UFA and Alberta 4-H present Alumni Service Award
Jenna Campbell
Times Contributor
Alberta 4-H and UFA are once again presenting their annual Alumni Service Award, which began in 2008. The hope is for the award to remain consistent in the foreseeable future, and for the 75 year partnership between UFA and Alberta 4-H to remain strong.
The award’s significance is to recognize noteworthy individuals from rural Alberta who have shown acts of leadership and volunteerism in advancing their local communities by contributing much time and effort in 4-H and or other community activities.
“UFA was really looking to support young entrepreneurs, youth, within agriculture and that was a big reason for us coming on board with this award, that was a big piece of it, was to look for future leaders within Alberta and be able to support them in their endeavours,” said Jessica Barrie, Marketing and Communication Specialist of UFA Co-operative Limited.
To qualify as an applicant, the 4-H Alumni recipients must be newly nominated in 2011, and be between the ages of 20 and 35. They must also have pursued post-secondary education, returned to their rural roots, and have been a part of the 4-H community for at least two years. A $2,000 UFA gift certificate will be awarded to each of the five winning recipients. The deadline for applications is Nov. 30.
To benefit future applicants, the new guideline states that previously awarded recipients may not re-apply for the award. By doing so it has raised the odds for other individuals who wish to receive the award, according to Carmen Stone, Manager of Corporate Partnerships of 4-H Foundations of Alberta. Five recipients are awarded every year out of the anticipated 15-30 applicants.
“Even if you have been out of 4-H for a couple of years, it’s recommended you have someone nominate you and whatever you do, if you could highlight, and if people could fill in as much information as they can of what people have done in their community through leadership and through volunteerism, those would be great topics to touch on,” said Barrie.
All five winners will be announced sometime during the spring, according to Barrie. Around the same time, UFA will be having their annual general meeting and farm safety weeks.
Applications can be found at www.4h.ab.ca and can be sent via fax: (403)682-3784, email: patten@4hab.com or mail: 4-H Foundation of Alberta, R.R. 1, Westerose, Alberta T0C 2V0. For more information, please contact Jessica Barrie at (587) 580-8145 or jessica.barrie@ufa.com, and Carmen Stone at (403) 869-3528 or cstone@4hab.com.