kids grow up through the
4-H program, and think that 4-H gives every child an opportunity to succeed.

Sandi Meyer lives in Windsor with her husband Al.  She helped start, and served as organizational leader for the Pony Express club and currently is the organization leader for the Windsor Hot Shots club.  Sandi has also served as project leader for numerous projects and was on the state curriculum committee for the Child Development project.  Sandi most appreciates watching kids who excel doing their own work and enjoys seeing the excitement of first year members when they complete their project before, she says, “they are disillusioned by competition.”  She believes that cows, cakes, cooking and rockets are just the hooks to get the kids involved.  It’s what they learn while doing those projects, and the skills they develop, that is what 4-H is all about.  Sandi is an alumnus of the original cast of Up with People, a 30-year member of the American Legion Auxiliary, and a member of the Board for Colorado Fairs & Shows. 

Rod Reinick started as a 4-H leader right out of high school as the Box Elder 4-H swine project leader.  Over the years, he has also helped with rocketry, electricity, woodworking, and beef projects, and was the organizational leader for seven years.  Rod started with an emphasis on the show ring, but over the years has changed his outlook.  He now enjoys watching kids develop their own projects, noting that last year one of his club’s members won Grand Champion at the County Fair with an animal they bred and raised.  If he were to give advice to a new leader just starting out, he would advise them to relax and enjoy the kids, be consistent with the guidelines and rules for everyone, compliment the kids when they do something          good, and be sure to thank people when they do something for you.  Rod, his wife Tammie, and their three children, live south of Kersey.  In addition to working for Platte Valley Schools, Rod partners with his father on their farming and livestock operation, specializing in 4-H and FFA club pigs. 

25-Year

Kathy Hettinger lives east of Ault with her husband Tom.  They have two sons and three grandchildren.  Serving as a project leader for Cake Decorating has been Kathy’s area of expertise since beginning with the Best in the West 4-H club in Windsor.  She helped write the manual for the cake decorating contest at State Fair, and has worked as either a judge or superintendent at the State Fair since 1983.  She enjoys her involvement in 4-H because it gives her the opportunity to share what she’s learned, while motivating kids to achieve more than they thought they could.  Kathy notes that every year she learns something from the kids, too!  Kathy has served as her church’s secretary for the past 22 years, and for 10 years has worked with the women’s organization, PEO, which raises funds for scholarships for women’s education.  She operates a wedding cake business and enjoys spending time with the grandkids.

Kathy Showers remembers that her grandmother got her involved as a 4-H leader after she completed her tenure as a 4-H member.  She has been a project leader for cake decorating, knitting, sewing, and other Home Economics projects with the Evans and Crow Creek 4-H clubs.  Kathy gets enjoyment watching kids accomplish their goals and carry on their knowledge into their careers.  It’s a pleasure for her to teach others, and she notes that often times mothers will participate right alongside of their daughters.  To any prospective new leaders, Kathy would advise them to have the patience of Job, be willing to work with kids on their level, and to go with the flow.  Her work in 4-H, as both a member and a leader, is evident in her house as seen in this picture of Kathy sitting on a love seat that she refurnished as part of her 4-H project that won Grand Champion at the Weld County Fair.  Kathy is a mail carrier for the Briggsdale Post Office.  She and her husband Myron have two daughters, and operate a ranch east of Briggsdale. 

50-Year

Bill Erickson has accomplished something that very few people ever do, 50 years as a 4-H leader!  Bill is quick to say that behind every man is a good woman, and he gives credit to his wife of 52 years, Clara, for the opportunity she gave him to get away from the family dairy business to attend meetings and activities.  Bill has been a leader of the Galeton 4-H club for the entire 50 years, and notes that his mother was a leader with this club as well.  A graduate of Colorado State University, Bill started his volunteer leadership after getting out of the service.  He thought it was the natural thing to do, and that it would be a good way for him to give back to the community.  Bill was recently recognized in the 107^th US Congressional Record, in a resolution by Congressman Bob Schaeffer, for his accomplishment as a 50-year leader.   From the many memories he has of special accomplishments, Bill highlights these three:  He was instrumental in helping start the tractor project, As a club, Galeton 4-H worked with a CSU graduate student to develop the DARE program, which has since been adopted by law enforcement agencies, and Working with a youth
assistant leader from California, he helped establish the model rocketry project in Weld County.  Bill states that one of the most valuable things he’s received from 4-H has been the friendships that have developed both locally, and across the western United States while attending Western Regional 4-H Conferences.  A small bit of advice he would share to new leaders would be to “get all the help you can and listen to your help.”  Bill has served on the Ag Committee for the Greeley/Weld Chamber of Commerce, has been a member of the Weld County Farm Bureau for 50 years, and continues to work with Clara and their two children on their farming and dairy operation east of Galeton.  He is a 50-year leader.

