It may be a pat on the back or that good feeling you have after you have helped a younger member or senior citizen in some way, or the ribbon or award you receive, or your name in the
Trang 1INVESTING IN
YOUTH
2017 ANNUAL REPORT
FASHIONABLE
Clothing Project Leads
to Career and Two Stores
4-H
Also Inside:
4-H Member Spotlight Lone Oaks Master Plan Update Partner Spotlight
And More!
Trang 2The 4-H theme for last year was “Let’s Grow,” and how appropriate that proved to be The Tennessee 4-H Foundation passed the $12 million milestone in assets for the first time in its history The realization of that goal translates into more income from endowment accounts, which means more funds are available to support 4-H program opportunities
It is important to remember however, that the base of the 4-H program is at the local level The first opportunity that a young person has is to join a 4-H Club, either in their school or community This past year, the Tennessee 4-H Foundation inaugurated programs to not only increase the number of county endowments, but to also increase fund balances in existing accounts A majority of the counties in Tennessee have chosen
to participate in one or more of these efforts, which also emphasize teamwork among agents, volunteers, donors, members and the 4-H Foundation staff The goal is to assure that resources are available to deliver a quality program to all participants
The 4-H Foundation Board is indebted to Executive Director Ryan Hensley for his leadership in planning and executing these new initiatives
The Tennessee 4-H Congress theme in 1968 was “Reaching Out.” I know this because,
as I write this article, I am holding in my hand the program that was given to me when
I registered for that event The last five decades have passed quickly, but that 4-H Congress remains a vivid memory for me, and was a pivotal experience in shaping the rest of my life My attendance at that event was made possible by the 4-H Foundation funding the state program and a committed Extension Agent in Loudon County, who raised my $75 registration fee from local donors As I have said before, I did not attend 4-H Camp because the $12.50 might as well have been $1 million, so you can
understand how out of reach the 4-H Congress fee would have been
This investment sparked my motivation to be a 4-H and Extension participant and supporter
as well as a UT Alumna The project skills, and especially the life skills of citizenship, leadership, public speaking and parliamentary procedure, have proved to be invaluable
in my adult life – and are ones that I continue to use and practice each and every day And yes, I still have my 4-H Congress sweater and my (mediocre) 4-H Record Book – but along with the skills that I learned, I also have a lifetime of relationships, friendships and memories It is about the 4-H program, but that program is made up
of PEOPLE – those who taught, shared and guided each of us Now is our time to give back the return on their INVESTMENT
Ruth Henderson McQueen
INVESTING FOR LIFE:
THE TENNESSEE 4-H FOUNDATION
Trang 3Greetings from the Tennessee 4-H program! 2017 was an exciting year for 4-H
Through the efforts of our staff, volunteers and donors, we were able to bring life-changing experiences to over 180,000 Tennessee youth These members honed their leadership, citizenship, communication, and project-specific knowledge and skills in order to prepare themselves to be positive change advocates in their communities and future workplaces
A special emphasis in 2017 was the development on new 4-H curricula for both school and community clubs A life skills model was developed and competencies determined for each of our major project areas Lesson plans were then developed for use by agents and volunteers, which emphasized research-based experiential education Our campus-based faculty are working hard to revise and develop new materials focused on ever-increasing knowledge and skill development for project work as a member gains more experience in their chosen project
The hard work of our outstanding high school members was recognized on a national level last year Numerous state-level winners went on to receive national awards, in many cases the top national award, in areas like public speaking, livestock judging, wildlife judging, shooting sports, consumer decision-making, and various skill-a-thon teams Tennessee continues to have the reputation as one of the best 4-H programs in the country
To accomplish all of the these things, and many others that space does not allow me
to highlight, takes funding beyond that provided by our governmental support Your donations are critical to providing state-level events, scholarships, national trips, competitions, awards and opportunities to develop cutting-edge educational experiences that change the lives of our members For that I say a big thank you You are truly helping “Make the Best Better!”
Richard Clark Assistant Dean, 4-H Youth Development
2 | National 4-H Hall of Fame
4 | 4-H Member Spotlight
6 | Fashionable 4-H
9 | A Lasting Legacy
10 | News & Notes
12 | Hall of Fame Donors
13 | 2017 Giving
17 | Financials CONTENTS
Trang 4BEN POWELL (2002)
“4-H encourages you
to set goals, provides opportunities to help you meet these goals and then recognizes you for meeting the goals Recognition comes in many ways
It may be a pat on the back or that good feeling you have after you
have helped a younger member or senior
citizen in some way, or the ribbon or
award you receive, or your name in the
newspaper, or maybe even a college
scholarship.”
