4-H Awards & Scholarships

Ionia County 4-H Advisory Council Scholarship

In the Spring of 2016 the Ionia County 4-H Advisory Council awarded its first 4-H Advisory Council Scholarship. This is a $500 award offered to deserving youth that turn in a completed application by April 1. 4-H members must be involved in the Ionia County 4-H program for a minimum of 3 years and must be a high school senior or a high school graduate planning to attend an accredited university, college or a technical school. This scholarship will be offered annually.

Ionia County 4-H County Awards

Applying for the award gives you experience in filling out applications. It also means that you already have some of the State Award questions completed. If you win the County Award you can add that to your resumes and scholarship applications. If you participate in State Awards you attend Exploration Days at a discounted rate and can win cash prizes. There is no reason not to apply to the County Awards! Why Apply?

County Awards Qualifications Summary

County Honor Medals

To be eligible for a Medal of Honor in a project, the members must:

Have been in 4-H at least three (3) years, including the current year and have been enrolled in the project for at least two (2) years.
Be between the ages of 13 and 19 as of January 1, of the current year.
Be nominated by a leader.

To be nominated a child does not have to win blue ribbons at the fair. Effort, willingness to learn and personal growth experiences should be taken into consideration.

There is a limit of two (2) medals awarded per member per year, but they may apply for as many as they have been nominated.

A County Medal Award winner may not repeat (win again) in the same project area two (2) years in a row.

A single medal may not be won more than twice in a member’s career.

COUNTY AWARD MEDALS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

Achievement	Cooking	Horse
Agriculture	Dairy	Judging
Beef	Demonstration	Photography & Video
Cats	Dogs	Plant Science
Cavy	Family Life	Poultry
Citizenship & Civic Education	Fashion Revue	Public Speaking
Clothing & Textiles	Food & Nutrition	Rabbits
Communications	Gardening & Horticulture	Sheep
Community Service	Goats	Swine
Computer Technology	Healthy Living	Veterinary Science
Consumer & Family Sciences	Hobbies & Collections	Wood Science

Achievement

            1. Member must be at least 15 years old.
            2. Member must have successfully completed four (4) different projects.
            3. Member must have participated in at least one (1) community service project.
            4. Member must have participated in at least one (1) demonstration, public
                speaking, judging or quiz bowl at the county and/or state level.
            5. Member must have exhibited at least one (1) project at the Ionia Free Fair.

Citizenship
1. Member must be at least 15 years old.
2. Must have participated in at least three (3) club or community service projects.

Leadership
            1. Member must be at least 15 years old.
            2. Member must have served in at least one (1) leadership capacity. Examples are
                developmental committees, club officers, Advisory Council, Service Club, etc.
            3. Must have taught a specific skill to at least two (2) different club members.

Danforth “I Dare You” Award
The American Youth Foundation’s National Leadership Award is a unique opportunity for you to honor extraordinary young people for their character and leadership.

The award recognizes youth ages 15-18 years old (current age) who strive to be their personal best and make a positive difference in their communities.

Award recipients receive a personalized award certificate, a copy of William H. Danforth’s classic motivational book “I Dare You!”, are eligible to attend the National Leadership Conference, and are eligible to apply for the “I Dare You” Scholarship.

This award is selected based on the information submitted by the leader. There is no information submitted by youth. Please be sure to write enough information about this youth’s qualifications for this award for them to be judged fairly. I recommend one (1) page of information.

Michigan 4-H Key Club
This is the highest award in Michigan 4-H
            1. Member must be 15 years of age by January 1 of current year.
            2. Must have completed three (3) years of 4-H club work.
            3. Must have completed projects in at least two (2) project areas.
            4. Must have completed a Teen Leadership project and have participate in at least
            three (3) state-sponsored events (Exploration Days, Workshops, Clinics etc).
            5. Must be willing to fill out a lengthy application form completely.

Talk to your leader or the Ionia County 4-H office if you would like to apply.

4-H State Awards

4-H members are encouraged to apply for State 4-H Awards as well. For more information about the benefits and process of the Michigan 4-H State Awards program please visit the Michigan 4-H Recognition website.

MSU Extension Ionia County