Youth need opportunities to develop
leadership skills. Youth are an integral part of the
educational outreach of Henderson County 4-H. Youth pay attention to
peers, or older teens as teachers. Adults appreciate the confidence
and leadership abilities of these youth. These leadership skills
will serve these children well throughout life.
Earl Smith, 4-H and Commercial Horticulture Agent 1957 - 1985:
"4-H develops self-confidence, poise and maturity."
Joyce Armstrong, 4-H and Family
Consumer Science Agent 1966 - 1996:
"Several former 4-H'ers have shared with
me the fact that the leadership training they received in 4-H has
enabled them to be successful through their education and now in
their employment. I have also seen many of our adult leaders use
their 4-H experiences to become community leaders. There is no down
side to leadership development."
Bill Stanley
My experience in 8 years in 4 - H at Centenary, SC as a part
of the Marion County, SC program and two years' of judging cattle in 4
H competition including a state championship and 3rd in the nation
in'56, led to confidence on my feet in front of any audience. Standing
in front of cattlemen who had no doubt about the best animals in the
contest, where I verbally presented my reasons for judging one animal
over another in several different categories, with no notes whatsoever,
presenting an expository to convince the judges was fundamental to my
success in college and the United States Air Force by being able to
speak to any audience with confidence. It did not hurt any that I
learned to fly an airplane reasonably well and quickly.
Among many outstanding flying officers, I was able to make
positive points in varied circumstances which led to commanding officer
recognition and subsequent promotion ahead of contemporaries because of
my ability to speak as well as fly better than many of my brand new
aspiring fighter pilots in the United States Air Force in 1955/56 and
for me 30 years later after a satisfying 30 year tour of duty in the
Air Force as a fighter pilot, Operations & Plans Officer, and
Commander at several levels where I accumulated 5,550 hours of fighter
flying time and 200 combat missions in Virt Nam. Always able to
communicate with my flight, my squadron, my wing, my command to our
mutual best effort -- Thank You 4-H.
Lisa Degraw, 4-H Leader:
"At the beginning of this year I started a 4-H group though I’d never
been to a 4-H meeting in my life—as a kid I’d always done scouts. It
was a whole new experience as the club members, mostly 5-9 year olds,
learned the legislative process, gave educational presentations, worked
on project records, went on field trips, and did service projects. One
of the best things about 4-H is snack time. Well, that’s what they
kids would say. I love that at every meeting they improve their public
speaking skills through club talks. Those who were terrified in
January now act like it’s no big deal. Gotta love that."
NC 4-H Honor Club Members:
Lory McCraw: "4-H is a wonderful organization that
has given me leadership positions, confidence to speak in front of a
crowd and helped me to have confidence in my own talents and abilities."
Stacie Worrell: "The confidence 4-H has given me over the years has helped me attain leadership roles that I have held, prepared me for such things as job interviews and was a major part of my recent winning a national trip to 4-H Congress in Atlanta. I know that I have not seen the end of the benefits of public speaking and 4-H in my life. I am sure that they will aid me through college and later in life as well."
Sarah Beth Sherrill: "The many opportunities in 4-H, especially those for community service, leadership and public speaking, have equipped me for life in the future."
Susannah McIlvaine: "4-H has helped me learn to set reachable goals for my life. Through 4-H I have developed much-needed time management skills and a better understanding of the importance of service."
Katie Dotson: "4-H has taught me to be a responsible person. It has also taught me how to be organized and a leader amongst my peers."
Janet Gover: "Ten years in 4-H provided me the opportunities of participating in oral presentations, leadership roles, and holding officer positions. As a result I am much more comfortable in front of groups, in the workforce, and in my personal life."
Rebekah Torres: "4-H
has opened so many new doors for me the past six years, including: becoming
comfortable doing presentations and public speaking, developing a love for
photography and sewing, and increasing my knowledge in many different subject
areas."
Karen-Eve Bayne Pfotzer :
I’ve
been fortunate to have a very varied and wider professional career.
I’ve been all around the world as a project manager, park ranger,
international business executive and even the General Manager of The
London Philharmonic Orchestra. Now as a local trainer, facilitator,
speaker and storyteller, I have settled back in Henderson County. Many times, I have been asked how did a young girl from rural NC learn the skills that helped me succeed.The answer is many pronged: inspirational teachers & preachers, fine parents, Star Trek, and 4-H.Specifically,
4-H was all about leadership development. With the help of people like
Joyce Armstrong and Earl Smith, I learned about project management,
goal and key performance indicators, marketing and especially about
public speaking. I learned how give presentations, answer questions,
manage long term projects and know to work with PR and marketing
groups. As a 4-Her I learned by doing and by teaching. 4-H offers
wonderful skills to the youth in our county and state. That’s why once
I returned to the area, I decided to serve on the 4-H Advisory Committee.
1974 4-H Honor Club
Representative Carolyn Justus installed the 2007 Henderson County 4-H Club officers.
NC Cooperative Extension is based at North Carolina's two land-grant institutions, NC State University and NC A&T State University, in all 100 counties and on the Cherokee Reservation.