Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development honored Yvette Chieves of Lincoln County with its 2016 Salute to Excellence Volunteer of the Year award. The award recognizes 4-H volunteers who have worked with 4-H for less than 10 years and had a great impact on the lives of youth and the strength of the 4-H program in their area. Chieves was honored, along with 12 Hall of Fame Inductees and an outstanding lifetime volunteer, at a ceremony on Nov. 5 at Green Lake Conference Center.
Chieves has been a leader in the largest 4-H Club in Lincoln County, the Merrill Busy Bees, for nine years. In this position, she has demonstrated her ability to work with young people in a way that promotes youth empowerment, decision making, problem-solving, meeting challenges and mastery. Chieves encourages youth in the club and the county to try new opportunities. One example is the county “Cooking Karma Club” where youth countywide learn how to prepare simple, inexpensive, tasty and healthy meals.
Her enthusiasm and passion to see young people succeed is contagious.
“Yvette understands that our community needs the 4-H program in Lincoln County and she creates a positive environment for the children and adults alike,” says 4-H Youth Leader Lisa Krueger. “She is a volunteer leader making a positive difference in the lives of youth and their families throughout Lincoln County.”
Since 2013, Chieves has served as a Director on the Lincoln County 4-H Leaders’ Association Board of Directors. She has coordinated the county Communication Contest and co-coordinated the Drama, Lip Sync and Music Festival. Chieves also worked with the County 4-H Youth Development Educator to assist with 4-H After School Clubs outreach to new and under-served youth audiences.
Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development is part of the nation’s largest youth development and empowerment organization, with more than 150,000 youth in urban, suburban and rural settings involved with 4-H and other UW-Extension youth programs in the state’s 72 counties. Youth, from five-year kindergarten to one year past high school, learn leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and communication to help prepare them for success, while engaging in fun, hands-on 4-H activities, from livestock care to art, drama and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Wisconsin 4-H’s 16,000 adult volunteers serve as mentors and role models who provide a safe, interactive place for youth to take risks, practice their independence and master new skills. Adults who volunteer for 4-H learn and strengthen skills that help them in the workplace and to become better connected to their communities. Find out more about Wisconsin 4-H at http://4h.uwex.edu/.