4th Annual Achievement Banquet

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The 94th Annual 4-H Achievement Banquet was recently held Oct. 26 at the Ellis Co. Fairgrounds. in Hayes in honor of Ellis Co. 4-Her’s! More than 150 4-H members, their families and special guests attended the annual awards banquet sponsored by the Ellis County 4-H Council. This year they recognized all Ellis Co. members, leaders and supporters. 4-H.

Nominated as outstanding 4-H members from 4-H clubs.

SR Nominees JR Nominees

Big Creek Astros Isaac Moreno Presley Werth

Buckeye Jr. Farmers Faith Schmeidler Brinley Walter

Ellis Sunflowers Kylie Pfeiffer Hunter Talkington

Gemini Jr. Kimberly Sack Eva Betz

Shooting Sports Zachary McCall Gavin Bemis

Victoria Vikings Ella Neher Esther Neher

The senior winners were Faith Schmeidler and Ella Neher, and the junior winners were Presley Werth and Brinley Walter.

Grace Schmeidler and John Weisenborn were honored with the “I Dare You” Leadership Award. The I Dare You National Leadership Award recognizes personal integrity, balanced lifestyle and leadership potential. Each recipient receives a copy of Danforth’s inspiring book, I Dare You. Grace Schmeidler has demonstrated outstanding leadership, dedication and service through her active involvement in 4-H and beyond. Grace’s profile describes her as “honest, trustworthy, and incredibly hard-working,” adding that she goes above and beyond in her 4-H roles and is always willing to help others learn and grow. John Weisenborn consistently demonstrates exceptional leadership, integrity and hard work. service through his involvement in 4-H, school and the Boy Scouts of America. His profile describes John as a strong leader with a deep passion for helping others and improving his community. His positive influence and dedication make him a worthy recipient.” “I Dare You” Award.

The Kansas Key Award recognizes the 10% of Kansas 4-H employees who achieve a high level of leadership throughout their 4-H career. You must be enrolled in the 4-H Leadership Project by 4

years and meet 9 of the 11 leadership goals set by the state 4-H program. This special 4-H leadership award was given to Grace Schmeidler and John Weisenborn.

Marisa Wasinger was awarded the 2024 Rosemary Smith 4-H Scholarship, endowed by her family in memory of longtime 4-H leader Rosemary Smith. During her 4-H career, Marisa worked on many levels to help advance 4-H. She most recently served as a member of the Cottonwood County 4-H Water Ambassadors and as president of the Ellis County 4-H Council.

Gold certificates for project record books were awarded to Addie Haffner, junior, Apparel, Bret Pope, junior, Beef and Timber, James Wheeler, junior, Poultry, Jessa Taylor, Food and Nutrition, Alaina Yarmer, Int. Clothing, Poultry and Self-Determination, Audrey Yarmer – International, Dog, Poultry and Leisure, Brinley Walter – International. Beef, Food and Nutrition, Goat Meat, Photography, Sheep and Fine Art, Cannon Weinar – Int. Entomology, Karsi Kimzey – Int. Horse, Keith Pope – Int. Wood Science, Lane Haffner – Int. Shopping in Style, Chloe Brown – Senior Food, Nutrition and Photography Specialist, Faith Schmeidler – Senior Beef Specialist, Grace Schmeidler – Senior Leadership Specialist, Keely Kimzey – Senior Equine Specialist, Lizzie Weinar – Senior Public Relations Specialist and Meat Goat winners will advance to the Shopping in Style competition. North-West Region competition in January.

Each 4-H club in the area has the opportunity to nominate a company and person they feel has gone above and beyond to help Ellis Co. 4-H. The Ellis 4-H Board makes the final decision on who is recognized as a “Friend of 4-H.”

This year’s 4-H Individual Friend goes to Bill and Susan Rajewski. They were nominated by the Gemini Jrs 4-H Club. Bill and Susan have an unconditional love for 4-H and the youth of Ellis County. Susan was a long-time co-leader of the Gemini Jrs 4-H Club. In this role, she actively advocated for club members and encouraged everyone to actively participate in local, regional and statewide activities. She was also well known for her cute hand-crocheted trinkets, which always contained some kind of treat, usually candy. Both Bill and Susan always answered the phone when asked to help. Susan became the director of the Foods Challenge when it first appeared at the Ellis County Fair and has been involved ever since. She is also the director of the open arts and crafts class fair. They also support 4-Hers by participating as buyers at the Ellis County Livestock Fair. Thank you for your dedication to Ellis County 4-H, through volunteering and financial support, you are truly a friend of 4-H!

This year’s 4-H Business Friend is Bank of Hays, nominated by the Gemini Jrs 4-H Club. Hays Bank was founded in 2004 to meet the needs of Hays.

community. One way they show their commitment to supporting the community is their dedication to Ellis County 4-H since then. Shortly after the new bank building opened, Bank of Hays hosted an exhibit of 4-H photographs. Over the years, Bank of Hays has contributed in a variety of ways, from volunteering at 4-H events to being one of the donors to help build a new food stand. For many years, Bank of Hays sponsored the exhibitor breakfast at the Ellis County Fair at the request of the Ellis County 4-H Council. The Exhibitor Breakfast is a key event at the start of fair activities and is something that both exhibitors and judges appreciate. For all of these reasons, it is clear that Bank of Hays is well deserving of the title of 2024 Friend of 4-H Business.

All Ellis Co. members present. 4-H received certificates of completion for the 2023-2024 4-H program year and, if criteria were met, were awarded membership badges based on number of years and level of participation in local and statewide events. 4-H Activities. Club leaders and shooting instructors were also recognized for their dedication to the 4-H program.

Congratulations and thank you to these individuals for their dedication and support of Ellis County 4-H youth.

The evening concluded with the 4-H Scholarship and Development Committee holding a silent and live auction to raise money for 4-H activities and high school scholarships. If you would like to make a donation to the organization, please call our office at 785-628-9430.