Salute To Excellence Honorees

Yancy Burkes
Yancy Burkes has been a dedicated volunteer with Grady County 4-H for the past eight years. Yancy can always be counted on to step up whenever needed. He has led the S.A.F.E. Archery and S.A.F.E. Shotgun teams with expertise and enthusiasm. Yancy’s creativity and hands-on approach have left a lasting mark. Most memorably, when he volunteered to build an award-winning Christmas float for the 4-H program, bringing the vision to life. He has also devoted countless hours and resources to constructing a new skeet and trap range. In addition, Yancy is a steadfast volunteer in the barn at local hog and cattle shows, often being one of the last to leave, ensuring every task is completed. His contributions extend beyond Grady County, with district-wide assignments such as the State Council and Wilderness Challenge Camp. Loved by both the staff and 4-H’ers alike, Yancy’s impact on our program is immeasurable

Leann Holbert 
Leann’s decade-long commitment to 4-H is a testament to the power of selfless service. For the past 10 years, Mrs. Leann Holbert has served the Floyd County 4-H program. Leann has served as a driver and chaperone for 4-H events, participated in more than 150 activities, and reached over 950 youth from Cloverbuds to Seniors. Her role as a driver and chaperone has been much more than a logistical necessity; it has been a source of inspiration, guidance, and support for countless young people. From the very first event, it was clear that her role would be more than just a driver or chaperone. She became a mentor, a guide, and a friend to the young people. She is always ready with a smile and a word of encouragement.

Jennie Jay 
Jennie Jay’s unwavering dedication to the Ben Hill County 4-H Club exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism and leadership. As a Project S.A.F.E. coach, Jennie Jay has transformed the shooting sports program into two of the most organized projects in Ben Hill County. Under her leadership, the S.A.F.E 22 and S.A.F.E. Shotgun teams have doubled in size and developed a deep sense of discipline, responsibility, and teamwork. Alongside S.A.F.E teams, she’s a coach for the Poultry Judging team and has given leadership to the 4-H Sewing Club. Through this club, Jennie provides a creative outlet for youth to develop practical skills in sewing and design. Her approach to teaching sewing is both innovative and inclusive, catering to various skill levels and interests. She emphasizes the importance of craftsmanship, patience, and self-expression, enabling members to create personalized projects that reflect their individuality. She is committed to youth development and fostering skills that will benefit 4-H members well beyond their time in the program. Her proactive engagement with parents, community members, and local organizations has increased the network of opportunities for 4-H’ers.

Kristen Quinton 
Kristen Quinton began her volunteer service in Bibb County 4-H as a member of their Program Development Team. Since then, she has served as an anchor during times of turnover, assisting new agents as they created new advisory boards. Kristen is a highly praised attorney and has utilized her knowledge and expertise to coordinate “Law Days” for 4-H’ers to explore judicial and law enforcement career pathways. Kristen started the Bibb County S.A.F.E. BB team as well as the county’s first S.A.F.E.  Archery team in 2022. She visited with over 600 students at Title I schools and gave Archery presentations with the hope of building her team. Additionally, Kristen is passionate about keeping her archery program low-cost; allowing students to participate each season for just $30 which removes the financial barrier students may have. Most recently, Kristen has started leading in-school club meetings at the local Montessori school to increase 4-H membership. Bibb County 4-H is fortunate to have Kristen Quinton in their corner!

David Windham
David became a certified volunteer in 2016 when his son joined the Taylor County S.A.F.E Shotgun team. Since then, he has become the head Shotgun Coach and invests most of his time in helping Taylor County youth improve their skills. He keeps very detailed records, keeps the trailer stocked, and makes sure all 4-H’ers have what they need for the season. David also serves as a great mentor to new coaches. He has been instrumental in the success of our shotgun program and supports 4-H throughout the year. Since his start as a volunteer, the team has grown to 35 members! Volunteers like David help 4-H programs increase capacity and have a true impact in their communities. Taylor County believes that their 4-H S.A.F.E program would not be as successful and well respected if David were not leading the way.

