Richards named Michigan 4-H Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer
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EmailClinton County 4-H volunteer Robert (Bob) Richards has been honored with a prestigious Michigan 4-H Salute to Excellence Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award.
Clinton County 4-H volunteer Robert (Bob) Richards has been honored with a prestigious Michigan 4-H Salute to Excellence Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award. Richards was recognized on Sept. 21 during the Michigan 4-H Legacy Awards Celebration hosted by Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan 4-H Foundation in East Lansing.
The annual 4-H Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award is given to a 4-H volunteer with more than 10 years of service. Winners are selected through a statewide nomination and review process.
The award highlights the important work of 4-H volunteers across the state who share their time, energy and commitment to 4-H every day to improve the lives of Michigan young people. Through the 4-H Salute to Excellence Awards program, MSU Extension’s 4-H Youth Development program honors outstanding volunteers for their unwavering dedication to 4-H and Michigan young people.
Richards has been a fixture in the Michigan 4-H shooting sports program for nearly three decades, not only leading the Clinton County 4-H Shooting Sports Club but also donating his time to statewide initiatives. He is certified to train other 4-H volunteers as shooting sports instructors and has done so in countless statewide instructor workshops. As a result, Richards has helped to significantly increase the number of young people who can be involved in the Michigan 4-H shooting sports program.
“My greatest reward is when I see kids that were in my program grow up and give back to their community,” said Richards.
Richards serves as range officer at the Michigan 4-H State Shooting Sports Tournament, helping to ensure a safe and enjoyable event for all, and as treasurer for the Michigan 4-H State Shooting Sports Advisory Board. As treasurer, Richards has helped shape policy and build consensus on statewide decisions in the program. His long-term involvement in and commitment to Michigan 4-H shooting sports have helped provide continuity to the program during staffing changes.
In his nearly 30 years as a 4-H volunteer, Richards has shared his shooting sports skills with 4-H’ers and families across the state. He exemplifies 4-H’s commitment to inclusion by extending a warm welcome and reassurance to all the 4-H’ers, adult volunteers, and families with whom he works. Richards regularly invites shooting sports clubs from other counties to sit in on his club’s classes, and mentors many new 4-H volunteers and families. He truly believes that any youth can benefit from the life skills they learn in the 4-H shooting sports program and his instruction style prioritizes inclusion and positive youth development. The lasting impact of Richards’ service can be seen in the 4-H shooting sports program and in the young people and families with whom he engages at 4-H events.
Jennifer Specht also received a 4-H Salute to Excellence Award at the event for 2024 4-H Volunteer of the Year. Other honorees recognized at the 2024 Michigan 4-H Legacy Awards Celebration included partners receiving the Michigan 4-H Citation Award, inductees into the 2024 class of the 4-H Emerald Clover Society, volunteers awarded the Michigan Farm Bureau Excellence in Agriculture Awards, 50-year 4-H volunteers, winners of the MSU 4-H Scholarship, and retiring 4-H staff.
For more information about the 4-H Salute to Excellence Awards and past honorees, visit https://mi4hfdtn.org/4-h-emerald-awards/michigan-4-h-salute-to-excellence-awards/.
The Michigan 4-H Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that supports Michigan 4-H Youth Development. For more information about the Michigan 4-H Foundation, visit www.mi4hfdtn.org. Michigan 4-H Youth Development is the youth-serving program of MSU Extension. Nearly 135,000 youth are involved in 4-H with the support of 8,000 adult volunteers. For more information about Michigan 4-H, visit www.4h.msue.msu.edu.