15-Year

Jeanette Bohlmeyer from Kersey got her start as a leader by helping organize the Doe C Doe 4-H club.  This club is primarily made up of members with goat projects.  Throughout the years, Jeanette and her club have provided fun matches and goat management programs to help enhance goat project members’ learning experiences.  Jeanette believes 4-H provides the opportunity for kids to work together and learn more about the proper care of their animals.  With her leadership, the club organized the dairy goat judging and donate-a-goat programs.  

20-Year

Dorothy Bates helped organize the Patterns & Pans 4-H club in Kersey, and currently is a county leader for Foods & Nutrition.  She actively participates in the Family & Community Education program on a local and county level and is a member of the Friends of Greeley’s Museums Board of Directors.  Dorothy says 4-H provides her the opportunity to see youth develop skills and achieve goals that will be a part of their life.  Being a leader and seeing their accomplishments is a great reward to her.  Dorothy lives near Kersey and works as an Executive Assistant in the Human Resources Department at Aims Community College. 

Frank Burnett lives southwest of Grover and provides leadership to members of the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H Club who are involved with market & breeding beef projects.  He got his start as a leader when his wife Sherry told him “If I’m going to be the organizational leader of this club, you’re going to help and be a leader too.” He is involved with the Grover Rodeo Community Club and is a member of the FFA Advisory Board.  One of the special programs that his club offers is a $300 scholarship to any member completing ten years of 4-H.  Frank says that the club has raised all the money to fund this program.  Frank has worked for Liquid Waste Management in Ft. Lupton for 12 years.  Frank will be retiring from his 4-H leadership role after 25 years. 

Chris Milne believes 4-H provides a foundation for members to become responsible and confident in their lives and hopes they can look back with pride on their 4-H years.  She began her leadership with the Countryside Ag club, and now is a leader with Galeton 4-H. She is a horse project leader, coach for volleyball and softball, and helps with enrollment for the club.  Chris has also been a Girl Scout leader for nine years, volunteer at Galeton School for seven years, and a member of the Arthritis Foundation’s board of directors.  Chris lives near Eaton and works with her family on their 320-acre farm.

Phyllis Hansberry remembers being involved with 4-H one way or another ever since she was 10 years old.  She started the Mix & Stitch 4-H club in 1981 when she first became a leader, and now is a county leader for Home Economics projects, and also serves on the Fashion Revue committee.  Phyllis is amazed at the multitude of projects now available in 4-H and believes that 4-H represents integrity through accomplishments, leadership, and sportsmanship.  She lives in Greeley and is a volunteer at the Union Colony Civic Center.  

25-Year

Steve Andrijeski is now involved with a dairy operation near Bern, Kansas after working many years on his family’s dairy farm near Pierce.  His primary involvement in 4-H was as a county dairy project activities leader.  He helped coach the Dairy Judging team for 18 years, and assisted with three senior teams that went on to national competition.  He was a co-leader with the Mini-Milkers club for five years, a member of the dairy advisory council for ten years, and Superintendent of the dairy show at the County Fair for ten years.  To Steve, 4-H means learning to prepare for life through participation. 

Kathy French lives near Eaton, is a leader with the Galeton 4-H Club and has primarily been involved with Foods projects.  “Learning long lived skills that last a lifetime” is how Kathy views the 4-H program.   In addition to 4-H, she has been the manager of the Galeton School Food Service for 29 years, a Girl Scout Leader for 10 years, and a member of the Fair Board for six years.  Currently, Kathy is in business with her daughters marketing cold weather head gear, called Hoodums Gear.  She has many fond memories of 4-H, including a trip to the National 4-H Center sponsored by the Foundation.

