Patterson Family Foundation awards grant for 4-H youth workforce development
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Patterson Family Foundation has awarded funds to Missouri 4-H for a three-year pilot project focusing on youth workforce development, overcoming barriers to higher education and improving financial literacy. The project, which incorporates multiple 4-H programs, targets youths in the rural counties of Harrison, Livingston, Nodaway, Pettis and Vernon.
New college scholarship for Pike County 4-H'ers
A new scholarship will help fund post-high school education for Pike County 4-H’ers, thanks to an endowed scholarship from Earl and Shari Beth Niemeyer of Bowling Green. Both were both active in Pike County 4-H as youths: Shari Beth belonged to the St. Clement Busy Bees, and Earl was a 10-year member of the Hartford Go-Getters. Their four children – Ryan, Scott, Elizabeth and Reed – were also 10-year members of the Go-Getters and…
Legacy gift for Osher@Mizzou
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Missouri (Osher@Mizzou) has received its first legacy gift thanks to Sharon Kinden, who has included the organization in her estate plan.
A livestock legacy lives on
An Eldon Cole Memorial Fund has been established to recognize the late Eldon Cole’s long career as an Extension livestock specialist, according to James Preston, chief development officer with the Office of MU Extension and Engagement. The University of Missouri Board of Curators recently approved naming a new livestock facility at the Southwest Research, Extension and Education Center (SW-REEC) in Mount Vernon in honor of Cole.
Sowing the seeds to grow
Kahlil Gibran once shared, “Education sows not seeds in you, but makes your seeds grow.” The love of agriculture was planted in 4-H alumni and Mizzou freshman Emma Bauer at an early age on her farm in St. Charles, Missouri. In between Emma’s 4-H paths of growing vegetables in her garden and caring for her chickens, Emma nurtured dreams of studying Animal Science with the goal of becoming an animal nutritionist.
Small-town Missouri 4-H Club grows to more than 100 members
The small town of Atlanta, Missouri, is known for its love for high school sports — and 4-H. Located in Macon County in the northeastern part of the state, the Home Pioneer 4-H Club has grown from 23 members to now more than 100 in just nine years. Despite the challenges of COVID and other competing activities for modern families, 4-H is alive and well here.
MFA Foundation gift supports vital rural mental health resources
As a group, Missouri farmers and ranchers increasingly struggle with mental health challenges and access to needed resources. The state’s rural suicide rate is growing faster than in urban counties, increasing 78% in 14 years between 2003 and 2017.
4-H Foundation Endowment Funds Reaching Many Missouri Counties
County endowment funds created by the Missouri 4-H Foundation have had a significant impact on many Missouri counties within the last year. Currently, the Foundation manages six county endowment funds benefitting Barton, Callaway, Dade, Henry, Pike and St. Charles counties.
Land-Grant Society highlights donor impact on MU Extension and 4-H
University of Missouri Extension hosted its first Land-Grant Society reception this April to honor donors to MU Extension and the Missouri 4-H Foundation. The event recognized 19 individuals and couples who attended, as well as the more than 70 donors currently eligible for Land-Grant Society membership.
County endowment funds: a way of paying forward
Ever since Dr. Maude Harris, County Engagement Specialist in Nutrition and Health, started working for MU Extension in Scott County 26 years ago, she has donated a portion of each paycheck to her county's endowment fund. Over the years, those steady gifts have helped build up the endowment principal amount to the level where the fund now can be used to support programming.
Giving back to help youth build belonging and community
One donor with a vision can make such a powerful difference in the lives of Missouri youth. A generous estate gift from Kathryn McKillip Thrift to the Missouri 4-H Foundation is one such example.
Growing 4-H programs and youth success
More Missouri youth are now connecting with 4-H thanks to supporters like Ken Donohew and Ellen Kippel who are dedicated to helping MU Extension bring Mizzou to all Missourians. The couple established the Kenyon Grant Harman, Dorothy Donohew Amos, Carolyn Harman Zollman and Ruth Cora Harman Inclusion and Diversity Fund for MU Extension and Engagement. The fund supports efforts to encourage diversity and inclusion in program…
Founders Fund helps ensure Osher@Mizzou’s future vitality
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Missouri (Osher@Mizzou) has announced the establishment of an endowed Founders Fund — a step that will help ensure the long-term vitality of this University of Missouri Extension program that provides educational, cultural and social opportunities for learners ages 50 and over.
Wesley Tucker named first recipient of new Brown Professional Development Award
Farm families count Wesley Tucker among Missouri's best resources for help with intergenerational farm transfer and succession issues. Tucker, a University of Missouri Extension field specialist in agriculture business and policy, also is recognized nationally as an expert on the economics of forage livestock systems.
Annual Land-Grant Society members make a lasting impact
Giving to the University of Missouri Extension can help transform communities. Warren and Betty Sapp and Andrew Zumwalt experienced this firsthand through generous gifts that qualify them for annual membership in the newly established MU Land-Grant Society, a donator recognition society to support extension and engagement work and impacts across Missouri.
Opening doors
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Sebrina Barrett credits Missouri 4-H for her career path in advocacy and organizational leadership. "It's no surprise that I am running an association," said Barrett, executive director of the Association for Community Living, an organization of not-for-profit agencies in New York State that provide housing and rehabilitation services to people with psychiatric disabilities.
Missouri 4-H career-readiness programs get $75,000 boost from Healthy Blue's affiliated Foundation
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri 4-H has received $75,000 from Healthy Blue's affiliated Foundation to help young people across the state explore colleges and careers. The 4-H Youth Futures College Within Reach program, developed by the University of Missouri Extension and Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, is a college orientation program that includes ongoing local mentoring, campus visits and a conference on the MU campus.
To help empower youth leaders, support Mizzou Giving Day
Troy Ludwig is a senior at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, Missouri. Throughout his nine years in 4-H, he has served as a Jefferson City 4-H club secretary and president, State 4-H Council member, and currently serves as a youth representative on the Missouri 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees.
For programs that are out of this world, support Mizzou Giving Day
Outer space is what first brought Ron Boain together with MU Extension's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute as a learner, instructor and donor. Not long after he and his wife Catherine retired and returned to Columbia, Missouri, Ron spotted an Osher brochure at the bank. A course about the Apollo 11 mission, commemorating its 50th anniversary, particularly caught his eye.
For life-long learning and connections, support Mizzou Giving Day
For Helen and George Washburn, "lifelong learning" is more than a program motto: it is central to how Helen, former president of Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri, and George, a former high school principal, create community.
Support Mizzou Giving Day: the perfect recipe for Missouri 4-H impact and success
Theresa Alvarez carefully counts down two minutes on her watch before flipping the tortilla chips so they will have just the right crunch. This is one of the final steps in the recipe the Ruskin High School student prepared during a Saturday iCook 4-H class at the Bethel Family Worship Center in Kansas City.
Extension exceeds Our Time to Lead goal: new initiatives continue the momentum
University of Missouri Extension and Engagement exceeded its Our Time to Lead goal by nearly 50% — raising more than $37.2 million for the MU comprehensive giving campaign launched five years ago. Generous donors gave more than $6.5 million in the last year alone. To celebrate this milestone, MU Extension and Engagement this week announced two philanthropic initiatives to carry this exciting momentum through the next century.
4-H scholarship donors help youth leaders develop and flourish
For longtime Missouri 4-H member Hannah Persell, the power of giving goes beyond words. Persell — a University of Missouri senior studying agriculture business management — received one of the 501 scholarships totaling $515,800 that the Missouri 4-H Foundation awarded during MU's comprehensive Our Time to Lead giving campaign.