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4-H Alumni

Photo of Cathryn Frisby

4-H friendships live on

A group of alumni enjoy 4-H so much, they’re still meeting, 90 years after the oldest began her 4-H journey. At 98 years young, Cathryn Frisby and her fellow Country Couples members still meet monthly. The seniors meet for a meal and guest speaker on topics ranging from honeybees to exercises for...
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Let's keep smiling

I've smiled every morning for the past six days. I smile because every morning, I check the Farmfluencer website and see that Montgomery County 4-H member Kendall Knodle's amazing video is still in the running to win. I smile because it's a good video, based on science, featuring University of...
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Facing challenge with determination

Never doubt how hard Katelyn Hamilton is willing to work. The Randolph County 4-H member has faced serious challenges, yet she has emerged stronger and more determined in spite of them. Katelyn spent the first 28 days of her life in a neonatal intensive care unit. Doctors said she would likely be...
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When passion and work align

Aaron Dufelmeier is living the dream, just down the road from where his Extension journey began. Dufelmeier manages the Extension program in Calhoun, Cass, Greene, Morgan, and Scott counties. In April, he hosted Dr. Kim Kidwell, dean of the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer...
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Mission: Feeding a Growing Population

When your survival depends on feeding a growing world population, who better to call than a 4-H alum who has spent his professional career working to maximize crop outputs on every acre. Sam Eathington's connection to agriculture started young growing up on a grain and livestock farm in west-...
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Google and 4-H ... and Russell

Google made quite a splash at the Illinois State Fair. Rob Biederman, head of Google's Midwest external affairs office, and Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO of National 4‑H Council, announced a $1.5 million dollar grant from Google to the national 4-H program to expand nationwide computer...
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Raise your hand for 4-H

4-H, the largest youth development program in the nation, is calling on all alumni to raise their hands to help bring 4-H to 10 million youth by 2025. Currently 4-H empowers nearly six million young people in every county across America, including 26,500 4-H'ers in Illinois. For more than 100...
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The Voice of the Illini praises 4-H

The moment he speaks, you recognize Brian Barnhart, the Voice of the Illini. What you may not know is that Barnhart is a former 4-H member and credits 4-H with providing the structure youth need to set goals and learn responsibility. A member of 4-H clubs in both Tolono and Sedora in his youth,...
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Register as a 4-H alum during National 4-H Week

What do Chancellor Robert J. Jones, Coach John Groce, Philanthropist Lila Jeanne Eichelberger, Professor Bruce Fouke, Voice of the Illini Brian Barnhart, and I all have in common? We were 4-H members and can trace where we are now to the lessons we learned in 4-H. In Chancellor Jones' welcome...
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Let generosity guide your walk

Nearly 70 years ago, a young woman walked the same paths you now walk on this beautiful campus. No doubt, even she didn't know then what an influence she would later become to generations of young people attending University of Illinois or young 4-H members. This fall, Lila Jeanne Eichelberger...
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Show us your 4-H green

There's a new campaign to grow 4-H membership to 10 million kids by 2025. Grow True Leaders also aims to collect the names of 1 million 4-H alumni. Can we count on you? Whether your 4-H experience was speaking to legislators, whipping up a nutritious meal, leading your 4-H club meeting, spending...
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