Lebanon County 4-H Friends Club member Jolene Bomgardner received the highest achievement possible in the Pennsylvania 4-H program at a recent statewide leadership conference.
Bomgardner received the Diamond Clover Award during the Pennsylvania 4-H State Leadership Conference, held Feb. 3-5 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College.
The Clover Award Program prompts 4-H members to pursue projects that help them acquire seven fundamental leadership skills: communicating, decision making and problem solving, getting along with others, learning to learn, managing, understanding self, and working in groups. Being recognized with the honor is typically a multi-year process and requires planning and implementing a service-learning project in the community.
According to a press release, Bomgardner received her award through her work at New Covenant Christian School discussing the benefits of full-fat dairy products for children and working with the school to make whole milk available in the lunch line.
Bomgardner is a native of North Lebanon Township who previously represented both the county and the commonwealth in 2022’s national Make It With Wool contest.
Read More: Two Lebanon County teens compete in National Make It With Wool contest
“Now more than ever, the skills learned as 4-H’ers are needed all over our world,” said Jeanette Stackhouse, 4-H teen program manager with Penn State Extension, in a press release. “We are delighted to see so much thought and effort go into these projects that make a great impact on the 4-H’er’s local community.”
During the conference, more than 280 4-H members gathered for workshops presented by Penn State Extension 4-H educators, Penn State faculty and staff, and other industry leaders. They also heard a keynote address from John Beede, who has summited mountains on all seven continents (including Everest).
Bomgardner was among 21 4-H’ers to receive the Diamond Clover Award on the conference’s last day.
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