Bond County 4-H members, families, and volunteers gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of local youth during the 2025 Bond County 4-H Achievement Awards Program. The evening was hosted by 4-H Teen Leaders Laura Craver, Lexi Bone, Allison Hemker, and Olivia Goodson, who led the program recognizing members, leaders, and community partners for their contributions throughout the year.
Volunteer service milestones were recognized, including Beth Marcoot-Young for her first year as a 4-H leader and Michelle Haller for an incredible 15 years of service.
Youth members were celebrated for their dedication across several project and record book categories. Award recipients included:
- Certificate of Achievement (50–75 points): Caroline Elders, Cody Lingley
- Gold 4-H Pin (75–100 points): Connor Woll, Emma Morgason, Logan Terwilliger
- Clover Travel Pouch (100–125 points): Hunter Hemker, James Lawler, Natalie DeAngelo, Nora Marcoot
- 4-H Blanket (150–175 points): Ella Marcoot, Allison Hemker, Ethan Marcoot, Laura Craver, Mayzee Reinacher, Lyla Tally, Ransom Detmer
Livestock Belt Buckle Awards were presented to:
- Beef: Ransom Detmer
- Sheep: Cody Lingley
- Poultry: Caroline Elders
Two scholarships were also presented to recognize youth leadership and community involvement. The Ken Kennedy Memorial Scholarship and the Allison Langham 4-H Memorial Scholarship were awarded to John Bohn Jr. for his excellence in 4-H and community service.
Additional honors included:
- Friend of 4-H Award: Mary Pruemer and Sally Zimmerman for their ongoing support of 4-H programs.
- Volunteer of the Year: Amanda Doll for her leadership with the Teen Leaders.
- Experience Award (Bronze Clover): Natalie DeAngelo
- Helping Hand Award: Kylie Doll for her dependable and generous spirit in service to 4-H.
The evening concluded with a special thank-you to the HCCE Country Neighbors chapter for sponsoring the event, and to all the families, volunteers, and community partners who make 4-H possible.
“To our 4-H members — keep learning, growing, and leading,” said the Teen Leaders. “We can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish in the coming year!”
For questions about the Bond County 4-H program, please contact Kayla Powers, Bond County youth development program coordinator, at kgree6@illinois.edu or (618) 664-3665.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.