Waitsburg 4-H club and members recognized at county banquet

WAITSBURG: Successful 4-H projects take a lot of dedication and hard work. Whether it's helping your goats kid alongside your parents in the dead of winter for a goat project, or spending time meticulously cleaning shotguns after trap shooting practice, 4-H projects don't just stop after the county fair. Waitsburg 4-H members brought home some well-deserved awards and recognitions this last Sunday, at the Walla Walla County 4-H Achievement Night.

Record keeping is something that I struggle with as an adult, but 4-H members Kiley Curran and Hagen Taylor excel at this. Both Curran and Taylor received medals for their exceptional record books. These record books, which 4-H members are required to turn in at the end of the season, detail the amount of work that goes into each project. The book's detail things like feed expenses, any lease agreements that a member enters into, vet bills, dewormer applications, equipment expenses, and time spent. The members have to provide photos of their projects, as well. The books aren't limited to animal projects: sewing, arts, preservation projects, you name it, all projects must include a detailed record book.

The PenPals 4-H Club received an honorable mention for Small Club of the Year. The PenPals show various animals at the Waitsburg Junior Livestock Show, Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days, and the Columbia County Fair. They participate in livestock judging events throughout the year, have regularly scheduled meetings, and are always willing to earn community service hours. The members are very dedicated to their club, and it shows.

4-H wouldn't be possible without parents, and some great parents were also recognized. Christy House, Tracy Barron, and Lisa Morrow all received their Silver Leader Pins. The Silver Leader Pins are awarded after 5 years of leadership service. Kristy Taylor received the 4-H Booster of the Year award: an award that was earned for going above and beyond the expectations of a 4-H parent and having a reputation for always being willing to lend a helping hand.

Waitsburg's Home Grown Go Wild 4-H Club also received quite a bit of recognition at the Achievement Night. The club received the 1st place award for Best Club Community Service.

And they received a 3rd place prize in the Window Display competition, which can be found each year on Waitsburg's Main Street, next to Ten Ton Coffee.

The members of Home Grown Go Wild stay very busy with their individual projects. Timothy Daves received his 5th Year Leadership Pin, as well as his first year State Ambassador and his second year County Ambassador recognitions. 4-H is for kids, by kids, and the teen ambassadors serve as representatives for the members, to the adults at the county, state and above levels, as well as a representative of the 4-H program to the public. Ambassadors attend many leadership clinics and trainings, on top of maintaining their individual projects.

Home Grown Go Wild had members compete at the State Fair this year. Sarah Daves, Timothy Daves and William Daves were recognized for the Public Presentation events, and Sarah also competed in the Fashion Revue, where she presented and modelled her hand-sewn clothing and accessories.

All 4-H members are outstanding, but a few go above and beyond, and earn an Outstanding Member Award at the end of the year. Home Grown Go Wild 4-H club has quite a few of them. Sarah Daves was the county's Outstanding Junior Member, and Bethany Bennett was the Outstanding Female Senior, with Nathanael Bennett recognized as the Outstanding Male Senior. Timothy Daves received an Honorable Mention.

Leader Sara Winona received her Silver Leader Pin, following her 5 years of dedication to the program. Winona also received the President's Award. 4-H Leaders are a rare kind of person: they volunteer to guide kids from ages 8-19 through projects that deal with bugs, plants, babysitting, livestock and more. They seize the opportunity to teach life lessons and skills. If you're a 4-H leader, or have been in the past, hats off to you!

Waitsburg 4-H clubs are very dedicated to the 4-H Motto: To make the best, better! Congratulations to all the members for their hard work and their awards they have to show.