More than 225 Butler County 4-H volunteers, members and their guests were on hand for the annual Achievement and Recognition Banquet held recently at the Butler County Community College. This program recognizes leaders and members for their contributions to 4-H programs and their accomplishments for the past program year.

Volunteers are a vital part of the 4-H program and their efforts make it possible for the Cooperative Extension you program to reach large numbers on a regular basis. A number of dedicated club leaders were recognized for their years of service to the 4-H program. They were:

First-year honorees: Tracy Isaacs and Richard Weaver of the Butler area, Ken Brennan Jr. and Sandra Cox of Evans City, Susanne Grove of Harrisville, Patti Kosan of Freeport, Diane Parachino of Sarver, Debbie Schettler of Connoquenessing, and Gerard Vaerewyck of Tarentum.

Five-year honorees: Ken Brennan Sr., Sue Brennan and Dave Cox of Evans City, and Dorcas Stewart of Hilliards.

20-year honoree: Connie Haswell of Evans City.

35-year honoree: Helen Voegler of Butler

40-year honoree: Violet Ray of Butler.

Peggy Dean of Chicora was honored as the 2004 Butler County Friend of the 4-H. Presented annually to a member of the community, this award recognizes the support provided to the 4-H program by exceptional individuals and businesses.

In addition, a number of 4-H club members were recognized for their accomplishments in the 2004 program. They were:

Cody Stephenson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Stephenson of Chicora, was honored as the Outstanding Junior 4-H member for Butler County.

Cara Stephenson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Stephenson of Chicora, was honored as the Outstanding Intermediate 4-H member for Butler County.

Jessica Kummer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Randy Kummer of Butler, was honored as the Outstanding Senior 4-H member for Butler County.

Participants in various regional, state and national activities such as poster contests, State 4-H Achievement Days, and the National 4-H Congress were recognized for their efforts.

Twenty-nine 4-H club members received awards for outstanding project work in 2004. By category, members recognized were:

Horse: Grace LeFevre of Kennerdell, Amanda Dillaman of Slippery Rock and Kimberly Dow of Evans City

Dairy: Kate Booher of New Castle and Ashley Speer of Portersville

Beef: Joshua and Sam Drake of Slippery Rock, and Krystle Foertsch of Butler

Sheep: Adam and Debbie Drake of Slippery Rock, and Dawn Lehnerd of Butler

Swine: Brittany Foertsch of Butler and Eric Drake of Slippery Rock

Rabbits: Richard Vaerewyck of Tarentum, Andrew Cranmer and Jessica Kummer of Butler

Goats: Stacy and Josh Arner of Valencia, and Amanda Mabold of West Sunbury

Small animals: Amanda Scheboth of Gibsonia and Matt Barnes of Zelienople

Clothing: Katie Sefton of Butler and Victoria Cox of Evans City

Foods: Bethany Scheboth of Gibsonia

Plant science: Amy Metrick of Butler

Engineering: Joseph Vaerewyck of Tarentum and Colten McDeavitt of Slippery Rock

All other: Laura Metrick and Matthew Sheppeck of Butler.

In addition to Outstanding Project Awards, seven members were recognized for the quality of their 4-H project book completion in agricultural production. The award is sponsored by AgChoice Farm Credit. They were:

Cara Stephenson of Chicora, Dairy; Stephen Drake of Slippery Rock, Beef; Debbie Drake of Slippery Rock, Sheep; Eric Drake of Slippery Rock, Swine; Randi Kummer of Butler, Small animals; Laura Metrick of Butler, Plant science; and Matt Barnes of Zelienople, Horse production.

Evidence of life skill development was a primary criteria for 4-H awards sponsored by the Pomona Grange. Selected for recognition were:

Kimberly Dow of Evans City, Horse; Janelle Hartzell of Slippery Rock, Dairy; Amanda Mabold of West Sunbury, Dairy goats; Dawn Lehnerd of Butler, Beef; Eric Drake of Slippery Rock, Sheep; Brittany Foertsch of Butler, Swine; Kayla Protzman of Butler, Rabbits; and Eric Barnes of Zelienople, Small animals; Amy Metrick of Butler, Plant sciences; Matt Barnes of Zelienople, Foods; Katie Sefton of Butler, Clothing and textiles; Bethany Scheboth of Gibsonia, Engineering; and Amanda Scheboth of Gibsonia, All other projects.

Three 4-H horse project members were recognized for completion of Level 1 and Level 2 horsemanship skills. The horsemanship skills program challenges 4-H members to work with their horse to accomplish specific skills that become increasingly difficult with each level. The members were:

Level 1: Grace LeFevre of Kennerdell, Sarah Schubert of Butler and Jason Zang of Evans City

Level 2: Sarah Schubert

The Lucky-7 4-H club was recognized as the Outstanding Club for 2004 for their efforts in club organization, community service, member participation in 4-H activities and member participation in project activities.

The 4-H Achievement and Recognition Banquet was planned and conducted by the Butler County 4-H Development Committee in cooperation with the Butler County Extension staff.