Lebanon 4-H Members Attend State 4-H Leadership Conference

The weekend, themed "Leadership in Overtime", kicked off with welcome addresses by the Director of PA 4-H Dr. Joshua Rice, and PA Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding. Delegates to the conference from Lebanon County included: Jolene Bomgardner, Teresa Helms, Lizzie Kreider, Alex Nazarchuk, Kyle Nazarchuk, Olivia Thorpe, Caryn Thurman, and Madison VanBrunt. Participants in the Junior conference included Madison Copenhaver and Olivia Morrisey.

Saturday was a full day of leadership workshops for the 13-18 year-old attendees of the leadership conference. Workshop topics included teambuilding, stress management, understanding leadership styles, etiquette, interview preparation, and many others.

While the older teens were attending these workshops, the Junior Conference convened for the 10-13-year old participants. This is a one-day version of the larger conference to give younger members a glimpse into what they can expect to see when they are older. Workshop topics including communication and being a positive role model were presented to this very enthusiastic group of younger 4-H'ers.

One of the highlights of the Conference is always the keynote speakers. The juniors enjoyed an entertaining talk by Katina Hunter, 4-H alum and current volunteer in PA. Friday keynote Clint Pulver entertained the older teens with his comedy and message about leaving a mark and making the best for the world instead of best in the world. The event concluded on Sunday with an emphasis on 4-H community service. State Council enthusiastically unveiled that the delegates had raised just over $200 towards the event's service project, Penn State's THON.