30-Year

Judy Rexford has spent most of her 30 years with 4-H as a County project leader for Rabbits.  From her perspective, 4-H is a learning process for kids and leaders alike.  She enjoys the time it provides for families and communities to come together.  A special accomplishment that Judy was a part of was getting the champion meat pen of rabbits at the County Fair to be included in the Junior Livestock Sale.  Judy and her husband live near LaSalle and have operated Rexford Rabbit processing for the past 18 years.  She enjoys fishing and competition darts. 

40-Year

Dorothy Zabka has been involved with 4-H in one way or another for over 50 years.  To Dorothy, being a 4-H leader means getting kids involved and being involved with them.  She remembers her first 4-H project, a steer that took eight people to get into its stall.  She broke that steer to lead all by herself, and her “never give up” work ethic has carried forward into her business career.  She operates Martin Produce, a company started by her father in 1939.  Dorothy was the first woman elected into Greeley’s city government, serving as mayor from 1967-1971.  She has served as a director with the Salvation Army and was a member of the Fair Board working closely with the catch-it calf and Fair Royalty programs for many years.  For pleasure, she enjoys her Belgium horses and maintains several collections, including teddy bears and antique cars.

15-Year

Ann Duvall served as a county key leader for cake decorating.  She has since moved to Seattle, Washington.

Bill Coufal remembers growing up in the 4-H program. Together with his wife, Margie, they now serve as the organizational leaders of the Milliken Pacesetters 4-H Club.  Bill, who is an electrical field engineer for the city of Loveland, enjoys seeing kids develop into dependable adults, and likes being able to help kids with their projects.  One of the highlights of his 15 years as a leader was when he and Margie were chaperones for the 1999 Washington Focus trip.

Margie Coufal is the sales manager for Johnstown Clothing.  She remembers getting started when a leader who was retiring asked for their help.  At the time, they had three kids involved in 4-H.  Margie says that through 4-H she is able to see kids learn responsibility and enjoys watching them start a project and see it all the way through to completion.  Margie and Bill live near Milliken, and have four children, three who have completed 4-H and one who is currently enrolled.

Ron Helus got his start as a 4-H leader when he and his wife Karen were asked to be project leaders for sheep with the Box Elder Ag 4-H club.  Since then, they have added goats, chickens and rabbits to their project leader list.  In addition, Ronnie coaches softball and basketball for the club.  Ronnie believes that 4-H brings out honesty and the good side of competition with young kids.  He likes being able to share his knowledge about animals with the kids.  He is employed by Cox Oil of Greeley.

Karen Helus was herself an 8-year member of 4-H.  She presently is employed by Platte Valley Schools in Kersey.  Kids are her number one reason for being a leader.  She enjoys the relationships that are built through 4-H and takes pleasure in the thought that her involvement as a leader helps lead kids in the right direction to become good citizens.  Karen and Ronnie live southeast of Kersey and have also served as leaders of the AWANA program for seven years.  They have two children, Aaron and Jocelyn.

Melodie Kammerzell was a 10-year 4-H member and continued on with collegiate 4-H for two more years.  She is the Horse and Home Ec project leader for Ashton Ag 4-H, and helped get Cloverbuds started in her club, working with them for seven years.  She also helps with the Mardi Gras program.  Melodie says she likes the opportunities 4-H offers kids, and that 4-H seems to keep families together. Melodie is a computer consultant with Managed Business Solutions.  She and her husband Keith and children Brandon and Bryce, live northeast of Galeton, where they raise registered Maine Anjou cattle.

Al Meier has spent his 15 years in the Weld and Larimer County programs.  He helped start the shooting sports project which now has over 3500 members involved.   He notes that over 2000 adults have been trained as shooting sports leaders.  Al is a project leader in model rocketry and a resource leader in wildlife, fisheries, and electricity projects.  In addition to his years as a leader, Al was a county 4-H agent for 15 years in New York and was with state 4-H for five years in Arizona and for 15 years here in Colorado.  Now retired, Al has four sons, and lives with his wife Sandi in Windsor.