CJ Lee
CJ Lee bleeds Georgia 4-H green! CJ grew up as an active Glynn County 4-H member and chose to give back to the local program as soon as he graduated from High School. In the past 20 years, CJ has been a devoted volunteer in the Glynn County 4-H program. He has served on the 4-H Advisory Council where he has advocated for the importance of raising funds to help send kids to 4-H Camp. Every year CJ has given up his one week of vacation leave to serve as an adult chaperone with Glynn County to 4-H camps across the state. He enthusiastically encourages campers by dressing up in costumes to increase camper spirit! He also mentors younger 4-H’ers by helping them prepare for project achievement and practice for a variety of 4-H competitions. He attends Senior 4-H after-school meetings and assists Glynn County 4-H staff wherever they need help! For the past 20 years, Glynn County has seen CJ Lee as the living epitome of the 4-H Pledge. 

Rhonda Dunnaway-Rhonda Dunnaway is the volunteer leader and coordinator for the Gordon County 4-H Tech Changemakers program. She also serves multiple 4-H programs by providing transportation, taking photographs, and supporting program logistics. Rhonda is great at making teens feel cared about; she always has the food, the fun, and the friendship! She is constantly promoting the 4-H program in multiple counties and urges those who sit in her hygienist’s chair to join 4-H in their county. In the past seven years, she has put a lot of energy, time, and effort into fulfilling the 4-H motto of making the best better, and we certainly are better for it! Phyllis Allee-Phyllis is a dedicated 4-H volunteer and has been a successful LifeSmarts coach for the past six years. In 2020, Phyllis became the coach of the Floyd County 4-H LifeSmarts team. She saw the potential of LifeSmarts to enhance the 4-H curriculum and prepare the students for the real world. Under Phyllis’ guidance, the team won the 4-H state championship in 2022 and 2023. The team went on to compete nationally in 2022 and 2023 where they placed 5th and 3rd, respectively. Phyllis’ achievements as a LifeSmarts coach are remarkable, but what makes her truly exceptional is her passion for 4-H and her commitment to youth. She not only teaches them facts and skills, but also inspires them to be confident, responsible, and compassionate consumers and citizens. She encourages 4-Hers to give back to the community through service projects. She has recruited 4-H members to volunteer in their community which resulted in over $42,000 being raised for Habitat for Humanity. Daniel Carter-Mr. Daniel is a long-term Appling County Volunteer with 8 years of service, specializing in Project S.A.F.E. Shooting Sports. Through his service, Mr. Daniel has become a Certified 4-H Volunteer and serves as Lead Certified S.A.F.E. Shooting Sports Coach for the Appling Co. BB and Air Rifle Teams. The success of these shooting sports programs is largely due to Mr. Daniel’s dedication and genuine care for the development and implementation of S.A.F.E. programs for youth. Mr. Daniel exhibits impeccable leadership skills and is a marvelous role model. He is a gentle leader who invests in developmental relationships not only with youth participants but with families. He contributes meaningfully to fostering a safe and nurturing team culture for families involved with BB and Air Rifle disciplines. His ability to express care and provide support in the work he does for Appling 4-H has allowed him to be instrumental in growing our Certified S.A.F.E. Volunteers. Allen Engle-Allen Engle decided to become a certified volunteer for Houston County 4-H when his son became invested in the 4-H Shotgun Team. After watching his son shoot for a year, Allen knew his expertise could be used to advance many of our young shooters while teaching them about safe shooting practices. He had a successful season as a shotgun coach and approached the Houston 4-H staff about starting an archery team. Allen has served as the head coach for archery for 3 years and shotgun for 2 years. Throughout his 4 years of service, Allen has dedicated 330 hours to the indoor archery team in addition to the 1716 hours to the shotgun team. When Allen is not on the field directly coaching kids, he is always answering the phone to talk to families and answer their equipment questions. Many times, Allen has met up with families after hours at the gun store to help find the perfect gun, bow, or arrows. Without Allen, we would not be able to offer the caliber of Shotgun and Archery programs that we do. Dawn Woodruff-Dawn Woodruff wholeheartedly shows the 4-H Essential Elements of both Generosity and Belonging to our 4-Hers. From attending