As part of the inaugural class of Hall
of Fame inductees in 2002, Ben Powell
has nearly 40 years of work with the
Extension Service Powell became an
Assistant County Agent in Rutherford
County in 1959 and was appointed to
a 4-H Specialist position just 10 years
later In 1981, Powell was appointed
the State 4-H Leader and under his
leadership, Tennessee was recognized
as the top state in a number of national
4-H project winners Powell is a
recipient of the Distinguished Service
award from both the NACAA and
NAE4-HA, as well as the NAE4-HA’s
American Spirit Award In addition to his
work with Tennessee 4-H, Powell has
served as the President of the American
Hampshire Sheep Association and
Secretary of the Tennessee Purebred
Sheep Breeders Association and the
Southern States Sheep Council He
currently serves as a volunteer 4-H
sheep project leader and at the state
4-H office
MARTHA JO TOLLEY (2006)
“I learned to value the never-ending talents and abilities
of today’s youth and
to try to guide those talents and abilities
to help them make a difference Today’s youth may be our greatest underutilized resource I am thankful to have had the opportunity to impact a few of them and watch our county staff make a huge impact working with Tennessee youth.”
Martha Jo Tolley became the first Tennessee woman to be inducted in the National 4-H Hall of Fame in 2006 With
an Extension career that spanned 33 years, Tolley served as a County Agent in Anderson and Hawkins counties, State 4-H Specialist and Interim 4-H Leader
She served on numerous national committees, including several National 4-H Congress Committees, the Citizenship Washington Focus Extension Planning Committee and the National Extension Task Force on Competition in 4-H and the Awards Committee Tolley was a founding member of the Tennessee Association of Extension 4-H workers and has served as the secretary of the Tennessee 4-H Foundation
PEGGY MUSTAIN ADKINS (2011)
“4-H has kept my head filled with great things for 50 years and I am grateful.”
4-H never had a better friend than Peggy Mustain Adkins Adkins’ service spans four counties, two states, and 11 countries As president of NAE4-HA, Adkins was a member of a 250-person delegation for the very first African/African-American Summit in Ivory Coast, West Africa She chaired NAE4-HA’s fist Legislative Update on Youth at Risk and worked tirelessly with lobbyists to engage states’ efforts with
children, youth and families at risk Her efforts secured $10 million for what is now known as CYFAR (Children, Youth and Families At Risk) Adkins was named one of 10 Outstanding Young Women of America in 1985 and Freed-Hardeman University Alumnus of the Year in 2007
As a State 4-H Specialist, Adkins was known for her curriculum development expertise and authored the TAXI volunteer system development curriculum
NATIONAL 4-H HALL OF FAME
I n 2002, the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents created the National 4-H Hall of Fame in
conjunction with 4-H’s centennial year celebration The National Hall of Fame honors laureates who have made major contributions to 4-H at the local, state and national levels Tennessee boasts seven members
of the National Hall of Fame These volunteers, supporters and staff have made remarkable contributions to our program and are deserving of this major accomplishment
“Today’s youth may be our greatest underutilized resource
I am thankful to have had the opportunity to impact a few
of them and watch our county staff make a huge impact working with Tennessee youth.” – Martha Jo Tolley
Trang 5DR GEORGE FOSTER (2013)
The late, great Dr
George Foster was inducted in 2013
Foster’s career is marked by a number
of firsts that he initiated, including
a program with the American Camping Association for Extension workers in
camping, support of the first state 4-H
alumni organization and securing funds
for the first full-time Tennessee 4-H
Foundation worker He served as a
County Extension Agent, Assistant 4-H
Specialist, 4-H Club Professor and State
4-H Leader, and worked at USDA, where
he chaired the national award winners
selection committee He was awarded
‘life membership’ by the
Parent-Teacher Association, NAE4-HA’s
Distinguished Service and 25-Year
Service awards, and when he retired,
Foster had the longest tenure of any
active state 4-H program leader
DR M LLOYD DOWNEN (2015)
“In retrospect, I did not know my 4-H pig project in 1933 would
be far more important
to me in the future than learning to care for my pig Other 4-H Club members and I were learning responsibility, integrity, leadership,
citizenship and other life skills Those
experiences as a 4-H member were
invaluable to me as I served as Dean of the
University of Tennessee Extension.”
Former Dean and Director of Tennessee
Agricultural Extension Service, Dr
Lloyd Downen was inducted in 2015
During his administration, Dr Downen
led the Tennessee 4-H program to an
unprecedented growth – he hired Ben
Powell as State 4-H Leader, provided
resources for grade-level curriculum
in all 4-H projects, supported the
employment of the first director of the
Tennessee 4-H Foundation and provided
the state the ability to obtain more national 4-H project winners than any other state for 10 consecutive years
Downen served on countless advisory boards and councils, including the National Extension Committee on Operation and Policy (ECOP), ECOP 4-H subcommittees and the 4-H Council Panel
of Extension Directors and the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees His efforts were recognized by many, and he was selected by his peers to serve as the Chair
of the Southern Directors Association
DR JIM BYFORD (2016)
“Never take yourself too seriously, never let success go to your head and when you fall down, get back
up, dust yourself off, take inventory of what you have left and start over.”
