Learn more about the Emerald Gala
The Emerald Gala is the Foundation’s flagship event, celebrating both fundraising and recognition. Over the past seven years, this distinguished occasion has raised more than $1 million to support Kentucky’s most valuable resource for youth—4-H Youth Development Programs. It also highlights the extraordinary achievements of Kentucky’s 4-H members and honors the year’s top youth leaders—the Emerald Award recipients.
The Emerald Award is Kentucky 4-H’s highest honor, granted annually to four exceptional 4-H’ers selected through a competitive application and interview process. The Achievement Program is open to all 4-H members, with awards offered at Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Emerald levels. Applicants are evaluated based on their accomplishments in five core areas: Leadership, Citizenship, Communications/Marketing, Community Service, and Participation.
The Emerald Gala offers a unique opportunity to celebrate Kentucky’s most accomplished 4-H’ers while motivating future leaders who aspire to attain this prestigious recognition. This year’s Emerald Award winners are (L to R) Kailyn Stokes (Crittenden County), Briar Elmore (Casey County), Andrea Cooksey (Washington County), and Ty Jones (Allen County).
Dress-code: Black Tie Optional
Hotel accommodations: The Campbell House Lexington
A 14-passenger transit van will operate continuously from 5:00 PM ET to midnight on April 12th, providing transportation from the Campbell House to the Kentucky Castle, courtesy of Gold Shield Limousine.
Please complete the following application to apply for the internship opportunity during the Kentucky 4-H Foundation’s Emerald Gala. This internship is open to 4-H members and alumni between the ages of 17-20 years old. Participants will be assisting with various tasks leading up to and during the event, including entering silent auction items, assisting with social media, event setup and tear down, selling blinkies, directing the flow of the evening, and covering the event on social media.
Emerald Gala Internship Application (1)
Please email this completed application to Melissa G. Miller at melissag.miller@uky.edu by February 15th, 2025.
