LAKE COUNTY – Kimberly Walker of Wiloth Ridge 4-H Club received her All-Star Rank this past summer at the Lake County 4-H Council Meeting on June 22.
Kimberly's All-Star project was to start a new 4-H Club for handicapped kids within Lake County.
She decided to work with Susie Wiloth of Wiloth Equine Center to start the new club.
Kimberly's goal was to start small with about 15 kids and introduce them to what 4-H has to offer. She worked closely with Wiloth to coordinate the leader certification of her current staff and she and Wiloth designed the new club over the summer and started the club last September.
An active member of the club, Kimberly helps Wiloth work with the new 4-H members at the meetings. Kimberly also decided to be the spokesperson for the club within the community and 4-H to raise awareness about Wiloth and her effort at Wiloth Equine Center.
Kimberly wrote in her final All-Star report, “It feels kind of weird, knowing that my project is officially almost over. I say officially, because I know that regardless of whether the project is officially done or not, nothing is really going to change for me. I'm still going to look for and train volunteers so that they can eventually run it when I step down from my unofficial title of club leader. I'm still going to lead the 4-H club and write down everything that happens and take pictures and stick it all in one huge overwhelming book – because it's important that this 4-H club is here for many years to come, helping it's members to be accepted and to achieve anything that they set their sights on.”
She continued, “I like to be involved in stuff that I love doing – and I don't like to forget any of it. I have never finished any kind of project feeling that it was completely perfect. There is always room for improvement and life is never perfect, so that's what makes it great to have a 4-H club where our only vision is to give the members every opportunity to achieve their personal goals, while having fun, making friends and learning all along the way.”
Kimberly has been in the Lake County 4-H Program for seven years. The All-Star rank is the highest attainable honor in the Lake County 4-H Program. To apply for All-Star rank, a 4-H member must be 15 years of age, demonstrate leadership abilities, citizenship and community involvement, and have made a significant contribution to the 4-H Program.
The 4-H Youth Development is a program of the University of California Cooperative Extension.
For more information on the 4-H program contact U.C. Cooperative Extension, 883 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport, CA 95453, telephone 707-263-6838.
Nicole Gentry is 4-H Youth Development secretary.
