During National 4-H Week, held Oct. 4-10, 2015, you might have noticed a different look, feel, and focus of the 4-H brand around your community. National 4-H, along with our local Extension offices, is introducing a new tagline and brand strategy to get the word out — 4-H GROWS HERE. The new brand was developed because 4-H has so much to celebrate as it helps to grow courage, compassion, curiosity, confidence, teamwork, and character by working with one youth, one leader, and one community at a time. With more than 60 million alumni nationally and growing, 4-H has the strength to empower one generation to the next, growing leaders, teaching life skills, and moving communities forward. Did you know that 4-H offers programming in environmental science, performing arts, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), nutrition, cooking, and robotics? While agriculture, animals, and gardening are where it all started, 4-H continues to grow opportunities from farms to towns to suburbs and cities. To learn more about 4-H GROWS, 4-H programming and ways you can get involved, visit your local Cooperative Extension office or www.4-h.org/grows/.
Category Archives: Foundation
Celebrating the Marcia B. Meador 4-H Memorial Endowment
To everyone who knew her, Marcia Meador was a warm, genuine, outgoing, and caring person who dedicated her life to teaching and serving others. For more than 30 years, she worked for 
Cooperative Extension in Maine, Florida, and Virginia, providing leadership for youth and adult programs. Meador loved people. She especially loved working with young people as they learned new skills and lessons that would extend to their adult lives. In Virginia, she was a 4-H agent in James City, New Kent, and Charles City counties for more than a dozen years. She valued the camping experience and served as director of the Jamestown 4-H Center for nine years.
Beyond devoting her life to her family and a busy career, she made time to serve others by volunteering as a founding member of the Chickahominy Ruritan Club and as a leader in the American Camp Association. By any measure, Meador was a rare and exceptional person.
In early 2014, a number of Meador’s family, friends, and colleagues began working on an endowment to honor her and benefit the 4-H programs in James City, New Kent, and Charles City counties. The Virginia 4-H Foundation is thrilled to share that the goal has been exceeded, and the Marcia B. Meador 4-H Memorial Fund is fully endowed with more than $26,480 in gifts and pledges. As with many endowments, gifts can still be given to grow the fund and increase its future impact.
Thank you to all who invested in the future of 4-H’ers in these three counties and who helped honor Marcia Meador’s legacy with this lasting resource.
To learn how to honor someone in your community with a local endowment, please contact the Virginia 4-H Foundation today.
Cabinet Spotlight
By Rachel Kendrick, 2015-16 Virginia 4-H state cabinet president
I bring you greetings from the Virginia State Cabinet. I am Rachel Kendrick, the newly elected 
president of the 4-H Cabinet. Nine years ago, my mom registered me to participate in 4-H camp in Jamestown, Virginia. It was my first time away from home, and the experience was life-changing for me. Every moment was exciting, and I hated to leave. 4-H camp left an imprint on my heart, and I knew that 4-H would forever be a part of my life.
I’ve been a teen counselor for the past five years. I became very involved with my local Extension office and teen club. I serve as a youth member on our local Extension Leadership Council and started attending State 4-H Congress as soon as I was eligible. For two years, I observed the congressional process as a delegate, learning about the process before running for ambassador and finally president. Some might say I bleed green because 4-H is in my blood. Becoming involved with 4-H is a little-known opportunity that is available to kids everywhere. As cabinet president, my objective is that my cabinet members and I spend quality time putting a face to all that 4-H has to offer in our communities. We are committed to exposing as many people as possible to the benefits that mentoring and supporting and participating in our local community with 4-H can provide. We are planning events throughout the year to foster better visibility and involvement. 4-H is available to everyone, and I am proof of that. I am so thankful to my mentors — Bethany Eigel, 4-H agent, and Tonya Price, 4-H youth development specialist — who saw something in me that I never knew existed. The positive encouragement they offer is available to everyone. 4-H is so much more than what meets the eye. It is community involvement; it is service, leadership, and, most importantly, 4-H is opportunity. The possibilities are endless when you are involved in 4-H.
I look forward to meeting you in the coming year.
Living the Legacy – 4-H Forever
More than 470 youth and adults took part
in State 4-H Congress on Virginia Tech’s
campus from June 15-18, 2015. “State 4-H
Congress, the premier youth leadership
event, provides teens the opportunity to
build on positive experiences from their
local program,” said Cathy Sutphin, associate
director for Virginia 4-H youth development.
“Through structured interactions, teens
gain new skills, provide service to the
community, and have the opportunity to
expand their vision for their future, whether
they choose to go to college or enter
the workforce.”
This year’s theme, “Living the Legacy – 4-H
Forever,” drew on the history of 4-H and
demonstrated the power of 4-H to assist
teens in developing leadership, citizenship,
and life skills through hands-on educational
programs. The opening assembly’s special
guest was Virginia 4-H alumnus Taylor Ray
Holbrook from Lee County, Virginia, who
has competed on the popular TV shows
“The Voice” and “American Idol.” In his
presentation, Holbrook shared that the
first time he ever performed in front of an
audience was at the Share the Fun contest
at a State 4-H Congress. Additionally, Jerry
Reynolds, a Craig County 4-H alumnus,
performed during Share the Fun on the
same stage and piano he played on in 1968,
when he was in 4-H and competed at a state
4-H congress.
Virginia 4-H Foundation – Chair’s Update
Dear Friends,
In a recent conversation with a young professional from Blacksburg, I mentioned that I was on the Virginia 4-H Foundation Board. She was quick to say, “I’m an All Star and I love 4-H!” As I shared with her our foundation goals she said the magic words, “I want to be involved, I want to give back. 4-H was so important to me. How can I help?”
