MONROE CO., N.Y. — On August 12, the Rochester-Monroe County Youth Bureau, with the Monroe County Legislature, honored exceptional youth and adults who serve as youth advocates in our community at the annual Youth Awards ceremony. The Young Citizen of the Year and Willie W. Lightfoot Youth Advocate of the Year Awards represent one of the highest honors for youth and adult leadership, community service, advocacy and perseverance. These awards pay tribute to outstanding citizens who exhibit remarkable leadership, perform extraordinary acts on behalf of others, or have served as a role model for youth advocacy.
This year, four members and one volunteer from the Monroe County 4-H program were honored for their impact on and advocacy for the youth in our community. The 4-H Program, offered through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County, encourages youth to engage in hands-on activities and opportunities that encourage them to innovate. This experiential learning helps to build leadership skills, including public speaking, personal development, life skills, decision-making/problem-solving, self-management and citizenship. In return, youth who participate in 4-H find a supportive and inclusive environment lead by caring adults dedicated to providing 4-H youth with the positive experiences they need to become tomorrow’s leaders.
Kathy Lee has been a volunteer 4-H Leader for 25 years. Her 4-H Club, the Busy Bees, is located at Mary Cariola Center. Kathy works with the youth in her club on a variety of service, gardening, and public speaking activities. In working with this special population, Kathy is a wonderful ally for youth with different abilities.
Kathy facilitates her club to complete a number of projects. They have created sweet treats and “To- Go” snack bags for the Ronald McDonald House, completed projects for St. John’s Home and sent colonies of bees through Heifer International. They have also been associated with Honor Flight of Rochester, and with support from school friends, been able to supply cards for many missions for Veterans.
Kathy coordinates a favorite event, the annual petting zoo where the club invites their 4-H friends from across the county to come to the school and bring in a number of baby farm animals; Oprah Whinnie-free the mini horse, bunnies, chickens, and even a calf. All of the students just love the animals and it is a wonderful way for the 4-H family to come together to provide an exciting and memorable experience for the children at Mary Cariola Center.
Recipient of a Monroe County Legislative Youth Citizenship Award, Molly Krotz has been learning and growing in 4-H for seven years. In the past year, she has taken on leadership opportunities that are usually reserved for older teens. She approaches them seriously and is responsible for completion. All of this while being an excellent student, a passionate equestrian, and a youth who completes a number of service projects.
Molly is a youth representative to the 4-H Horse Education Committee in Monroe County. Molly helps to get the meeting room prepared for guests and shares her opinions in a primarily adult setting. She also supports adults who have helped her. She recently wrote a letter of support for a 4-H volunteer, and attended a Monroe County Legislature meeting where the volunteer, Mary Hull, was recognized with a Proclamation.
Molly excels in her horsemanship. She has completed a public presentation on a challenging skill to complete with horses. She acted as a room hostess to facilitate the room moving along and helped with clean up afterwards. She also excelled at 4-H quiz bowl and hippology testing events, qualifying for the state-level in both.
Molly has been a strong supporter of the 4-H Petting Zoo at Mary Cariola Center. She has brought various animals to the school over the years. One favorite has been a turkey. Molly has a special ability to connect with all attendees at the event. This year the Petting Zoo was created virtually using videos. Molly took the time to create and share a number of different animals that she cares for on her family’s farm which delighted the Mary Cariola students.
Also recognized were three members of the 4-H UNITY program, a Monroe County 4-H partnership with the Youth Services Division of the Ibero-American Action League. 4-H UNITY stands for Urban Neighborhoods Improved Through Youth. In 4-H UNITY, teens become community change agents, conducting community improvement projects that they design.
Angel Sepulveda-Lopez received the 2020 Youth Citizenship Award for Monroe County because of his experience with the community. Angel recently completed eighth grade at Eugenio Maria De Hostos Charter School.
