Contacts: Albert Grunenwald Carter D. Collins

www.iowa4hfoundation.org

June 9, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:

Albert Grunenwald Carter D. Collins

Chief Operating Officer Marketing Intern

Iowa 4-H Foundation Iowa 4-H Foundation

abfrunen@iastate.edu ccollins@iastate.edu

(515) 294-4780 (515) 294-1607

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Benjamin Baudler is a senior studying dietetics at Iowa State University. In the Adair County 4-H program Baudler learned much about team work as the president of his club and the county’s 4-H Youth Council. In his seven years as a 4-H member, he was a camp counselor, a community scholarship run organizer and a volunteer at local long-term care facilities. He has taken numerous Food and Nutrition, Visual Arts and Communication projects to the Iowa State Fair. Those experiences transferred over to his leadership roles in Iowa State’s Student Dietetic Association and Iowa State’s Relay for Life. “4-H gave me the confidence I needed to achieve my life goals,” Baudler said. “My first Food and Nutrition project sparked my interest, and today I am carrying that passion as I enter my final year of coursework.” Baudler has been a nutrition adviser to his brother’s summer camp, a guest volunteer at the Henery A. Wallace Foundation’s Real Soil, Real Food, Real People event and an AmeriCorps member. After graduating from Iowa State, Baudler would like to become a dietician in rural Iowa and take on nutrition related issues such as diabetes, obesity and eating disorders. (195)

Bradley Baudler will be a first-generation college student when he attends Iowa State University in the fall with an agricultural education major. The decision wasn’t too difficult due to his terrific experience through the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference. Baudler took his lessons from the conference back with him to his home county of Adair where he is the current president of the county’s 4-H Youth Council. Under his direction the group has increased its service work around the community. During his nine years of 4-H he also became the event chair for a charity run where all proceeds went to a scholarship in name of 4-H club member who was killed by a drunk driver. Baudler loved taking on all the challenges that came with these formal leadership positions, but one of his favorite challenges came from an informal title of being a mentor to new 4-H’ers. “4-H has helped me become a better leader and communicator. It helped me realize I have a passion for teaching and coaching in my future,” he said. Baudler has been award with a 4-H State Communication Award and a 4-H State Leadership Award. (190)

“If it wasn’t for 4-H I never would’ve started showing cattle,” Madison Shuey said. “This entire 4-H experience has provided an important foundation for my future.” She is a graduating senior at Corning High School in Corning, Iowa who plans to study animal science at Iowa State University. During her time in 4-H Shuey has excelled at the county and state level in Breeding Beef, Market Beef, Dog, Horse and Pony, and Photography. Some of her awards include State Reserve Intermediate Pleasure Horse, State Reserve Intermediate Horsemanship, Champion Halter Horse and Adam’s Overall Dog Showman Champion. During her time with 4-H, she has held the position of president, vice-president and treasurer of her 4-H club. Under her leadership they delivered “Meals on Wheels” and sang Christmas carols at the Corning Nursing Center as their service projects. After graduation from Iowa State, Shuey sees herself returning to the Midwest to work in the livestock industry as a pharmaceutical sales person, a breed association junior advisor or even working for a pureblood breeder as a herd manager. (175)

A proud member of the Madrid Merry Makers 4-H Club for nine years, Kaitlyn Romitti was also on the Boone 4-H County Council member for three years. She was the Clover Kids site coordinator for the Madrid sessions last spring and assisted as a teen helper for four years. Last summer, Romitti was an intern at the Iowa 4-H Camp as the Culinary Workshop Coordinator where she taught kids at the camp about food safety, culinary skills and cooking techniques. “The values instilled in me by the 4-H program continue to grow and build my character.” Romitti is a junior at Iowa State University studying dietetics, and family and consumer sciences education. After graduation she plans to complete a dietetic internship, take the board exam to become a registered dietician and possibly pursue her master’s degree. Currently she holds the offices of the College of Human Sciences Council Representative for Culinary Science Club and is the secretary for Collegiate 4-H. Romitti is the current Cook This! Event Coordinator Intern for the Iowa 4-H Office. (174)