Teri Peterson is a leader with the Tailtwisters club.  She and her husband live east of Platteville and have two children, Tessa and Trevor.  Teri got involved as a leader in 4-H when Tessa first became a member.  She serves as the project leader for rabbits.  Teri says that the rabbit project is one that not a lot of people know about, so she likes to work with kids and help them learn how to take care of, and show, rabbits.  Teri has worked for the USDA as a poultry grader for three years, and still enjoys breeding and showing meat and fancy rabbits.

Mike Reed enjoys working with people and feels that 4-H is more family oriented than some other organizations.  Mike is a project leader for electricity and model rocketry in the New Horizons club and has helped with their fund-raising activities.  He has been involved with the county Washington Focus program for 11 years and is currently serving the Vice Chair.  He and his wife have three children who are currently members of 4-H.  Mike lives in Greeley and has worked 19 years for the City of Greeley’s Water & Sewer department.

Lori Rhoadarmer lives southwest of Greeley, and operates Shalom Sitting Service, a child care business.  She has been a leader with the Helping Hands 4-H club where she helps organize some of their special events.  She was inspired to become a leader because of her experience as a 4-H member with the Evans Ag. Club.  Lori says it is very satisfying watching the older kids complete 4-H and then return to become leaders themselves.

Jack Robb got started as a leader with the Helping Hands 4-H club when he married Lucille who was already a club leader.  He currently helps with organizational duties, and with baking and cooking projects.  Jack loves to be where the kids are, they are the ones who keep him inspired.  One highlight from his 15 years of leadership was when the original group of girls from when they started their club all received their 10-year pins together.  Jack now works for K-Mart after many years with the Greeley Tribune.

Lenny Simpson was looking for a way to stay involved in 4-H after his stint as a 4-H member.  He became a leader with the Wyatt Ag club as a coach and a livestock project leader.  Lenny believes that the competition 4-H offers in livestock mirrors real life and teaches kids responsibility and a work ethic that they will need later on in life.  Lenny has served on the Athletic Committee for six years and was swine superintendent at the County Fair for 15 years.  He farms 450 acres northeast of Ault, and raises show lambs and pigs.

Lisa Simpson was a 10-year member of 4-H and her mother was a leader, so it was natural for her to become involved as a leader too.  She coaches volleyball and softball for the Wyatt Girls club, and is co-chair of the Highland area Washington Focus group.  Lisa says that 4-H builds lifelong relationships and develops a sense of responsibility and character in those who participate.  She enjoys seeing her kids do some of the same things she used to do when she was a member.  Lisa and Lenny have two children, Nikki & Logan, who are both in 4-H.  She is employed by State Farm Insurance in Evans.

Joe Amen grew up in 4-H and was a 10-Year member with the Prospect Valley club.  Joe and his wife, Sandy, have served as leaders for 20 years.  He says that most of his time as a leader was spent being Sandy’s supporting assistant.  Joe, who also serves on the local school board, farms southeast of Hudson.

Sandy Amen spent most of her time as the organizational leader for the Hudson Shamrocks 4-H club.  She also worked as a project leader for Home Ec type projects, and assisted with livestock record book judging.  Sandy has watched a lot of kids grow up through 4-H, and states that she’s made a lot of lasting friendships while being a leader.  She and Joe have two children, Kaitlin and Jarod.

Vicki Christian and her husband, Stephen, live in Windsor and have two children and two grandchildren.  She operates her own business called “Drapes by Vicki Christian.”  She became a leader in 4-H when her daughter first became a member.  Her main involvement has been as a county resource person for the Clothing project.  Vicki was a sponsor on the 1985 Washington Focus trip and helps at the County Fair with interview judging.  Participating in 4-H activities with her daughter has been a fun experience for her.