Dr James (Jim) Byford’s efforts for Tennessee 4-H go above and beyond, which made him an obvious Hall of Fame choice in 2016 In Tennessee, Byford initiated the 4-H Wildlife Project, 4-H Food and Cover Establishment (FACE) Contest, and 4-H Wildlife Conference, which has become the longest-running state conservation camp in the nation
Byford also worked on the TN 4-H Wildlife Judging Contest, which later became nationally recognized as WHEP, and continues today During his time as Dean of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences at the University of Tennessee - Martin, Byford worked to make sure that 4-H members were always welcome on campus and served
as advisor and mentor to the collegiate 4-H Club Byford has been awarded the Tennessee Youth Conservation Program
of the Year, Cavendar Award, and Citations for Distinguished Service at both the state
and national levels The Jim Byford 4-H Endowment was established in his honor and is used to recognize youth who have excelled in the Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries project In 2014, he served on
a task force that successfully received
$15 million to build a new Tennessee 4-H camp and conference center at Lone Oaks Farm
STEVE SUTTON (2017)
“4-H has been good
to me As a youth, it helped me develop the confidence and skills to achieve things beyond my wildest dreams
As a profession, it has allowed me to make a difference in the lives of countless young people.”
As the most recent Tennessee inductee, Sutton is a 30-year member of NAE4-HA and now a Life Member Sutton is known for his ability to engage professionals in educational projects to provide leadership opportunities for youth around the state and served on the educational learning subcommittee for the Youth Issues ‘95:
A 4-H Congress in Memphis Sutton’s real passions lie within producing high-quality 4-H curricula – he’s served
as a jury member for the National 4-H Curriculum Collection, chair of the 4-HCCS curriculum committee and a peer reviewer for 4-H National Headquarters’ Programs of Distinction Database Sutton served two two-year terms on the National 4-H Congress Board of Directors and initiated the Tennessee 4-H Academic Conference to recognize junior high 4-H members He is a recipient of the NAE4-HA’s Distinguished Service Award, 25 Year Service Award, American Spirit Award, Meritorious Service Award and Tennessee Friend of 4-H Award
“4-H has been good to me As a youth, it helped me develop the confidence and skills to achieve things beyond my wildest dreams As a profession, it has allowed me to make a difference
in the lives of countless young people.” – Steve Sutton
Trang 6Emily Nave, a junior at Cannon
County High School in Woodbury,
is an outstanding example of what
it means to be a 4-H member and
the qualities one must possess to
be successful
When Nave attended her first 4-H
Club meeting in fourth grade, she was
already familiar with the program – her
mother served as an adult leader and her
older sister was in 4-H Honor Club After
that first meeting, she knew that she
also wanted to be an active participant
Then, she competed in a speech contest
and “truly fell in love” with the
program
With a deep history in volunteering
and a service-minded wisdom that goes
well beyond her 16 years, Nave felt it
only natural to participate in the
Tennessee 4-H All Stars She now serves
as the All Star Chief, a position also
held by her sister in 2016
“I was raised being taught to help
others,” explains Nave “I saw this part
of 4-H as a way to help others and work
with other 4-H’ers.”
As All Star Chief, Nave represents
current 4-H members at meetings and
events across the state and facilitates statewide All Star events, like the 4-H All Star High Council meeting and the upcoming 70th Annual 4-H All Star Conference She credits these events to helping her get to know other people with similar interests
“There is no such thing as a stranger
in 4-H,” Nave says “I have met some
of my closest friends because of a conversation at an event.”
