Lancaster County 4-H presents a Heart of 4-H Award to a Lancaster County 4-H volunteer each month in recognition of outstanding volunteer service. The purpose of this award is to recognize volunteers who are, indeed, the heart of 4-H.
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Gary and Rhonda are 4-H parents of daughters Shelby, Kaitlyn, and Hannah who are members of the Western Pride 4-H horse club. Gary and Rhonda have been active in Western Pride for 1-1/2 years and they volunteer for meetings, play days, ring practice and more.
They were nominated by Terri and Jamie Whisler (Terri is co-leader of Western Pride and Jamie is her daughter). Terri says, "Gary and Rhonda are truly unselfish, giving people and it's parents like them that are leaders to our children. Last year, none of their daughters were entered in the County Fair, but they were there every minute of every day making sure that everything ran smoothly for the other children." Jamie added, "Gary is good with kids and has a great sense of humor. Rhonda is a wonderful person and is always willing to help."
Gary says, "I love working with kids. Helping them learn and watching them grow and work together as a team is a real joy to see." Rhonda also enjoys seeing the kids learn. She says her favorite experience as a 4-H volunteer was helping with the County Fair last year. "It was our first experience and we really learned a lot." She helped in the food booth when they were short-handed. Gary brought his grill and cooked for club members. Gary adds, "Those kids really worked hard. It was a good experience."
They also volunteer at their daughters' school, Lakeview Elementary. Gary works at Nebraska Machinery and Rhonda works in the surgery department at BryanLGH-West.