Joyce Johnson began as a leader with the Severance Nimble Fingers, now known as the Severance 4-Corners 4-H club.  She served as the club’s organizational leader for 15 years, and as the sewing project leader for all 20 years.  She and her husband Tim operate a dairy farm north of Severance, and have two children, Shelly & Kevin, who were both 10-year 4-H members.  Joyce’s perspective is that projects don’t have to be perfect, as long as the member did it and is proud of it.  She says it’s okay for kids to make mistakes because there is always something to learn from it.

Anpeytu Raben served as a horse project leader for five years in Idaho before moving to Colorado where she has served as assistant organizational leader and horse project leader for the Phoenix 4-H club.  Her main interest as a leader is to help the youth develop their personal potential.  She earned a Riding master's degree from Merideth Manor International Equestrian Center in West Virginia.   Anpeytu is the Executive Director of Weld County Sexual Assault Survivors, Inc. In Evans.  She is married to Galen and has two sons, Adam and Ian.

25-Year

Ted Magnuson is a fourth-generation farmer southwest of Ault.  He was asked by a friend to help lead the Wyatt Ag 4-H club and has served as its organizational leader for 25 years.  Ted is proud of all the kids that have participated in 4-H, and notes that a blue ribbon isn’t the only measure of success.  Ted has served as a board member of Agland for 19 years and has been active in the Weld County Livestock Association, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.  He has many memories of smiling faces of kids when they first join, learn the pledge, and begin to feel a part of everything.  Ted and his wife Suzie have two sons, Tim and Jim, who are both current 4-H members.

Judy Stevens of Greeley says that “4-H keeps good kids good.”  She especially enjoys watching kids during interview judging at the fair.  She got her start as a leader when her kids first got involved, and is proud to have five children that all were 10-year members.   Among her different roles in 4-H, Judy has served as club organizational leader, project leader for general and natural resources, crocheting, and rabbits. Judy received a degree from Aims Community College as an auto technician, which is her current profession.

30-Year

Barbara Swetzig believes 4-H is very worthwhile for the time spent.  She has been a leader for 30 years, first as an organizational leader for the Hazelton Home Ec club, and now as a county resource leader in sewing and clothing.  She helps with the Fashion Revue and is the treasure of the Leaders Food Booth.  She and her husband, Bob, have three daughters, all of whom were 10-year 4-H members and outstanding junior leaders.  Barbara has worked for 18 years in the College of Education at UNC.  When reflecting on her time as a leader, Barbara quotes Bob Hope by saying “Thanks for the memories.”

15-Year

Nancy Bennett is a leader for the Horse Whisperers club.  She is inspired by the work ethic and harmony her members have.  She has promoted excellence in her club, and has seen many members reach for it.  She encourages older members to work with the new, younger members, and gives credit to the parents who have provided a lot of support and help.  While record books are not always the favorite activity for 4-H members, she notes that many of her members took pride in completing their record books, striving for the excellent award.  Nancy promotes safety, and has given many clinics on this issue.  She makes safety a part of the daily routine, combining it with good horsemanship.  Nancy and her husband Bill live east of Greeley, and her daughter Lisa is attending Aims Community College.

Andy Legino is a leader in the Top Notch 4-H club.  He, his wife Sandee, and their three children live east of Ault.  Andy says that 4-H gets kids ready for life and teaches them responsibility.  He enjoys learning along with the kids and tries to share his knowledge with them.  Their club started the Top-Notch Hog Jackpot competition several years ago, and it is the major fund raiser for them.  Andy is proud of the fact that he has provided opportunities for Weld County and Colorado State University livestock judging teams to practice on his place.  Andy enjoys staying in the background and watching the kids work on their projects.

20-Year

Charles Martin started being a leader when his kids became involved in 4-H and the club needed a coach for some of the sports.  He has helped coach both basketball and softball for the Milliken Pacesetters for the past 20 years.  Additionally, he has helped kids get their projects ready for fair and helped in the club’s fund-raising activities.  He has fond memories of the first basketball championship his kids won 15 years ago, winning by a score of 21-20 after leading 20-0 at halftime.  Charles is currently on the RE5-J School Board, the Milliken Town Board, and the Centenniel BOCES Board.  He works at Martin Supply & Salvage, a company started by his father in 1951.

