2024 Outstanding 4-H Members, Alum, and Volunteer Recipients
Congratulations to our 2024 Outstanding 4-H Members, Alum, and Volunteer Recipients
By Kristine Rappaport, Program Coordinator
Outstanding 4-H Members who receive this honor must have completed their junior year in high school and be currently active in the Somerset County 4-H Program. Candidates demonstrate leadership, participation, community service, personal growth, and contribution to the program.
Outstanding 4-H Alum who receive this honor are former members who stay connected in a meaningful way to the program as mentors, leaders, and volunteers.
Outstanding 4-H Volunteers who receive this honor give their valuable time and skills to the 4-H program at workshops, programs, and events.
Outstanding 4-H Members:
Genevieve Benbow
Viv started 4-H as a Prep member in the Woolly Ones sheep club where she embraced 4-H and developed her community within the program. In her nine years in the club, she held multiple officer positions and helped organize community service opportunities such as the donation of bagged lunches to a local food bank, as well as picked, made, and donated apple pies and baked goods to local shelters. In addition, Viv participated in public events such as sheep shearing at Miller Cory House. She also volunteered for 4-H events such as Open House, Wreath Sales, Tricky Tray, County Presentations, Herdsmen, Fair, and Rutgers Day. Viv was the first recipient of the Dawn Christy Memorial Market Lamb Award for exhibiting perseverance, a positive attitude, compassion for others, and sportsmanship in and outside of the ring. At the farm Viv is a compassionate leader and has become a mentor to the younger members in the program. She is also involved in economic production side of sheep project.
In her own words, "An outstanding 4-Her demonstrates strong leadership skills, takes initiative by going above and beyond in not only their project area, but anywhere they can. An outstanding 4-H member should embody the core values of 4-H, Head, Hands, Heart, and Health both in the 4-H center and out."
Tatiana Hlinka
During the pandemic, Tatiana became interested in bee keeping and got involved with the Raritan Valley Beekeepers Association where she met Adele Barree who became one of her mentors and encouraged her to join 4-H. Since joining, Tatiana has been involved in many clubs and activities including the Bee and Garden Club, Senior Council, and Student Ambassadors for Community Health (SACH). Her work with these groups led to her being a NJ 4-H Teen Pollinator Ambassador where she constructed pollinator gardens, educated youth about the importance of pollinators in New Jersey and created a museum exhibit focused on the history of bees in America for the New Jersey State Parks and Department of Environmental Protection.
Tatiana has embraced the values of the organization and jumped head first into all that 4-H has to offer. In addition to helping at many 4-H activities, Tatiana has attended the National 4-H Conference and presented at the NJ Youth Institute World Food Prize, where she was selected as the 2024 NJ Youth Institute Delegate for the Global Youth Institute for the World Food Prize.
Tatiana’s passions motivated her to join the NJ 4-H Food Insecurity Coalition and then connect with Maasai Honey, an organization in Tanzania that helps tribal communities access clean water. Tatiana's work on this topic is being developed into a research paper in collaboration with a Rutgers professor in public health studies. These experiences along with her work with SACH, has inspired a passion for addressing social determinants of health. Tatiana said: “Being involved in the 4-H community has enhanced my passion for addressing the inequalities within our world and my community…and has been critical in transforming my motivations and dreams into tangible action.”
Veronica Dryl
Veronica first joined 4-H as a Prep member of Proud to be Prep in 2012. In the twelve years since, she has participated in several clubs and projects, such as the Piano Club, Junior Council, and the American Girl Doll Club, but it is with the Crazy Frog Hoppers Double-Dutch club that Veronica truly grew as a member. While jumping rope is a core part of her club’s activities, Veronica has taken her 4-H involvement beyond her project. Veronica attended National 4-H Conference where she was a speaker, held offices such as president and secretary, and supported many county events including assisting with the Tricky Tray, the Rummage Sale, and the Spring Carnival. Her involvement with community service projects ranged from fundraisers for animal shelters to preparing Thank You bags for first responders during the Covid pandemic. Additionally, Veronica serves as a mentor to other members in her club, taking time to encourage and teach others. As a TOPS camp counselor, Veronica made meaningful connections with the younger campers she led. This opportunity to guide younger children influenced Veronica’s decision to pursue her studies in elementary education and education leadership at Seton Hall University this fall. When speaking with Veronica, it is obvious that 4-H is one of her passions. 4-H has become Veronica’s community and has built her into the person she is today.