Carissa Brown lived out her mantra of “4-H is like a piece of play dough. You can mold it into anything you want it to be.” Not only did she go to the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference and was part of Boone’s 4-H Youth Council, but she was also selected to the State 4-H Council, National 4-H Congress, and the Citizenship-Washington Focus Trip. Brown took advantage of everything “green,” including the opportunity to host a Japanese student in 2008 through the 4-H Exchange program. “4-H has so many opportunities to offer and I have gained so many experiences and made the best of friends,” she said. What Brown considers as her most valuable experiences are her weeks as a camper and counselor at the Iowa 4-H Camping Center. As an active member in Food and Nutrition, Child Development and Citizenship it was easy for Brown to decide to pursue a diet and exercise major. 4-H has brought her so many times to Iowa State University’s campus it hasn’t hard for her to make her to choose a college either. After graduating from Boone Senior High School, Brown is ready to find her adventure at Iowa State University. (197)

Derick Perkins 4-H club, The Madison Mixers, was extremely involved within our community. They would do many service projects throughout the year including park clean-up, Christmas caroling, volunteering at the community steak fry and putting together a Halloween party. Perkins choose to go above the club level his freshman year and joined the youth county council. He said the experience of joining the council allowed him to step outside his comfort zone, improve his public speaking skills and meet many new people across Buchanan County. Since joining 4-H in fourth grade Perkins has shown Meat Goats, Poultry and Rabbits and exhibited Photography, Food and Nutrition, Self-Determined and Woodworking. “Being involved with 4-H has helped me gain crucial leadership skills which have in turn helped me become a well rounded individual with strong roots in agriculture.” Now a graduate of Starmont High School, Perkins will attend Iowa State University in the fall to study agriculture and life sciences education. (158)

Austin Ehlers likes to take advantage of every opportunity he possible can. A participant of the National 4-H Conference, National 4-H Congress and the Citizenship-Washington Focus Trip are just a few of Ehlers favorite 4-H opportunity’s he took advantage of. He was also a heavy participant of the 4-H Exchange program; hosting a 4-H’er from Kansas, then a 4-H’er from Japan and then a visitor to Kansas another year. “4-H has influence me as a person by presenting me with challenges and allowed me to explore different areas in agriculture to help give me direction in my career goals for my animal science major.” A junior at Iowa State University and a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) Fraternity Ehlers has taken his 4-H lessons with him to college. He has joined the student organizations of Freshmen Council, Intercollegiate Jr. Meats Judging Team, AGR Spring Steer Show and the VEISHEA Operations Committee where he used his leadership, citizenship, and communications skills. He was last year’s AGR Grill-Master where his 4-H Foods & Nutrition Pride of Iowa presentations and meat thermometer research came in handy. While in 4-H he went on to be awarded State Project Awards in Beef, Citizenship, Communication and Leadership. (203)

Kayla Ohrt is a ten year member of 4-H and a future Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine student. Graduating this summer with a master’s in biotechnology from the University of Northern Iowa, her success in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with the Up With Families Organization, Special Olympics, UNI Tri-Beta Club and UNI Pre-Vet Club were all extensions from her time in 4-H. “4-H is where I learned the important skills of working in groups, organizing tasks, setting and laying the pathway to achieve goals,” Ohrt said. “My 4-H experience has been infinitely valuable to me in college.” During her many years in 4-H she won Butler County’s Danforth Award, 4-H Achievement Award, and the Outstanding 4-H’er Award. Ohrt said she will never forget the time when she was eight years old and was asked to present her presentation at the county awards banquet. She remembers there being a least 300 people there and being really nervous. After that night and after nine plus years in 4-H she has come a long way. “Being in 4-H, has given me the tools for exploring many different areas and I have yet to forget the knowledge I gained from those experiences.” (199)

Throughout his nine year membership and one year membership to the State 4-H Council Brett Nicholson made sure to take advantage of choosing his own path through 4-H. “4-H gave me a wide variety of experiences that helped me become the confident person I am today,” he said. Some of his favorite memories in the program include the fall kick-off every year to encourage youth to become involved in 4-H, helping out at the county fair through his county’s youth council and being a mentor to younger members to help them become more confident in their abilities. 4-H influenced Nicholson to choose Iowa State University as his first choice when he started looking at different colleges back in 2012. His constant interaction with the college, State 4-H Conference and trips he took when he was an intermediate 4-H’er, also influenced his choice of major. In the fall, Nicholson plans on studying biology with a minor in education and hopes to help youth in 4-H during and after he graduates in four years. (172)

