Purpose of the Program:
- To draw attention to the importance of volunteers to the Oklahoma 4-H program.
- To provide appropriate recognition for 4-H volunteers that are doing an outstanding job in their local community or county program.
- To select County, District, and State Volunteers of the Year.
- To encourage participation in the 4-H Volunteer Certification Program.
Forms
Philosophy of each Award:
Volunteer of the Year - The current philosophy of the Volunteer of the Year Program is that it should primarily recognize outstanding local club and county leadership. This award is for individuals who have volunteered in 4-H for less than a total of 10 years.
Lifetime Volunteer Award – This award will be given to an individual who has spent 10 or more years volunteering for 4-H. This includes volunteers who may have had a break in their years of service.
The nomination form for both Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer Award is the same.
Recognition:
This program can provide volunteer awareness and recognition for the contribution of volunteers to the 4-H program. It is designed to include local, county, district, state and national recognition.
Local Club Participation:
Locally nominations may be secured in a variety of ways. Club members may be encouraged to nominate their 4-H volunteers. 4-H clubs, members, volunteers; county Parent-Volunteers' Organization or county Youth Council may make nominations. There are many ways the local nominations can be secured. The main emphasis should be to make it fair for all adult volunteers to be considered without bias. The county and state guidelines should be shared with the clubs so they understand the purpose of the program.
County Participation:
Extension Educators should see that an appropriate selection process is developed to choose the county winner. This may be done in conjunction with the County 4-H Parent-Volunteers Organization. An awards committee could be established to make the final selection. The selection in the county should include consideration for the criteria that will be used in the district and state competition. A county winner may be nominated for the district or state award again after 3 years if they have not won the state award. However, the county is still limited to one district/state nomination per given award each year. Keep in mind a repeat nomination eliminates another volunteer from recognition in any given year. County nominees must be certified Oklahoma 4-H Volunteers.
District Participation :
Each county will submit the application for their nominee to their District 4‑H Specialist by April 15, 2006. Districts will evaluate the applicants and select a District Volunteer of the Year and District Lifetime Volunteer Award Nominee for the state awards program. District applications will then be considered for the State Volunteer of the Year and State Lifetime Volunteer.
State Participation:
State nominations must be sent to the State 4-H Office and received on or before May 12, 2006. The nominations must be submitted on the attached form. No additional information may be submitted. The board may consider previous nominees for entry into the national Lifetime Volunteer Awards program.
Regional and National Participation:
The state winners of the Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer Awards will be Oklahoma's nominees for the Regional and National Salute to Excellence in Recognition of Outstanding Volunteerism. Regional winners will be recognized at Southern Region Volunteer Forum in GA, October 5-8, 2006. National awardees will be recognized in the spring of 2007.
Criteria Judging
Nominations for State 4-H Volunteer of the Year will be judged on the following criteria:
1. Involvement as a local and county 4-H volunteer.
2. Support for local and county 4-H programming.
Nominations for State Lifetime Volunteer Award will be judged on the following criteria:
1. Diversity of experiences at the local, county, district and state levels.
2. Continued involvement, leadership and support for local club and county 4-H programming.
Selection Process
The Oklahoma 4-H Volunteer Organization Board’s district representatives and district 4-H specialists, in the respective districts, will choose district winners who will become finalists for the State Awards. A committee of the Oklahoma 4-H Volunteer Organization Board will determine the State Volunteer of the Year and the recipient of the State Lifetime Volunteer Award.
Recognition:
Appropriate county recognition should be provided for all nominated volunteers. County winners may be honored at special events such as a volunteer recognition program, 4-H achievement programs, a series of newspaper articles, radio spots, etc. National Volunteer Week is observed annually in April. This would be an excellent time to promote and recognize 4-H volunteer work.
The Oklahoma 4-H Volunteers Organization and the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation will provide district and State recognition. The district and state 4-HVolunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer Award will be announced at the State 4-H Leadership Development Conference in Stillwater, on July 23, 2005. The District and State recipients will receive a plaque. All county nominees will receive certificates. All nominees will be guests at a reception and luncheon recognizing honorees.
Summary of Deadlines and Events:
- March Counties nominations from the local clubs due no latter than March
- April Counties select county Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer nominees.
- April National Volunteer Recognition Week
- April 15 Submit county nomination forms and reference letters to the District office
- May 12 District Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer nominations to State 4-H Office
- July 22 Student Union Ballroom, Stillwater - Recognition of county, district & state Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer Award
- December Applications for National Salute to Excellence in Volunteerism nominations due to National Council.
For further information or clarification, please contact:
Karla Knoepfli
Assistant State 4-H Specialist, Volunteer and Leadership Development
State 4-H Office
205 4-H Youth Development Building
Stillwater, OK 74078-6063
(405) 744-8891
