N.C. 4-H to honor Dr. Jim Clark, Dr. Dalton Proctor at Lifetime Achievement Event

Media Contact: Dr. Michael Martin, executive director of the North Carolina 4-H Development Fund, at 919-513-8254 (office), 919-210-3781 (mobile) or mjmartin@ncsu.edu

N.C. 4-H honors Dr. Jim Clark and Dr. Dalton Proctor at Lifetime Achievement Awards event

The North Carolina 4-H Lifetime Achievement Awards Celebration will be held Friday, April 8, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (followed by dancing) at the Embassy Suites Golf Resort & Spa in Concord, N.C. The annual fundraising event will honor the lifetime achievements of former 4-H members, families and supporters. Media are invited.

North Carolina 4-H historian Dr. Jim Clark will receive the 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Dalton Proctor, former state 4-H program leader, will be honored for his recent induction into the National 4-H Hall of Fame.

“We are so proud to honor Drs. Clark and Proctor,” said Dr. Marshall Stewart, state 4-H program leader. “They represent the very best of 4-H, and we can’t say enough how grateful we are for their dedication to the organization.”

The event also will include a “Showcase of Excellence,” with 4-H’ers from across the state demonstrating 4-H science and technology, community service and leadership projects. Their interactive exhibits will feature topics such as technology, the environment, entrepreneurship and volunteerism.

“The showcase is always a huge hit among event attendees,” Stewart said. “It gives our youth an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge, confidence and leadership skills they’ve gained in 4-H and is a wonderful reflection of the power of 4-H in their lives.”

The cost of the event is $100 per person, while corporate sponsorships are available for $500 to $25,000. Event support helps provide a strong foundation for 4-H, a program that helps young people become future community and business leaders. Ticket or sponsorship information is available from Dr. Michael Martin, executive director, NC 4-H Development Fund, at 919-513-8254 or mjmartin@ncsu.edu. In 2010, the Lifetime Achievement Awards event raised $186,000 to support the program.

The 4-H program is the youth education program of North Carolina Cooperative Extension, based at North Carolina State and North Carolina A&T State universities. It took root as corn and tomato clubs in Ahoskie, N.C., in 1909, and soon evolved from a rural youth program into a statewide organization with more than 219,000 active members and 21,000 volunteers and youth development professionals.

For more information about or to register for the North Carolina 4-H Lifetime Achievement Awards Celebration, please visit: http://www.nc4h.org/donors/nc4h-lifetime-achievement.html.

Written by:
Suzanne Stanard, 919-513-3126 or suzanne_stanard@ncsu.edu