At the recent Pennsylvania 4-H State Leadership Conference, 21 4-Hers received Diamond Clover Awards, the highest achievement possible in the Pennsylvania 4-H program.

The Clover Award Program encourages 4-H members to explore new projects and activities that will help them acquire the seven leadership life skills: communicating, decision making and problem solving, getting along with others, learning to learn, managing, understanding self and working in groups. Engagement with the Clover Award Program is generally a multiyear process and consists of planning and implementing a service-learning project in the community.

Representing Lancaster County was Caleb Miller of Marietta. Miller is the first 4-H member in Lancaster County to achieve the high honor of earning the Diamond Clover Award. For his project, Miller installed livestock gates on the cattle barn at the Elizabethtown Fair to protect the safety of the cattle and bystanders. In order to complete this project, Miller gathered nearly $4,000 in donations from local businesses, drew plans, presented his vision, installed the gates and hosted a ribbon cutting to present the gift of cattle gates to the Elizabethtown Fair.

Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find a local program, visit https://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-H.