Brent Hutchinson, Chairman, Kentucky 4-H Foundation
A guest blog post from Kentucky 4-H Foundation Chairman Brent Hutchinson.
It is a challenge for me to remember a time when 4-H was not front and center in my life. From camp and club days, to all the things my agent roped me into (poultry judging, anyone?) to State Teen Council and a stint as State Vice President (’93-’94), 4-H has been a singularly formative aspect of my life—both then and now—all I have learned and applied to my life as an adult in the workforce, a scholar, a husband, dad, and friend. It is a deep privilege for me to serve as chair of the Kentucky 4-H Foundation, reflecting on a foundational and brilliant past, a vital present, and a dazzling future. All aspects of my 4-H career inform my leadership in this time and place, and now my children are Jefferson County 4-Hers, reaping the benefits of the development, over time, of giants standing on the shoulders of giants, of creative programming designed to lift Kentucky students into a future of their own design, and, quite simply, loads of fun you cannot find elsewhere.
I think often of some words of wisdom passed along by my predecessor, Pam Rowsey Larson (State VP, ’78-’79): “When I aged out of the 4-H program, I was rather bummed. It had meant so much to me. What do I do now? And years later, the opportunity to serve Kentucky 4-H through service on the Foundation board of directors came to me, and I knew that my involvement with 4-H did not ever really have to end. I may not always be on the Foundation board, but the way I contribute to 4-H at the local and state level will always be before me. What was critical to me as a young person is just as important to me now.”
If you’re reading this, it’s likely your 4-H career as a youngster is over, but your 4-H memories and connections are very much alive. You, too, have this same opportunity—to give back in some measure because of what 4-H gave to you. Maybe what you have the most to give is time. Your agents need volunteers in a big way. Perhaps you have life wisdom; those kids in your county need people like you to speak into them, to spend time with them. Or, maybe your bank account has some room to provide a portion of your discretionary income to 4-H programs. That’s what the Foundation is here to do—to provide funding opportunities for Kentucky’s youth. And the only way we can do that is through your generosity. I hope you’ll consider making Kentucky 4-H part of your monthly giving pattern. Even more, I really hope you’ll consider leaving Kentucky 4-H in your will. We can continue funding rich opportunities in perpetuity with this kind of forward thinking.
One of the things I love the most about 4-H is its systemic approach to whole child development (head, heart, hands, and health) in a deeply interconnected global space (club, community, country, and world). There is literally something for everyone, in every way. All it takes is our creativity and fortitude to see to it we are continuing to develop a world around us that allows such opportunities to be important amidst competing alternatives. What an honor and privilege for all of us! Join the Foundation along this journey into the heart of the 21st century.