Nominating Angel was Nathalia Martinez-Bliss, Aspira Mentor with the Youth Services Division at Ibero-American Action League, who states, “Angel has volunteered his time to be engaged in service-learning workshops and activities. In the service-learning sessions, Angel has demonstrated leadership, commitment, and enthusiasm to improving the community by voicing ideas and solutions on ways to serve the community.”
Ms. Martinez-Bliss also nominated Kaelin Lopez for the 2020 Youth Citizenship Award for Monroe County. Kaelin is a rising eighth grader at Eugenio Maria De Hostos Charter School. Nathalia shared, “Kaelin has volunteered her time. She has demonstrated leadership, commitment, and passion to giving back to the community. During the service-learning workshops, she has recommended projects that can be organized to improve the community and has worked with her peers to research, propose, and share those ideas with others.”
In addition to Angel and Kaelin, Giselly Ortega also received the 2020 Youth Citizenship Award for Monroe County. Giselly completed her eighth grade year at Eugenio Maria De Hostos Charter School. She has volunteered in various community service projects, leadership workshops, and civic engagement activities in the past two years. Giselly was part plannng a positivity project when she was in seventh grade. The project was created by students for students to create a supportive environment and lift each other up.
“Giselly is a role model for her peers and has encouraged her peers to also give back to the community. Giselly was able to recruit youth to volunteer their time to learn about leadership and give back to the community,” said Ms. Martinez-Bliss.
All three 4-H UNITY program members were involved in volunteering time to make dog toys for the animals at Verona Animal Shelter, which provides basic care to animals in the community. They also assisted with delivery of the dog toys, and connected with staff to learn about ways to serve animals in the future.
The youth created a Kindness month in the spring to spread goodwill in their communities. They livened up the areas near where they live by creating sidewalk chalk art, decorated kindness rocks to randomly spread joy, created gratitude cards for COVID-19 helpers, and spread random acts of kindness. They also challenged the community to join in and spread positivity!
Kaelin and Giselly also participated in a Hero’s Leadership Training Program provided by the Harry Potter Alliance. In the training, they were able to learn about types of leadership, communication styles, and values. Kaelin was able to share ways in which to be a leader in the community. The training provided Giselly with the tools needed to be an advocate in the community.
In 2019, Angel and Kaelin were involved in the Ibero Coat Away Drive to provide support to community members that were seeking resources. They were able to volunteer time to assist individuals at the event with selecting a coat. Prior to the coat drive, they designed cards that were provided to the individuals that attended the coat drive. The cards included words of encouragement and inspiration for members of the community that attended the event.
Monroe County 4-H Program Leader, Susan Coyle, commenting on all of the recipients’ impressive accomplishments, said, “Congratulations to all of the recipients who were recognized this evening. They are outstanding leaders in Monroe County! The 4-H program offers youth various tools to grow to be leaders in service, explore their interests, and make connections that last a lifetime. We’re so proud our members and volunteers have been recognized for the fantastic work they are doing in the community. These experiences are instrumental to 4-H’s positive youth development mission.”
Ibero’s ASPIRA Mentoring Program offers academic, social-emotional support, and physical wellness to students in grades 7th and 8th at Eugenio Maria De Hostos Charter School.
4-H UNITY (Urban Neighborhoods Improved Through Youth) is part of the Children, Youth and Families At-Risk (CYFAR) Program. The project is supported by Smith Lever funds, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, New York State 4-H and Cornell University. 4-H UNITY is conducted in Endicott and Rochester by Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Broome County and CCE of Monroe County in close partnership with New York State 4-H, Cornell University.
The Monroe County 4-H Program is offered through Cornell Cooperative Extension to the youth of Monroe County. 4-H is a worldwide youth development program open to all youth aged 5-to-19, who want to have fun, learn new skills, and explore the world. In return, youth who participate in 4-H find a supportive environment and opportunities for hands-on or “experiential” learning about things that interest them.
Learn more about 4-H at http://monroe.cce.cornell.edu/4-h-youth-development.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Monroe County