2024 Morgan County annual 4-H Achievement Night

In October, we love to recognize the accomplishments of our 4-H members and leaders. It is also a great way to celebrate the end of one 4-H year and the beginning of another. On Oct. 28, we held our annual 4-H Achievement Night. During this celebration, we recognized the following people: 

• Horse Council Members

• Livestock Council Members

• The 4-H Extension Staff

• Teen Council Officers

• Livestock Ambassadors

• Horse Ambassadors

• 1st Year 4-H’ers

• 10 Year 4-H’ers

• 4-H Leader Years of Service Awards

• 4-H Volunteer Awards

All these awards are a great honor, but the most prestigious awards of the whole night were our 4-H Volunteer Awards: Salute to 4-H Volunteers, Salute to 4-H Youth Volunteers, 4-H Mentor of the Year, Clover Key Award, Doorknob Award, and 4-H Family of the Year.  

The Salute to 4-H Volunteers Award recognizes a volunteer who has provided outstanding service to 4-H. This year’s award recipients are Jessie Drage and Bailee Mikesell. Jessie Drage and Bailee Mikesell are both first year 4-H volunteers. They started and co-lead our newest 4-H Horse Club, The Redemption Riders. Their club practices at the Scotsman Center in Mountain Green, which has helped to reach a new audience of youth and their families. Both Jessie and Bailee have shown tremendous excitement and perseverance to get their club going and to provide their youth with a meaningful and fulfilling 4-H experience. Jessie and her husband also run Drage Second Chance Ranch which is a self-sufficient horse ranch and non-profit horse rescue, Bailee also helps with this endeavor. Thank you, Jessie and Bailee for your service and dedication to our wonderful youth and their families. We appreciate all that you do for our 4-H program. 

The Salute to 4-H Youth Volunteers Award recognizes a 4-H’er who is enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade and who has provided outstanding leadership and service to 4-H. This year’s award recipient is Derek Little. Derek has thoroughly enjoyed his 10-year involvement in 4-H and credits a lot of his leadership skills to all the opportunities that 4-H has provided him. He started out in third grade, raising sheep and attending youth summer camps where he learned to cast a fishing line, public speaking, outdoor cooking, how to make Nicole jump and scare the daylights out of her, and so much more. Teen Council gave him opportunities to compete in public speaking and favorite foods contests, hold various leadership roles, and to participate in a variety of community service projects. He has helped organize, run, and teach a variety of 4-H summer camps over the past five years. Derek has also been a Northern Region Ambassador for the past three years where he has taught workshops and helped organize the annual Northern Region Ambassador Retreat. The skills and talents he has gained in 4-H will impact him for the rest of his life as he continues to strive to Make the Best Better.

The 4-H Mentor of the Year Award recognizes a volunteer who serves, either formally or informally, as a mentor to fellow 4-H club leaders and youth in the county, providing the support needed to motivate, encourage, educate, and/or recognize other youth and volunteers. The award recipient this year is Justin Pentz. Justin has been a 4-H leader for the past eight years. In that course of time, he has had a significant impact on many youths’ lives. Justin has a great passion for helping our youth within the cattle industry. Over the past eight years he has been a beef superintendent on the Morgan County Junior Livestock Council. Justin helps to bring a different perspective to the council and always has the youths’ best interest in mind. He is always cracking jokes to help keep things fun and in perspective. Justin has helped to coordinate, teach and implement several beef workshops over the years. He provides a lot of behind-the-scenes support for the livestock program that many people don’t know about. Thank you, Justin, for your outstanding service to the youth in the Morgan County 4-H Program. 

The Clover Key Award: The KEY to 4-H growth lies in new, committed, and creative leaders. This award recognizes new leaders with service from 1 to 5 years who have provided outstanding service to 4-H. The award recipient this year is Jake Gale. Jake is one of our new 4-H leaders this year. He was recently elected to serve as a sheep superintendent on our Morgan County Junior Livestock Council. Prior to being an official member of the council, Jake would attend their monthly meetings to learn more about the program and to provide suggestions as an actively engaged parent. Jake brings new ideas and a different perspective that is helping us to continue to grow our livestock program. For the past two years, Jake has coordinated and helped to put on a two-day sheep clinic for youth in Morgan County. He is levelheaded and helps everyone to see the big picture. If anything needs to be taken care of, he is one of the first ones to volunteer. Thank you, Jake, for your outstanding service to our 4-H program. 

The Doorknob Award recognizes a volunteer or business who has “opened the door” for the 4-H program through special outreach, marketing, or other efforts. This year’s award recipient is Grounds for Coffee. Grounds for Coffee has been an instrumental business in our community for the past eight almost nine years. Owners, Shauna and Adam Walker, are very kind and generous people, always looking for ways to give back to our community. Their daughter, Adelyn, has been an active 4-H member for the past five years. Shauna has served as the Horse Ambassador Advisor on the Morgan County 4-H Horse Council and Adam is at every horse show helping in any way he can. They approached us two years ago asking if the Morgan County 4-H Horse Program would like to help serve hot chocolate at our annual Hometown Christmas event. We happily said yes and have been very thankful for the opportunity. Grounds for Coffee provides all the hot chocolate, cups, and toppings, while our 4-Hers run the hot chocolate table. Shauna and Adam have graciously donated all the proceeds from this event to the Morgan County 4-H Program for the past two years. It is such a fun event and a great way for our 4-H’ers to get out and serve our community. Thank you, Shauna and Adam, for providing our 4-H youth with an opportunity to serve others in a meaningful and fun way. We are thankful for your outstanding service to our 4-H Program and our county.

The 4-H Family of the Year award recognizes a family who has demonstrated outstanding involvement in and service to 4-H. This year our 4-H Family of the year was awarded to the Luke and Lacey Thomas family. The Thomas family is a prime example of what a giving and service-oriented family should be. The entire family is highly involved in our community in several different ways. When they first moved to Morgan, Luke was an instructional coach, before becoming the vice principal at Morgan High School for a year. He then transitioned into the position of principal at Morgan High School and has been in the position for the past two years. Anyone who has worked with youth and our school system knows what a giving profession this is. Lacey has been helping with the Pistol Annie’s contest for the past two years and is a very active and involved mom. At every community event they attend they are always asking if there is anything they can do to help. Their daughter Larissa is involved in 4-H, FFA, golf, and is a class officer. Their sons, Lane and Lawson, are involved in 4-H and they both play basketball and football. Their youngest son Lincoln just started kindergarten and can’t wait to do everything that his older siblings do. They are always showing kindness and gratitude to those around them and offering to help when we need them. The Thomas’ are a phenomenal family, and we are lucky to have families like them in our community and our program. We really appreciate all their hard work and dedication they have shown to help “Make the Best Better.”

For more information about enrolling in 4-H, joining a club, joining our awesome team, because we are hiring a part-time 4-H assistant currently, and programs offered, please contact the Morgan County Extension Office at 801-829-3472. Also check us out on Facebook: USU Extension-Morgan County 4-H and our webpage: extension.usu.edu/morgan. λ

Nicole Reed is the Morgan County 4-H Program Coordinator II.