Brent Saxton bleeds 4-H green. “I owe a great deal to the 4-H program and would not be the same person without it,” Saxton said. He was on the Calhoun County 4-H Council, the Northwest Area 4-H Council, the State 4-H Council where we was seated on the finance committee. During his nine year in the program, Sexton received a State Project Award in Leadership, Sheep and Horticulture. He was a Premier Exhibitor at the Iowa State Fair in Sheep and Horticulture. He is an Iowa 4-H Foundation 4-H’ers for 4-H Donor, a 4-400 Donor, and a Brick Donor at the Iowa 4-H Center. Saxton is a senior at Iowa State University studying animal science with plans to apply to veterinary school in the future. He has been on the Dean’s list all six semesters. During his three years of college he has been a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, a member of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Ambassadors team, Homecoming Central, Dance Marathon and Freshmen Council. Saxton has traveled to Australia, Costa Rica, Poland, Germany, and even spent a summer in Denmark working with veterinarians through Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Study Abroad Program. (202)

Haley Schmidt has participated in Cass County’s Share-the-Fun contest from 2006 to 2012. She was selected to advance to the Iowa State Fair 4-H Share-the-Fun each year. In 2008 she received the Best Overall Music Performance Award from the Griswold Tuesday Music Club for her Share-the-Fun act with her sister. During Schmidt’s many years in 4-H of she has given many presentations at her club meetings regarding the Music, Citizenship, Sheep, Visual Arts, and Woodworking; the project areas she excelled at. Through her involvement in Cass County’s 4-H Youth Council she was led to the 4-H Youth Action Committee where Schmidt realized the importance of promoting 4-H, providing youth hands-on learning and reaching out to others. Through the Bear Grove Blazer 4-H Club she delivered Christmas cookies plates to elderly residents, donated nonperishable food items to the local food pantry, cleaned ditches along Highway 71 and decorate the Atlantic Heritage house for National 4-H week. “When I first became a 4-H member I didn’t know that all these opportunities of a lifetime 4-H offered would ultimately determine my future,” Schmidt said. She will be studying music performance at Iowa State University in the fall. (194)

“4-H has always been a motivating force in my life,” said Curtis Ullerich. “It has given me outlets for my varied interests and opportunities for growth in service and leadership.” A senior at Iowa State University studying computer engineering, Ullerich is a four-year Collegiate 4-H member, mentor of the State Tech Team, Iowa State’s Collegiate 4-H President and the collegiate representative to the State 4-H Council. During his time in the program he was selected for 4-H Congress, which is where he original took his first steps out of his comfort zone. While at Iowa State he has sat as the president of the computer science honor society, Eta Kappa Nu, chaired the Iowa State’s Department of Computer Science Student Advisory Council and traveled aboard to Scotland and Ireland. Ullerich has continued his dedication to 4-H outside of Iowa State as well. He has organized, created and led over 20 workshops on topics ranging from computer programming to interviewing with all ages of kids in three states, Iowa, Kansas and Washington, and has judged Communications, Photography and Discovery project areas. (180)

When Logan Lafrenz’s 4-H club president and close friend Emily Bohsack died in a car accident in December 2010 he decided to help create and sit as the chairman of the Emily Bohnsack Memorial Committee. Under his direction, local business and other 4-H clubs in the area joined together to create four benches at the concession stand of the Cedar County Fair. During Lafrenz’s time with the 4-H program, he raised and bought his own livestock. Succeeding at the county and state level in Beef he was awarded numerous awards for his showmanship, but Lafrenz’s said he would never forget receiving second in his class at the Iowa State Fair. The particular judge boasted not only his animal but his honesty and presence in the ring. “4-H has allowed me to meet and work with many different types of people which gave me the opportunity to make lifelong friendships,” he said. Lafrenz plans on giving back to 4-H in the future by becoming a 4-H leader. He will be attending Iowa State University in the fall to study agriculture education. (180)

