4-H Alumni Spotlight – Richard Mason

By: Paige Hart

Richard Mason (right) as a young Bell County 4-H’er with his sister, Rachael Mason, and his nephew, Chris Tyler Mason.

The February Alumni Spotlight is Richard Mason, 2008-2009 State Vice-President from Bell County. He is currently the Greenhouse Coordinator at Henderson Settlement United Methodist Mission. Richard is truly a testament to giving back to the 4-H program in hopes to better it for the future generation.

While the dairy goat project originally got young Richard involved with 4-H, he soon became more involved in a variety of areas. “Raising and caring for a show animal teaches you a lot of responsibility and leadership skills that can help you throughout your life,” commented Richard. “This is what 4-H is all about; learning by doing.”

Later Richard became involved with leadership programs to get him out of his shell, like State Teen Council (STC). “STC is a true learning opportunity where a group of teens gather to become better leaders of tomorrow and to learn about themselves in the process. STC taught me that youth deserve a voice; it was the first organization that really emphasized this for youth,” said Richard

Richard Mason, far right, 2008-2009 State Vice-President with his officer team.

Richard felt a pull at a young age to become a state officer wearing a green jacket. In 2007, he ran for Vice President and lost. Through the process, he learned failure was not an end-all for him and found a renewed push to run again. As Dr. Joe Kurth announced his name in 2008, he gained the title of Vice-President along with a new confidence. “Becoming a State Officer was a chance to mean something, a chance to do something that would inspire, motivate, and encourage others and myself,” said Richard

In 4-H, youth can learn life skills to overcome many challenges. 4-H is just as critical today as it was in 1902 in developing youth ready to take on the future. 4-H gave Richard many fond memories to laugh about and cherish. He remembers working with his best-friend Shane Howard while making a float for the Pineville Mountain Laurel Festival Parade, where they laughed and learned creativity, innovation and perseverance. 4-H even had effect on Richard’s career choice, he said, “Now I know that Greenhouse Manager is a far cry from goat showing like I did as a 4-H kid, but 4-H taught me that agriculture is one of the most important industries in the world and without it, we couldn’t exist.”

Richard gives current members advice, “Realize that people who tell you ‘Failure is not an option’ probably read that on a fortune cookie. Failure happens, but it’s what you do afterwards that counts. Dust yourself off and get back in the saddle. Learn and grow from your mistakes; your success depends on it! But don’t be too serious about it. Shake things up and have fun!”

Richard (left) attending 4-H Homecoming, photoed with Tim Mills (right).

As a young adult, Richard still donates monetarily to support the most needed program in the commonwealth. He comments, “When I realized that someone’s donation to 4-H got me where I am today, I do what I can to pay it forward.” Richard strives to donate his time, as local 4-H clubs are always in need of volunteers. Giving back to the 4-H program came full circle, as he is currently an adult volunteer for the Bell County Community 4-H Club where he was a charter member.

We encourage you to be like Richard and give back to Kentucky 4-H – Help Kentucky 4-H Grow!