25-Year

Pat Kindvall lives near Eaton and is a 25-year leader with the Galeton 4-H club.  She got involved in 4-H when her son Tim got started.  She began as a volleyball coach and progressed to project leader and then organizational leader.  Pat has served on the County Home Ec Advisory Council and Leader’s Council.  She was also a 12-year member on the Fair Board and was also involved in the state Leader’s Council.  She enjoys being with the kids, and notes that 4-H is a unique organization because it involves kids of all ages.  She notes that 4-H has a good reputation in the community and that people see 4-H, and the kids that are involved with it, in a positive way. 

Dale Pralle lives on the southern edge of Ft. Lupton and is a 25-year leader with the Tailtwisters club.  He was involved in 4-H when he was young growing up on a farm.  When he married, they moved to town and started working with scouts and other programs, but found that they didn’t always include the whole family, so he became involved as a project leader with 4-H.  Currently, he is the organizational leader with his wife, Judy.  Together with Barry Marrs, they started the restoration project in 4-H a few years back.  Dale says he enjoys the good relationships with the families involved in 4-H and notes that he is currently providing leadership to kids of kids he had as members several years ago.  Dale has served on the Weld County Fair Board for 8 years, and the Leader’s Council for over 10 years.

Judy Rush is a 25-year leader with the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H club.  She has served as a project leader for horses all 25 years, and later added goats to her responsibilities.  Judy was a 4-H member in Arapahoe County, and attended CSU where she got her Instructor’s Certificate.  Judy has served as superintendent at the Weld County Fair and has judged several shows around the state.  She remembers her son Lee trying to show Pygmy goats at the Fair, having to settle for it first as a demonstration project before getting them recognized as a project.  Together with her husband Kirk, Judy has provided animals to the National Western Stock Show FFA petting zoo for 16 years.  She likes working with kids and animals, and enjoys the community that is fostered in 4-H.

25 & 30 Year

Carolyn Kammerzell is a 25-year leader and grew up in 4-H as a member of the Auburn 4-H Club.  She got started as a leader when her kids became involved in the Ashton 4-H club.  Initially she was a project leader, and later she and her husband, Vern Kammmerzell who is a 30-year leader took over as organizational leaders.  Both Vern and Carolyn like the fact that their club draws from a wide region and has had good parental involvement.  They enjoy the kids and their activities, especially those involving livestock. Their three sons were all 10-year 4-H members.  4-H, they say, broadens their circle of friends.  They have observed that many kids that are involved in 4-H have later gone on to be successful leaders in their community.  Carolyn has worked for Union Colony Bank in Johnstown for 19 years, and Vern is involved with two of his sons in their farming operation east of Milliken.

30-Year

Lois Onorato is a 30-year leader with the Milliken Pacesetters.  She was a 4-H member herself with the Valley View club south of Kersey.  She began her leadership as a coach in softball and volleyball, and later became a project leader and organizational leader.  Lois states that 4-H is the greatest organization, providing many opportunities for kids to be involved in a multitude of project areas and activities.  Lois was also a member of the Fair Board for six years and chaired the Fair Queen program for five years.  Currently, she works for the town of Milliken as the Director for Senior Activities, where she has been for 14 years.  Lois credits 4-H for her success at her current job because she learned all about people while serving as a leader in 4-H.

Sharon Hahn was not involved in 4-H when she was young but started her 30-year leadership when she married her husband, Eugene who is being recognized as a 35-year leader.  Sharon has served as a project leader for cooking and childcare, and later she and Gene took over as project leaders.  Gene got started as a leader when he was 20 years old.  He, too, didn’t have a background in 4-H, but was asked by the local 4-H organizational leader to step in and take over when he retired.  Gene and Sharon say it is easy to stay motivated, all you have to do is watch those first-year members mature and become outgoing, progressive leaders after being in 4-H for a few years themselves.  Having young kids ask questions and show their eagerness to learn also provides motivation.  Gene and Sharon try to treat each kid fairly, and not show any favoritism.  Together, they ranch east of Grover.