“This great program has provided me with new opportunities and experiences that have shaped my decision to enter into the Iowa State University College of Humans Sciences,” said Madalyn Kerns. She spent a week the last three summers in Ames on Iowa State’s campus for the State 4-H Conference and absolutely fell in love with the university and couldn’t imagine myself being anywhere else. At the conference she attended numerous workshops on food and health, which really got her interested in the field of dietetics, her intended major. Her mother, Jody Kerns, always made her take a communication project to the fair, which Kerns dreaded when she was younger. “I was shy and didn’t want to be giving a speech in front of other people,” she said, “but as I got older I looked forward to the project and have taken my working exhibit to the state fair multiple times.” She is a member of the Clayton County 4-H Council where she is the chairperson of the omelet brunch committee. Through Iowa State University Extension she has been teaching a fitness class to adults over 60 that live in the community while also becoming a certified trainer. (197)

Thanks to 4-H, Hannah Ruchotzke had many unique experiences ranging from cattle to gardening. She won numerous ribbons and awards for her cattle during her nine years of 4-H, and she made her own award-wining herd of eight cattle through the bucket bottle program. Ruchotzke participated in numerous Home Improvement, Photography and Citizenship project areas, but her most unique project was taking her pet hermit crabs. In high school Rochotzke’s favorite volunteer experience was wrapping and giving Christmas gifts to needy children in the Delmar, Iowa community. For the past three years, Rochotzke’s and her brother took on the challenge of reviving, developing and maintaining a flower bed in the Delmar City Park. If they had not stepped in and gone above and beyond, the city would have plowed the flowering bed under. “4-H has motivated me to work hard on things that interest me, especially those that involve nature and animals,” said Ruchotzke. She said she learns best when the curriculum is hands-on and therefore cannot wait to attend Kirkwood Community College in the fall to receive her veterinary assistant degree. (182)

Sarah Kinrade’s older siblings were all in 4-H and she could not wait for the day that she could be a part of the organization. The Delmar Hot Shots 4-H Club President, Kinrade and her members strived for success through community service by putting on the Delwood Halloween Party, the Delmar Festival of Lights and the Delmar Easter Egg Hunt. She has done her fair share of Food and Nutrition and Home Improvement projects, even walked down the runway for Clothing and Fashion a number of times. However, Kindrade’s love to show cattle drew her toward the Beef project area. She became the Angus Steer Reserve Grand Champion at the Iowa State Fair in 2009 and the Angus Steer Champion at her county fair for four consecutive years. “4-H has directed me toward my major of animal science and to Iowa State University,” she said. “I cannot wait to put my lessons I have learned through 4-H to use in college and in the many years to come.” (168)

If it wasn’t for 4-H record books, Shelby Bormann would not have the skills of managing different aspects of a business. As a future business administration management major at the University of Northern Iowa, 4-H directed her down the career path she would like to pursue. In 4-H Bormann says she learned time management, leadership skills and responsibility, especially in the last two years as the president of her 4-H club. During her nine years in the 4-H program she has participated in Clothing, Breeding Beef, Market Beef and Horticulture project areas, however her passion was found in the many Clothing projects she was involved in. Bormann has so many 4-H experiences in the clothing selection, $15 challenge and fashion revenue competitions then she can count. “When I attend the State Clothing event in Des Moines I got to meet many new people and learn all about the fashion industry,” said Bormann. It helped me be more confident in myself and allowed me to express my love for sewing.” (169)

By showing livestock through 4-H, Mackenzie Felt has developed a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility that has helped her to become successful. Felt was heavily involved in Beef, Swine, Food and Nutrition, Photography and Communication project areas, but her success always during her nine years in 4-H leaned toward her champion animals. As the 2011 Dallas County Fair Queen, Felt enjoyed seeing as many events, including 4-H events, by handing out ribbons, trophies and socializing with people who want to make the best better. Also in 2011 she attended the Citizenship-Washington Focus Trip, which is an adventure she said she will never forget. “4-H has showed me there are opportunities in agriculture and to be confident in my abilities,” Felt said. “If I put my mind to it I can make a difference in the community, state, and nation.” After graduating from Adel DeSoto MinBurn High School, Felt will attend Indian Hills Community College to seek an Associate of Arts in Agriculture. While at college, she will play for the Indian Hills Volleyball Team. (176)