Nave is an active participant in the Veterinary Sciences and leadership
projects and has been very successful in both At the 2016 State Roundup, she won the Veterinary Science Project and received a $500 scholarship Nave has also placed at the regional level each year that she has participated in public speaking, and for the last seven years, she has been a Top 5 Premier Exhibitor
at the 4-H Sheep Expo
Outside of her rigorous schedule balancing school and 4-H obligations, Nave is an active participant in several clubs at school, including FFA, DECA, and the debate club She also performs
in local community theater and has held notable starring roles, like Wendy
in “Peter Pan.” Nave is currently part
of the 2018 Tennessee Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Choir and was a member of the 2017 National FFA Chorus as well
In the future, Nave hopes to take what she has learned in 4-H and pursue a career to advocate for agriculture
“I am currently wanting to major in business or communications and minor
in biology to inform the public about agriculture,” Nave says
Nave attributes 4-H Club for encouraging her to step outside her comfort zone and try new things When asked to participate in Rutherford County’s poultry judging, Nave was hesitant because she wasn’t familiar with raising chickens, but with the encouragement from her 4-H family, she took the time to learn and poultry judging has become one of her favorite contests
“I have learned so much from this experience, and many others, that the leaders in this program really care What you invest in this program, you will receive back,” Nave says
Nave carries on this generous spirit with her work in the 4-H All Stars and works diligently to inspire other 4-H’ers
to get involved and give back
4-H’ers around the state play a vital role in the success of the Tennessee 4-H Club
4-H MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Emily Nave’s love for 4-H and agriculture is obvious in
everything she does! From sharing her sheep project
story to serving in her community, her passion to
inspire younger 4-H members to get excited about
4-H work is second to none She truly works hard to
make the best better. – Justin Crowe, Extension Specialist
GET INVOLVED
You can invest in the leaders of tomorrow, like Emily, by contributing to the State 4-H Council Endowment Donations may be made to this endowment by using the enclosed envelope or by visiting
tn4hfoundation.org.
Trang 9Katie Lee, a native of Madisonville,
Tennessee, is proof that the skills
learned in 4-H Club as a youth
carry over into adulthood and can help
a member fulfill his or her dreams
A participant of the clothing project,
Lee now runs a successful blog, Pearls
and Twirls, and is the co-owner of My
Kind of Lovely, a popular boutique and
one-stop shop for clothing and gifts
Lee joined 4-H as a fourth grader at
Madisonville Intermediate School and
continued to participate in the Monroe
County program until she graduated
high school During her freshman year
of college at the University of Tennessee,
Lee worked in the state 4-H office in
Knoxville
As a 4-H’er, Lee participated in the
clothing and citizenship projects, as
well as showing both sheep and cattle
Additionally, she served on the 4-H
State Council, attended both State and
National 4-H Congress and won the
Vol State Award She attributes her
participation in 4-H with cultivating her
interest in clothing and helping her
create her own success
“Participating in the clothing project
at such a young age gave me the confidence I never would have really learned about otherwise I probably wouldn’t have realized the importance
of clothing – how clothing is made, where it comes from, and the details
in each piece of clothing,” explains Lee
“I think the project gave me a real
appreciation for the industry as
a whole.”
Participating in 4-H wasn’t always easy though
Lee learned the importance of having a strong work ethic, especially for students raising livestock, and having confidence
in everything you
do Public speaking was a particularly difficult activity for Lee, but her parents made her push through and participate in public speaking events
Today, Lee hosts a monthly news segment on a local station in Knoxville
After graduating from college, Lee accepted her first job and helped the company create and maintain a blog, which ultimately sparked her interest in creating her own site, providing her with
a creative outlet outside of her day-to-day work
Lee later moved on to an e-commerce retail company, and again, felt a little bored and unfulfilled She joined forces with her business partner and best friend Caroline Gillem
The duo decided to start a side
business where women could grab a great outfit, pick out the perfect present and leave feeling good about themselves – thus, My Kind of Lovely was born
Lee and Gillem hosted a wildly successful first trunk show, where they almost completely sold out of their initial inventory More had to be overnighted for the next trunk show
A couple of months later, Lee and Gillem opened up a pop-up shop in Madisonville that just celebrated its third anniversary In August, My Kind
of Lovely opened a second shop on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville
Lee’s achievements in her professional endeavors date back to her time in 4-H and her ability to push herself out of her comfort zone She encourages current 4-H’ers to do the same
“Participate in as much as you possibly can, even if that pushes you out
of your comfort zone,” Lee says “There were many times in my 4-H career where I was very intimidated, pushed way out of my comfort zone and often times things I did not want to do – hello, public speaking!”
Lee continues to work hard and define her own rules for success
Visit pearlsandtwirls.net or stop by one of the two My Kind of Lovely locations to learn more about Lee
One 4-H’ers clothing project led her to a career and two stores
FASHIONABLE 4-H
GET INVOLVED
You can help other 4-H members have experiences like Katie, by contributing to the Clothing Project Donations may be made to this endowment by using the enclosed envelope or by visiting
tn4hfoundation.org.
Trang 10Steve has joined,
have you?
Tennessee 4-H Alumni and Friends
wants you!
Connect with the 4-H Community
Free membership Alumni / Volunteers / Parents / Donors
Join today at tn4halumni.com
tn4halumni.com facebook.com/TN4HAlumni
Steve Sutton
2018 4-H Alumni Leadership Award Recipient
2017 National 4-H Hall of Fame Laureate