Leadership in Action: County Impact
Leadership in Action: County Impact
Spalding County 4-H’er Lizzie Norton and Montgomery County 4-H’er Hartley Williamson earned top honors as state winners in the Leadership in Action project at State Congress. Leadership in Action participants identify local issues and implement thoughtful programs to meet these needs in their communities.
Upon learning that nearly 30% of local adults lack basic literacy skills and that many children living in poverty have no books at home, Lizzy was inspired to create her project, “The Book Bug.” Her goal was to expand access to books and foster a lifelong love of reading for children in her rural community, helping keep them engaged and academically successful. She initially focused on repairing and restocking neighborhood Little Free Libraries and distributing new books through her “Read & Share” cart. She then formed a team of more than 450 youth volunteers and 30 adults to address immediate literacy needs and plan for the project’s future growth. Through partnerships with local organizations, more than $50,000 in grant funding was secured to support the cause. Her team has distributed more than 13,000 books so far and educated the community about early literacy and the importance of access to books.
Hartley saw the devastating landscape damage and tree loss caused by Hurricane Helene, which inspired her to create her project, “Falling in Love with Trees, Again.” Her goal was to provide free replacement landscape trees for local homeowners, helping restore their properties after the storm. She focused on distributing trees to residents who completed a survey, prioritizing low-income families and senior citizens who could not afford replacements. She then formed a team of more than 50 youth and 28 adults to organize the distribution event and plan for the project’s growth. Through presentations to local boards and coverage in news outlets, she secured a Georgia ReLeaf grant that fully funded the project. Her team has distributed trees to 125 households and organizations so far and increased awareness about the importance of reforestation.
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (working cooperatively with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the counties of Georgia) offers its educational programs, assistance, and materials to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status and is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action organization.