Cloverleaf Camp, for the last 5 years to staying up late and listening to 4-Hers talk through their nerves about their speeches at Jr./Sr. DPA, Dawn makes sure every 4-Her she meets knows they have a supporter cheering them on. Dawn has a constant and purposeful presence in Oconee County and at district/state 4-H events. She has coached the Oconee County 4-H Livestock Judging Team for the past 5 years and acts as the Parent Liaison to the SAFE Shotgun Team as well. Dawn was named the first-ever Oconee County 4-H Volunteer of the Year in 2023. Adult volunteers like Dawn make Oconee County a special place for us to work and the 4-Hers to learn & play. McKenzie Tankersly-McKenzie has served as a 4-H Volunteer for Columbia County 4-H and as a 4-H Volunteer VISTA for the Georgia 4-H State Office. As an AmeriCorps VISTA member, she served a minimum of 40 hours a week for 1 year to develop new volunteer resources to increase Georgia 4-H’s reach statewide. Some highlights of her service include developing a 4-H Military Installation Club Meeting Guide and, a 4-H Military Volunteer Camp Appreciation plan, and she adapted over six PPTs for installation and 4-H staff to use to educate teens about babysitting. In Columbia County, she developed a framework for 4-H programs statewide to use volunteers in school to expand their reach. Further, her passion for resource development and volunteer support led her to create appreciation tools, adapt lessons for county use, create surveys and social media tools to recognize volunteers and organize contact lists to improve youth recruitment. Rosemary Petrone-Rosemary started volunteering in the dining hall at Burton 4-H Center in the spring.  The center was without a dining hall manager and had only a part-time kitchen helper.  So, the load of cooking for both EE groups and summer camp was on the program team.  Rosemary worked Tuesday-Thursday for 6 weeks for each meal.  Some days she worked over 9 hours.  She did everything from food prep to serving to washing dishes.  She was timely, organized, and always looking to find more ways to help. John Jones-John Jones has been a certified volunteer for Pulaski 4-H for 20 years. He has helped with almost every aspect of Pulaski County 4-H programming, bleeds green, and is a true supporter of 4-H! His love of 4-H is infectious, and he advocates for it everywhere he goes so much you would never guess that he didn’t grow up in 4-H. He is now also experiencing 4-H not only as a lifetime volunteer but as a parent of a 4-Her and is more involved in activities and events that she wants to experience. John has been the volunteer of the year for Pulaski County, won GAE4-HYDP SWD & State Volunteer of the Year for 2023, has been elected twice by his peers as the Pulaski County 4-H Leader Association President, and has been selected to be a Georgia 4-H Honorary Master 4-H’er. Amanda Adams-Amanda Adams has been involved with Madison County 4-H for more than 20 years. During that time, Amanda has made a tremendous impact on the county’s programs and local youth. In her years as a volunteer, Adams has shared her knowledge and skills by administrating a variety of 4-H events and activities in different fields. She has been involved with the BB, Shotgun, Wildlife Judging, Food Challenge, Poultry Judging, Consumer Judging, Horse Quiz Bowl, and Hippology teams. She has also volunteered for the state for Mission Make It, DPA community service and Regional 4-H Volunteer rallies for several years and has helped with State Robotics and State Wildlife as a volunteer as well. Amanda inspires kids to be the best that they can be, pushes them to work as a group, and helps them make the best better. She wants the youth to succeed and will do anything to help them get there. Janie Ray-Janie has been volunteering for about 44 years. Janie first began volunteering with Cherokee County as a bus driver and transported 4-Hers all over the state for 4-H camp. Afterward, she spent some time as the 4-H program assistant in Cherokee County. Currently, Janie is one of Cherokee County’s most experienced and willing volunteers. 4-H’ers have become so accustomed to Janie at camp and activities that they often refer to her as “Nana”. During her years as a volunteer leader with 4-H, Janie has had a huge impact on our 4-Hers. One of her major accomplishments has been to support, teach, and encourage youth. Throughout her years as a volunteer, she has been able to watch youth grow and become productive members of our community. At one of our middle school meetings, a teacher heard we were having a 4-H meeting. He popped into the meeting and immediately recognized Janie. She had taken him to camp in 5th grade.

