Kathi Vos recognized in Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development Hall of Fame

Published on by jackie.askins
Kathi Vos

Kathi Vos receives the Hall of Fame award, with Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development Program Director Dale Leidheiser and Wisconsin 4-H Youth Leader Council President Pauline Schlais

The University of Wisconsin-Extension 4-H Youth Development Program inducted 100 laureates into the brand-new Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame Saturday, November 15. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony was the last statewide event celebrating 100 years of 4-H in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame was established to recognize 4-H volunteers, financial supporters, staff and pioneers who made major contributions to 4-H at the local, state and national levels. The honorees represent 4-H in the broadest sense, according to Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development State Program Director Dale Leidheiser.

“We are inducting volunteers, supporters and UW-Extension employees who had an impact on the lives of children, their community or state through significant contributions of time, energy, or financial resource to 4-H and its members,” Leidheiser says.

Wisconsin 4-H is proud to be represented by Kathi Vos in the 4-H Hall of Fame. Kathi was a 10-year member of the Wheatland Willing Workers 4-H Club in Kenosha County. As the Manitowoc County 4-H & Youth Agent, Vos empowered the 4-H Board to co-create a management system of 170 resource staff serving on 23 committees, to support 34 4-H clubs with 1,051 4-H members. As a state 4-H Youth Development specialist, she provided leadership to 4-H Family, Home and Health projects and Curriculum Development. She chaired the National 4-H Cooperative Extension Curriculum System that provided $800,000 to 24 design teams to produce 66 curriculum products. Vos co-lead the Wisconsin Afterschool Network that created 450 partnerships and an online course that trained staff to create 108 Afterschool activities.

Kathi is an enthusiastic, positive, forward-thinking professional who inspires and mentors others to be innovative risk takers. Although she retired in 2008, she truly believes that the best is yet to come for herself and the Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development program.

Since 1914, Wisconsin 4-H has helped youth grow the leadership, critical thinking and communications skills necessary to be successful in a constantly changing world. Visit the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame website to learn more about the individuals who supported 100 years of growing Wisconsin leaders.