35-Year

Larry and Rodine Rhoadarmer have served together as leaders for 35 years.  They were each 10-year members and believe in the good things that the 4-H program offers.  They are leaders in the Helping Hands 4-H club and say that 4-H provides a variety of options that members can pursue as careers if they so choose.  4-H, they say, is a part of their life.  Rodine says that she enjoys seeing the confidence 4-H builds in youngsters.  Larry and Rodine are involved in their local church, and both work for Ghent Chevrolet in Greeley.  Rodine is currently the treasurer for the Weld County 4-H Foundation, and Larry serves as a board member on the Weld County Dairyman Fund.

15-Year

Karen Jarman from Greeley is a 15-year leader of the New Horizons 4-H Club.  She has been the club’s organizational leader for about 10 years, and also served as the county key leader for the dog project for about 14 years.  Karen, who works at Northern Colorado Medical Center, started as a volunteer leader when her son joined Cloverbuds 4-H.  Both of her children were ten-year members.  Her club takes part in a variety of community service programs including therapy dog programs at nursing homes and helping to serve at the soup kitchen.  Karen takes pride in watching 4-H members develop as mature adults who use the skills they learned in 4-H to help make decisions and handle tough situations.  While she enjoys seeing kids do well with their projects, it is their development, education, and growth into responsible adults that is most important to Karen.  One of her most special memories of the program is when 4-H co-sponsored a bone marrow drive with Greeley Central High School for her son Josh.

Shari Schreiber grew up in the Greeley area and started 4-H when she was 10 years old.  She was an eight-year member of the Hazelton and Galeton 4-H clubs.  Shari is a 15-year leader of the Galeton club, working with a variety of projects including Cloverbuds, Childcare, and Knitting.  A unique experience that Shari had as a Junior Leader in 4-H, was when she learned how to crochet left-handed in order to teach it to another member.  That demonstrates the personal and dedicated approach Shari has in her leadership role.  Shari’s goal as a leader is to pass on the knowledge she gained as a 4-H member to those enrolled in the program now.  Shari and her husband are owners of Schreiber’s Auto Gallery, which gives her the opportunity to pursue one of her passions, restoring old automobiles.

20-Year

Rolland Jones grew up with 4-H in South Dakota where he got his start when a steer was given to him as a thank you from a neighbor whom he had helped out.  He fondly recalls the bond that grew between him and his first 4-H project animal - even to the point that he slept outside with his steer when it came down with pneumonia.  His early training and work with an electrical company gave Rolland the experience to be the electrical project leader in the Keene 4-H club.  Rolland is retired from the Keebler Cookie company where he was employed for 26 years.  Auctioneering is one of his hobbies, as is collecting antiques.  He continues to be a 4-H leader because he enjoys getting to know the kids and their families.

Sonora Jones did not grow up in a 4-H family but has enjoyed her time as a 4-H leader.  She presently works at United Power of Brighton where she has been for 13 years.  She is known as “Mrs. Jones who always completes a project” because she believes more is learned by completing a project than by winning a blue ribbon.  She stresses demonstration work in the club because of the skills it teaches kids.  Sonora gets a lot of enjoyment out of being a 4-H leader and says that 4-H “is kind of like a big family.”  Sonora and Rolland have two children who were both 10-year members of 4-H, and who still, according to Sonora, are using skills in their adult life that they learned while in 4-H.

Lucille Robb from Greeley is a leader in the Helping Hands 4-H Club.  Lucille was herself a member of 4-H growing up in Ft. Morgan and has had two children in the program as well.  She says there was no particular reason that she began volunteering as a leader, just the desire to help out when her friend Rodine Rhoadarmer asked.  Most of the kids in the Helping Hands club are special needs kids.  Lucille likes having the opportunity to work with these youth and enjoys seeing all they can accomplish.  She adds that a special benefit to working with these kids is sharing in the love that they have.  Lucille has worked as the Cooking project leader.  In the Helping Hands club, they strive to keep kids on as leaders after they complete the program which helps provide them with a sense of companionship and community.  One of her hobbies is collecting napkins from all sorts of places and events.