Outstanding 4-H Alum:
Cary Brochinsky
Cary joined 4-H as a Prep member. He wanted to be in 4-H after coming to the Fair and seeing the model trains. Once he was old enough to join a standard club, he joined the 4-H Trainmasters, and later New Centre Dairy and 4-H Exchange. Cary was a youth representative on the 4-H Association and was selected to be an Outstanding 4-H Member in 2015.
Even as a youth member, Cary knew where everything was kept and had ideas for making a program better. He has taken these skills into his adult roles in 4-H. Cary has continued to volunteer for 4-H with events such as the Winter BRRReakfast, Family Night, and especially Fair set up including hanging banners in the Food Tent and all over the fairgrounds, as well as serving on the Pole Barn Crew. Cary is currently a member of the 4-H Association and serves on the Sustainability and Spring Carnival committees. He was instrumental this year in planning the carnival including mapping the layout, overseeing the parking, and assisting with communications to clubs. After 4-H events, Cary provides a detailed list of suggestions for ways to Make the Best Better.
James Meier
James first started 4-H in the Pawsability Dog Club and then joined BattleBots Robotics Club.
He was an Outstanding 4-H’er in 2015 and attended Citizenship Washington Focus as well as National 4-H Congress. James is now an adult volunteer and is always lending a helping hand. James volunteers his time at multiple 4-H events, including the Rummage Sale, Clover Con, and of course the 4-H Fair. James plays a huge part on the logistics team for the fair and is an active member of the Pole Barn Crew. These important roles play out behind the scenes and includes driving the trucks before and after Fair as well as delivering items from the pole barn to the tents. James knows what people need and is eager to help them. He is usually called upon as logistics to “lift the heavy stuff” and cart supplies around for anyone who asks. He is very dedicated to his volunteering role and throughout his 4-H experiences, James realized his favorite part is helping where he is needed - the community service part of 4-H.
Outstanding 4-H Volunteers:
Jim Gaudet
As with most volunteers, Jim became involved in 4-H because of his children. When they attended the Fair more than eight years ago, they ran into a former student of Jim’s wife. This student was in the dog club and got everyone excited about training their new puppy in 4-H. So that September they joined the Little Woofers and Woof Dog Club. When he took his family to Fair the next year, the kids saw the alpacas and learned about the lend an animal program. Soon after he approached the Alpaca club leaders to see if they needed another volunteer.
Jim is now a leader of Woof, a dog division co-superintendent, an Alpaca leader, a leader for On Target Archery, Dungeons & Dragons, and the 4-H Association President. As the Association president, Jim’s focus is on helping people to “disagree better”. He encourages people to listen to other’s points of view and offer suggestions on how to improve the 4-H program.
In addition to regular club meetings, Jim helps run Woofminster Dog Show, oversees Dog Bingo at Carnival, makes games for 4-H Family Night, supervises archery at 4-H Family Camp, judges food for 4-H Master Chef challenges and Cupcake Wars, cooks at Patriot’s Game fundraisers, judges public presentations, and serves as the “Apron Guy” and tech support for the 4-H Tricky Tray. He helps at every Association event and offers to mentor others. Jim can be counted on to help whenever and wherever he is needed.
Steve Miholics
Steve started in 1993 as a 4-H volunteer when his son Kyle joined the Green Kids Prep Club and wife Kim became a club Leader. Steve has been volunteering ever since. Over the years he has been involved with Fair setup and take-down for various clubs like Prep, Small Animals, Clover Theater, and Cotton Candy. He also volunteers for fundraising activities such as the Rummage Sale, Tricky Tray, and the Holiday Craft Festival. The Miholics family participated in the NJ State 4-H International Exchange Program with Labo of Japan from 1997-99 hosting a Japanese youth for a month each summer.
Steve is often called upon for his carpentry skills. He built a giant 75 for the display of pictures in 2023 for Somerset County 4-H’s 75th Fair Anniversary. He can be counted on in a pinch as he built stands for the TVs in the Fair Info tent last minute when it was discovered they had been accidentally disposed of the year before.
Currently, Steve is a member of the Family Night, Rummage Sale, Tricky-Tray, and Building & Grounds committees; 4-H Fair Cotton Candy Tent Manager, and a member of the Somerset County 4-H Association.