Nov. 16, 2016 – Kewaskum, WI – Kewaskum resident and 4-H volunteer Judy Etta was recognized for outstanding service and inducted into the Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Green Lake Conference Center on Saturday, Nov. 5.
“Each of the 2016 Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame laureates has transformed the lives of children and families with whom they’ve worked and the communities in which they’ve lived,” said Dale Leidheiser, Program Director of Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development, which is part of the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
Washington County 4-H Volunteer Etta has been a 4-H Club leader for 39 years. Judy wholeheartedly believes in “Contribution-Commitment-Positive Impact,” providing leadership, direction, and guidance for youth, community, and country. Judy helped establish the 4-H American Spirit Experience, taking 4-H members from Wisconsin to historic sites in the eastern United States, to increase their knowledge, and appreciation of America’s heritage. Etta has been a chaperone/coordinator for Citizen Washington Focus, co-chairs the County 4-H Achievement and Recognition Committee and interviews youth for awards, experiences, and scholarships throughout the year. She volunteers at Wisconsin State Fair Governor’s Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction, benefiting the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation, and chairs the Washington County 4-H Trust Fund Board of Directors.
Etta, a bank Vice President, with 50 years of experience in banking, shares this knowledge with area schools, teaching them about money and personal finance. She is treasurer for the church women’s organization, a past Sunday school teacher, and past board member of the West Bend Downtown Association.
Etta was recognized with the Washington County 4-H Alumni Award, Kewaskum School District Outstanding Service Award for years of service to youth as a 4-H leader, as well as the Wisconsin Main Street Outstanding Board Member Award, and the Wisconsin Bankers Association Award.
Etta and her late husband Ethan were active in 4-H, and other community groups. Her two children, Jon (Julie) Etta and Jill (Bob) Nieskes, along with her three grandchildren, Katherine, Kevin and Rachel Etta, are involved in 4-H on the local, county, and state level.
The Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame was established to recognize 4-H volunteers, financial supporters, staff and pioneers who made major contributions to the 4-H movement at the local, state and national levels. The candidates represent 4-H in the broadest sense – people who had an impact on the lives of children, their community or state through significant contributions of time, energy or financial resources to 4-H and its members.
Other 2016 Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame Laureates are:
·        Kay Buelke Schroeder, Ozaukee County 4-H Agent
·        Marvin C. Hanson, 4-H Educator and Director of Upham Woods (In Memoriam)
·        W. Terry Howard, Professor Emeritus, UW-Madison Department of Dairy Science
·        Kenneth I. Johnson, Crawford County 4-H & Youth Agent (In Memoriam)
·        Jerry “Jer” Lang, Wood County 4-H Leader
·        Bob Leopold, Sauk County 4-H Volunteer
·        Janice Micke (In Memoriam) and Jerry Micke, Clark County 4-H Volunteers
·        Melanie Miller, Sauk and Dunn County 4-H Agent, 4-H Specialist
·        Rosanne M. Schleif, Price County 4-H Educator
·        Karen Stamm Binder, Milwaukee County 4-H & Youth Agent
A list of the previous 111 Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame laureates and all laureate bios are available at http://fyi.uwex.edu/wi4hhof/honorees/
The Hall of Fame ceremony and dinner were held during the annual Wisconsin 4-H Fall Forum weekend. Fall Forum is an opportunity for youth and adult leaders to attend a statewide training weekend with county and state staff to develop relationships, facilitate discussion between counties and provide an opportunity for youth and adult volunteers to be involved in the planning and evaluation of state programs.
Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development is part of the nation’s largest youth development and empowerment organization, with more than 150,000 youth in urban, suburban and rural settings involved with 4-H and other UW-Extension youth programs in the state’s 72 counties. Youth, from five-year kindergarten to one year past high school, learn leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and communication to help prepare them for success, while engaging in fun, hands-on 4-H activities, from livestock care to art, drama and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Wisconsin 4-H’s 16,000 adult volunteers serve as mentors and role models who provide a safe, interactive place for youth to take risks, practice their independence and master new skills. Adults who volunteer for 4-H learn and strengthen skills that help them in the workplace and to become better connected to their communities. Find out more about Wisconsin 4-H at http://4h.uwex.edu/.
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UW-Extension offers timely access to University of Wisconsin research and knowledge through educational colleagues in 72 county offices, on five 4-year campuses and within three tribal nations, offering educational programs that address the important issues of individuals, families, businesses and communities. Find your county extension office at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/.
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(Photo attached)
Cutline: Judy Etta (center) was inducted into the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame on Nov. 5 at Green Lake Conference Center. She is pictured with Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development Program Director Dale Leidheiser (left) and Wisconsin Leadership Council Youth President Sarah Schuster (right).