Judy Pralle grew up in the Keenesburg area where she was a 10-year 4-H member taking beef, cooking, and sewing projects.  Her husband Dale was a sheep project leader when Judy came on board as the organizational leader for the Tailtwisters 4-H club.  Judy considers herself as a “people person” and really enjoys being around the kids.  She says being a leader keeps her young and in touch with the community.  One of the unique things Judy started in her club about three years ago was the club newsletter.  It has proven to be an excellent way to keep members and parents informed of club events, activities, and deadlines.  Judy is particularly proud of the fact that the Tailtwisters club was made a charter member of the
Ft. Lupton FFA last year.  At the banquet where the recognition was made, she noticed that four of the FFA Chapters officers were members of her club.  Judy considers it a privilege to serve as a 4-H leader, and especially likes the recognition she gets from past members who still see her as their club leader.  For fun, Judy collects sheep figurines and likes to make picture scrapbooks.

Shirley Wiggin grew up in southeastern Wyoming where she was a 10-year 4-H member.  She served as an Extension 4-H agent in Maryland for one year and was an IFYE delegate to India in 1958.  She returned to this area in 1972 and has been in her current location west of Grover since 1974.  Getting involved in 4-H was just sort of a natural thing for her.  With her experience as a member, extension agent, and IFYE delegate she felt she had a lot to offer, and she wanted to get involved again.  Shirley is now retired from teaching and sees herself as having more time to give to 4-H, especially since she has grandchildren that will soon be involved in the program.  She takes pleasure in seeing the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H club continue its role in providing opportunities to kids in the area.  Aside from 4-H, Shirley enjoys painting china as a hobby.  She plays organ at church, is involved in politics at the county level, and is the current Historian for the Weld County Cattlewomens Association.

25-Year

Sharon Peters moved to her present location west of Hereford in 1968 after growing up in the Gunnison area where she was a 10-year 4-H member.  She, and her husband John, now run the ranch that John’s grandfather started years ago.  Getting started as a leader in the Grover Guys & Gals 4-H provided Sharon with an excellent opportunity to get to know the community.  She has served in several different capacities as a leader, including being a co-organizational leader and a project leader in Clothing and Home-Ec.  Of the many activities the club is involved in, Sharon particularly enjoys working with club members, parents, and leaders at the Grover Rodeo.  Sharon has three daughters and one granddaughter and says that “staying a leader in 4-H helps her keep in touch with the people and with what’s happening in the community.”  She takes pride in fact that many of the past members continue to use the skills she helped teach while they were in 4-H.

Sherry Burnett remembers how interesting it was to attend a judging day at a neighbor's place before her kids were in 4-H.  It was that event that inspired her to begin volunteering as a leader in the Grover Guys & Gals club.  In her 25 years with the club, she has served as the organizational leader and as a leader for a variety of different projects wherever the club needed her - including her present role as Small Engines project leader.  She enjoys being the leader but confesses that she learns right along with the kids.  The Wooden Nickle program is a special program she helped initiate in her club.  Points are earned by members for completing their project, citizenship, meeting attendance, Fair, Mardi Gras, and for helping at the Grover Rodeo.  Sherry and her husband Frank operate a ranch west of Grover and have provided facilities for the beef identification and weigh-in for the past eight years.  She has also helped with the 4-H Leaders Food Booth at the Weld County Fair for the past three years.  She is a Lions Club member and sits on the Board of the Pawnee Fire District.

30-Year

Berninene Leffler has been the organizational leader of the Wyatt Girls 4-H club for the entire 30 years of her volunteer leadership.  She was asked by the retiring leader to take over and she wanted to make sure the program would still be available for her children and others in the community.  That continues to be her motivation, except now it is for her grandchildren.  In addition to her service as organizational leader, Bernadene has worked with the Citizenship Washington Focus program, and interview judging at the county fair.  Her club has done yard work for seniors in the area to help with fundraising for the CWF program, and they have hosted a 4-H volleyball practice tournament for several years.  Bernadene is proud of the accomplishments of her children while they were in 4-H.  In this picture you’ll note the trophy won by her son Jason for champion all-around showman at the 1992 Weld County Fair.  Bernadene likes helping out at the farm, gardening, and raising flowers.  She has helped prepare tax returns for clients in the area, 55 of them this year.  She and her husband Charlie have a farming/feeding operation west of Eaton.