Thank you, Heather! What a great response from a young adult who knows that 4-H made a difference in her life. The truth is, there are so many Heathers who feel the same way, and I want 
to let them know that it is easy to support the program that supported them.
Over the past few years I have tried never to miss an opportunity to speak to the breadth and depth of our programs, our outstanding professionals, and our volunteers who do so much. I am certain that, dollar for dollar, no better leadership development program has ever existed, and I want every young person in Virginia to have an equal opportunity to experience the benefits.
Your Virginia 4-H Foundation Board has a new strategic plan, and we invite you to learn more about our work. I am proud to promote giving. I dream of a program that is not limited by resources, and I know I am not the only one. We are working to build a sustainable future for our programs, and we invite you to engage with us to make it happen.
I am so pleased to report that our goal to work with agents across the state to establish local endowments is having an impact. If your county does not have a local endowment, we would welcome an opportunity to discuss this opportunity with you. An agent, a volunteer, a parent, or a friend of 4-H can take the steps to establish an endowment — and we can help.
I invite you to join us by investing in 4-H. There has never been a better time to help us ensure a fulfilling future for our youth.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Mary Miller, Ph.D.
Chair, Virginia 4-H Foundation
4-H Foundation Summer Newsletter
Virginia 4-H Foundation, Hutcheson Hall (0419), 250 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061 The Virginia 4-H Foundation is a division of the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc., which has been granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status by the Internal Revenue Service.
Local Program Endowments – Building Strong 4-H Programs, County by County
When you think of 4-H, other than the clover, what comes to mind first? Was it a best friend you made in your club? Was it the sense of accomplishment when you gave your first presentation? Was it your agent or your favorite volunteer, or all the fun you had at 4-H meetings? For many, it’s their local 4-H experience, one that often shapes a lifetime. For many donors, investing in local program endowments is a meaningful way to ensure 4-H is available for generations to come. While numerous programs currently benefit from local endowments, others are working on or would like to establish an endowment in the near future. To learn more about how you can ensure the 4-H legacy for your county program, contact the Virginia 4-H Foundation today.
4-H Foundation Summer Newsletter
Virginia 4-H Foundation, Hutcheson Hall (0419), 250 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061 The Virginia 4-H Foundation is a division of the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc., which has been granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status by the Internal Revenue Service.
4-H Foundation by the Numbers
4-H Foundation Summer Newsletter
Virginia 4-H Foundation, Hutcheson Hall (0419), 250 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061 The Virginia 4-H Foundation is a division of the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc., which has been granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status by the Internal Revenue Service
John Riley’s Gift Perpetuates His Love of 4-H
The late John Riley’s lifelong connection with Virginia 4-H began during his boyhood in Augusta County, remained strong throughout his lifetime, and — thanks to his foresight and generosity — will continue for generations.
After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture and applied economics from Virginia Tech and his doctorate from Oklahoma State University, Riley shared his enthusiasm for agriculture with others, first as a professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University and then as dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Tennessee.
Riley passed away in 2013, but his love for 4-H continues to have an impact through the gifts he made during his lifetime and through his estate.
Read more about John Riley online
Your resource for information about supporting Virginia 4-H with an estate gift, or with any gift, is the development office for Virginia Cooperative Extension. Contact Ben Grove by phone at 540-231-7640, or email ben.grove@vt.edu.
4-H Foundation Summer Newsletter
Virginia 4-H Foundation, Hutcheson Hall (0419), 250 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061 The Virginia 4-H Foundation is a division of the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc., which has been granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status by the Internal Revenue Service.
Virginia 4-H Foundation Recognizes Farm Credit’s Investment in Virginia 4-H
Farm Credit has a long history of investing in and supporting our rural communities. For many years, this has included support of local 4-H programs through donations, sponsorship of events, purchasing of livestock projects, and providing meeting space for clubs and programs, to name just a few of the multiple ways Farm Credit helps. Additionally, many Farm Credit employees have volunteered as coaches, club leaders, and guest speakers for the 4-H program. Virginia 4-H thanks the Farm Credit Associations doing business in Virginia – Colonial Farm Credit, MidAtlantic Farm Credit, and Farm Credit of the Virginias – for their outstanding support of 4-H. “Farm Credit invests in 4-H because it provides sound leadership experiences for the leaders of tomorrow,” said Dave Lawrence, CEO at Farm Credit of the Virginias.
4-H Foundation Summer Newsletter
Virginia 4-H Foundation, Hutcheson Hall (0419), 250 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061 The Virginia 4-H Foundation is a division of the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc., which has been granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status by the Internal Revenue Service.
Investing in 4-H through Scholarships
This year more than $45,000 in scholarships were distributed to help 4-Hers pursue their secondary education goals at the institution of their choice. These scholarships have been earned over many years of excellence in livestock and horse programs, leadership, milestone achievement, and service. One scholarship recipient said “receiving the Connie Collier Scholarship greatly eased the financial tension I was facing. Because of the funds received, I was 
able to pay my first college payment. This scholarship is evidence that 4-H not only helped me grow during my years as a member, but also assisted me as I approached my future endeavors. Thank you!”
We, too, would like to express our appreciation to the funders of our scholarships, who make possible initiatives such as the Adranetta Weimer 4-H Incentive Fund, Connie Collier 4-H Scholarship Fund, Farm Credit Associations and Regions Banks Scholarship Fund, Virginia AGvocates Scholarship Fund, Virginia Junior Livestock Scholarship Fund, and Wayne Keffer Virginia 4-H Foundation Fund.
Thank you for investing in 4-H youth and their future.
4-H Foundation Summer Newsletter
Virginia 4-H Foundation, Hutcheson Hall (0419), 250 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061 The Virginia 4-H Foundation is a division of the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc., which has been granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status by the Internal Revenue Service.