Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

With fair week approaching and considering Austin Noon Kiwanis long standing relationship with the Mower County 4-H program, the Noon Kiwanis are recognizing Maddison Hoesing for her exemplary work with 4-H. 

Maddison is a recent graduate of Austin High School and accumulated 370 volunteer hours (mostly with 4-H) toward the school’s Scarlet Cord program. She has been involved in 4-H activities for 12 years and has been a camp counselor and a county ambassador. Maddison is described as being: “encouraging, welcoming, and having a positive attitude.”

Maddison states: “One of my most memorable projects that I have worked on has been making a wall lamp out of an old Allis-Chalmers tractor grill. This was my first time doing anything electrical and I learned a lot while making it. The most important life lesson I have learned from my 4-H experience is to lead when needed but follow with respect. We talk a lot about this at our 4-H camp counselor training. This lesson allowed me to grow so much not only as a person but also as a leader.”

Maddison plans on attending the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, this fall to study pre-physical therapy. She credits her mother for having made a notable impact on her, especially when it comes to 4-H. “She is the person who started getting me involved in 4-H and encouraged me to try so many different things.”

According to Adam Stevermer, 4-H extension educator for Mower County: “4-H is a youth development program of the University of Minnesota Extension, available for youth in grades K to one year after high school. Students participate in hands-on learning experiences in STEM, citizenship & leadership, animal science, creative arts and much more. Through this learn-by-doing process, youth obtain essential life skills such as problem solving, decision making, coping and communicating, that help them succeed in their school, college, community and career.”