Jenna Black serves on the Georgia 4-H Foundation Board of Directors and the Georgia 4-H Camp Counselor Alumni Association Board of Directors, and for the last four years, served the Georgia 4-H Advisory Committee as chair-elect and chair. Regardless of the role, her passion for Georgia 4-H can be immediately recognized! David Haire volunteers with Tift County 4-H as BB Coach of 23 years; he has also served as a State SAFE Rifle Instructor and Air Pistol Instructor. (He has mentored a young person to making a Junior Olympics Team!) He has trained hundreds of coaches who regularly call on him for advice. David serves on the Georgia 4-H Rifle Advisory Committee. Mark Morris, Safety Officer for the Georgia National Guard, has given emphasis on firearm etiquette and safe gun handling that has resulted in youth and adults alike who are confident and secure in their shooting skills. While sharing his knowledge with hundreds of youth, he has served as a great role model for Georgia 4-H and Chatham County 4-H through shootings sports, judging competitions, and 4-H conferences! Danny Pincus, Morgan County 4-H Archery leader, has coached several Georgia 4-H championship teams and travelled numerous times to the National 4-H Shooting Sports competition where his teams consistently finish in the top ten, and mostly in the top five teams! In addition, he serves on the Project SAFE Archery Advisory Committee. Stanley Spillers serves as a major advocate of Crawford County 4-H! He has transported youth, chaperoned at events, assisted in the office, and chaperoned at Fall Forum, Project Achievement, camp, and anything asked! He has helped students prepare for competition and has judged county Project Achievement in the classroom. Ashley Yeager serves Coweta County 4-H in whatever is needed – from horse programs and shooting sports to fair booths and fundraising! Her service also includes organizing paperwork, organizing meetings, cleaning after events, chaperoning trips, and driving youth to competitions! She coordinates the program’s largest fundraiser!

Buzz Glover is a vital part of almost everything Coweta County 4-H has to offer—from the Horse & Pony Club to the High School 4-H Club and SAFE teams, Buzz is an all-star volunteer. Carter Black supports youth livestock projects and shows in Georgia, as well as serves as a devoted advisor and volunteer to Georgia 4-H. Chris Sagar has been involved with the 4-H SAFE program for over 25 years where he serves as a range officer at the state level while also attending summer camp annually with Forsyth County. Faye Belflower coordinates the Turner County 4-H Air Pistol Program with state and national winning titles and represents Georgia on the Southern Regional 4-H Volunteer Advisory Group. James Brown spends hours coaching robotics weekly while also annually chaperoning at summer camp and Cloverleaf Project Achievements. Laural Moseley is a volunteer that is willing to do anything that is helpful to the program – coaching, participating in club meetings, chaperoning at regional and state events, and the list goes on! Melvina Carlan has been a volunteer for over 50 years with her service in Forestry, Cotton Boll and Consumer, and Poultry Judging spanning generations in Pickens County.

Cassandra Eidson has volunteered with Douglas County 4-H for 16 years – leading Douglas 4-H’s Horse Quiz Bowl Team to master three times. Cisco Damons, a Gwinnett County volunteer for 9 years, has chaperoned youth for over 2,120 hours at 4-H events and camps and has donated 506 hours of bus driving services. Denny Kuhr has served as a 4-H SAFE Shotgun Coach for 25 years, was instrumental in developing a shooting range, and serves as a Georgia 4-H SAFE instructor. Jackie Ellett, Jackson County volunteer for 10 years, serves with the Robotics team, camp, Project Achievement, office support, and the 4-H Llama Club. Josie Smith, Tift and Bacon counties’ volunteer, has served as chaperone and coach for Poultry Judging, Consumer Judging, BB team, and other events for 3 years. Kris Khlifi has served over 25 years – leading in-school club meetings and a 4-H Craft Club and chaperoning many 4-H events with Columbia County 4-H. Stephen Ely, Polk County and Northwest District volunteer, has served 18 weeks of summer camp and 10 weekend conferences and competitions over the last 6 years. Todd Cliett, Terrell County volunteer, is a certified National 4-H Archery Coach Trainer and has coached 80 youth and trained 250 4-H Archery Coaches over 11 years.