CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 11/07/18

Georgia 4-H Foundation celebrates 70th anniversary with new leadership endowment

By Josh Paine

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and first lady Sandra Deal were recently honored by the Georgia 4-H Foundation and the University of Georgia during a celebration of the foundation’s 70th anniversary. A new endowment for leadership programs has been created by 4-H alumni and supporters and named in honor of the Deals for their leadership and commitment to the youth development organization.

“No governor in our history has been more supportive of 4-H than Nathan Deal, and no first lady has been more passionate about educational causes, including 4-H, than Sandra Deal,” said Judge William M. (Billy) Ray II, the anchor sponsor of the endowment and a member of the Georgia 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees.

The new endowment will support enhanced training and programming for 4-H officer boards. Two former state 4-H officers helped present the honor to the Deals during a ceremony held at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia on Oct. 31.  

During the event, Gov. Deal recalled lessons he learned during his first 4-H project about pigs, and Sandra Deal credited 4-H programs and agents for helping teach the couple’s four children life skills and responsibility.

Ray, a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals since 2012 and a former legislator, gave his personal appreciation to the 4-H program and UGA. “Other than my family, I’d give credit to the skills I learned as a 4-H’er and at the University of Georgia as well as to the relationships I developed in both of those places,” he said.

In addition to Ray, supporters for the endowment represent a cross-section of 4-H alumni, friends and Georgia businesses including:

  • Founding sponsors Coweta-Fayette EMC, Georgia Power, Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher, and Jim Walters.
  • Presenting sponsors Georgia EMC, Jerry and Janie Griffin, Gulfstream Aerospace and Premium Peanut.
  • Supporting sponsors Bob and Maxine Burton, GEO, and Jay and Laura Morgan.
  • Sustaining sponsors Aflac, AT&T, Dr. Frank and Christy Carter, Dr. Kevin and Sue Chapman, Arch and Brenda Smith, and Diane Vaughan and Lynn Rainey.

“Millions of Georgians have benefited from the generosity of 4-H donors who have supported the largest youth leadership development organization in our state,” said State 4-H Leader and Director Arch Smith.

“We’re also appreciative of Gov. and Mrs. Deal who are longtime 4-H supporters. Under Gov. Deal’s leadership, our programs and facilities are better equipped to continue to serve youth and keep the Georgia 4-H program among the best in the nation. We couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds for our entire organization and especially the 4-H officer programs.”

Each year, 64 Georgia 4-H members are elected by their peers to represent their districts and serve at conferences, meetings and events. Another nine high school students are voted to the state board of directors to lead statewide events, represent the organization and speak to stakeholders on behalf of their peers.

The Georgia 4-H Foundation was chartered on Nov. 17, 1948, to receive funds for the construction of the Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia. When the project was completed, the foundation continued to support 4-H programs and facilities by developing endowments that fund scholarships and programs.

More recently, the foundation has solicited funds — including state appropriations from Gov. Deal and the Georgia Legislature — for new cabins at Rock Eagle 4-H Center to replace the aging cottages built in the 1950s.

Georgia 4-H is the youth development program of UGA Cooperative Extension. It reaches 170,000 students across Georgia. To learn more about 4-H programs, visit www.Georgia4h.org or call your local UGA Extension office at 1800-ASK-UGA1. To give or learn more about the foundation, go to www.Georgia4hFoundation.org.

Josh Paine is a marketing specialist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Authors:
Josh Paine
Experts/Sources:
Johnathon Barrett
Governor Nathan Deal and First Lady Sandra Deal (left) pose with Georgia 4-H’ers Sophia Rodriguez and Hamp Thomas (center) and Judge William (Billy) Ray, II, Georgia 4-H Foundation Trustee and anchor sponsor of the newly created endowment named in honor of Gov. and Mrs. Deal.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Seth McAllister and farmer Mark Daniel discuss crop production and agritourism. CAES News
UGA Extension supports agritourism through expert advice and collaboration 10/24/24 Emily Cabrera
On a sunny day with bright-blue skies, I arrive at Mark’s Melon Patch in Sasser, Georgia, and immediately spot the familiar white University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pickup truck, the Terrell County Extension logo prominently displayed on the door. Seth McAllister, the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Terrell County, greets me with a broad grin and a firm handshake. Terrell County alone has 60,000 acres of row crops, half in cotton. But what McAllister loves most about his role as an Extension agent is the diversity of his work.
Ropes course at Georgia 4-H camp CAES News
Campers create lasting memories of summer at Georgia's 4-H centers 10/07/24 Josie Smith
By the end of his first week at 4-H summer camp, fifth grader Cooper Hardy already had many memories of new and exciting experiences. “That was the first time I got in a canoe,” Hardy said. “It was a big deal for me.” Now, 10 years later, Hardy serves as a Georgia 4-H camp counselor at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia. It’s a dream he’s held since the first time he set foot on the sprawling, wooded 1,500-acre campus as a camper.
Caroline Hinton is the director of experiential learning for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA) CAES News
Director of experiential learning herds students toward new fields of education 10/02/24 Averi Caldwell
Caroline Hinton wants to foster a love of learning for all students who walk through her door. As the director of experiential learning for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Hinton helps students connect with their fields of study outside of the classroom. “I find joy and excitement in getting to watch students experience different parts of agriculture and find a place in our state’s own agriculture industry,” she said.
The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel saw some damage from the winds and rain of Hurricane Helene. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA) CAES News
UGA weathers Hurricane Helene 09/27/24
The University of Georgia’s main campus was fortunate to emerge relatively unscathed after Hurricane Helene barreled through the state early Friday morning. However, the impact was more significant at our extended campus locations. While the UGA Griffin campus reported no major damage, UGA-Tifton was hit much harder, with dozens of downed trees and power outages, as well as flooding in several buildings. Damage to farm operations across south Georgia appears to be extensive.
Honorees at the 2024 State 4-H Congress included 4-H Green Jacket Award winner Jay Morgan, Master 4-H’er Vidhi Patel, Warnell Associate Dean for Outreach Nick Fuhrman for Warnell accepting the Friend of 4-H Award on behalf of the college, Georgia 4-H State President Kingston Ryals, William H. Booth Award winner Patrick Willis, and Ryles Rising Star Award Laura Mirarchi. CAES News
Outstanding youth, supportive adults celebrated at Georgia 4-H State Congress 08/14/24 Josie Smith
Accomplished 4-H youth and the adults who empower them gathered at the 81st Georgia 4-H State Congress in Atlanta July 23-26. The weeklong event for top 4-H’ers features state-level Project Achievement and Leadership in Action competitions and recognizes youth development professionals and community supporters contributing to the success of 4-H in Georgia. More than 200 youth delegates competed in 50 Project Achievement areas and eight youth delegates competed in the Leadership in Action contest during annual event.
Local 4-H students helped install more than 500 plants in the 400-square-foot plot below the mural. (Photo by Sara Ingram) CAES News
Public art helping to revive rural communities 07/26/24 Margaret Blanchard
In Buena Vista, a vibrant mural at the corner of North Broad Street and Fifth Avenue catches the eyes of passers-by with its bright blue border. Funded by Flint Energies, the mural tells the story of the longleaf pine forests that once dominated Marion County and the turpentine industry, flora and fauna that the trees supported — from gopher tortoises to bobwhite quail.