NEWTON, Iowa — According to 4-H volunteer Diana Cox, “The State 4-H Volunteers Retreat gives Iowa 4-H volunteers what we need to be more than just any group of volunteers, but the best volunteers.” She should know — she organized the February retreat at Des Moines Area Community College.

The retreat focused on networking opportunities for the 145 4-H volunteers, Iowa State University Extension 4-H staff, parents and 4-H members. The participants also learned about innovative 4-H programs taking place in other 4-H clubs. Monsanto, National 4-H Council and Iowa State University Extension 4-H Youth Development sponsored the program. 

“Networking and learning from others helps us all appreciate the value of volunteering. I hope that our enthusiasm for 4-H and the club members we work with will spread to more people,” Cox said.

Cox is not alone in her motivation to be the best 4-H volunteer in the community — it’s a common trait shared by the more than 10,600 adult and 1,500 youth 4-H volunteers in Iowa. The retreat itself, almost entirely planned and executed by a statewide network of 4-H volunteers, is a product of their determination and commitment. It offered 22 skills workshops ranging from livestock record management to green-themed programs like denim recycling. It’s not just the training that brings 4-H volunteers back year after year. Volunteers say they consider themselves members of the 4-H family and enjoy seeing old friends and meeting new people.

Richard Leitz of Monsanto congratulated the volunteers for their dedication to the positive development of young people. “Monsanto believes in 4-H volunteer development because we experience every day the impact 4-H volunteers have on youth. Monsanto counts many 4-H alumni among its employees. They credit 4-H for skills they use to do their jobs—a real tribute to dedicated and caring 4-H volunteer leaders.”

Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Learn more at www.monsanto.com.

National 4-H Council is the national, private sector, non-profit partner of the 4-H Youth Development Program and its parent, the Cooperative Extension System of the United States Department of Agriculture. Learn more about national 4-H at www.4-H.org and Iowa 4-H at www.extension.iastate.edu/kidsteens/.

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