4-H Honors Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, DuPont at Annual Legacy Awards Gala

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Apr 18, 2012, 12:50 ET

NEW YORK, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last night, National 4-H Council hosted the third annual 4-H Legacy Awards Gala to honor extraordinary individuals and corporations that have made a lasting impact through their efforts to cultivate America's 4-H youth development program. 4-H enriches the lives of more than six million young people around the country each year.

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The Gala was held at the Hilton New York hotel in New York City, and featured Celebrity Chef, Host of the ABC daytime show, The Chew, and Tennessee 4-H alumna, Carla Hall as the Master of Ceremonies. Awards were presented to several distinguished 4-H individuals and partners.

DuPont received the prestigious 2012 4-H Corporate Leadership Award. This annual award is presented to a corporation or partner that has demonstrated its dedication to 4-H through continued support and engagement. DuPont has been a proud supporter of 4-H for the past 22 years - sharing 4-H's focus on, and commitment to scientific innovation and agricultural development. In 2010, DuPont was one of the five founding partners supporting the launch of 4-H's global network initiative, bringing together 4-H programs all across the globe. Recently, DuPont announced it will contribute up to $2 million in support of the expansion of its partnership with 4-H to strengthen youth development in rural communities within five African nations. Former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle presented the 4-H Corporate Leadership Award to Mr. James C. Borel, Executive Vice President at DuPont. Mr. Borel has served on the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees since 2004, and accepted the award on behalf of DuPont.

The 2012 4-H Distinguished Alumni Medallion was presented to 4-H alumna and Grammy Award-Winning Singer and Songwriter Jennifer Nettles. Nettles, lead vocalist for international super duo Sugarland, has become one of the most popular singer-songwriters in music today. Before her entrance to fame, however, Nettles honed in on her talent and aspirations as a member of Coffee County, Georgia 4-H. During her tenure in 4-H, Nettles was a member of Clovers & Company - Georgia's official 4-H performing arts group - for seven years. In addition to serving on the Junior and Senior State Boards and as camp counselor at Rock Eagle 4-H Center, Nettles won Georgia State 4-H Congress honors for her Performing Arts project.

Each day, the young people in 4-H make it their mission to lead in their communities and make a difference in their world. Nate Seese, a 15-year-old 4-H'er from East Lansing, Michigan, has embodied the spirit of the 4-H movement by leading an effort to feed those in need within his community. Coupling his passion for raising livestock with his commitment to community service, Nate donates the meat from his 4-H livestock projects to a local food pantry - providing nearly 1,000 pounds of meat in just two years. As a result of his dedication to the welfare of his community, Nate was honored with the 2012 4-H Youth In Action Award.

"By providing innovative and engaging programming in science, healthy living and citizenship, 4-H continues to provide high-quality positive youth development opportunities that prepare today's youth to tackle the world's biggest challenges," said Donald T. Floyd Jr., president and CEO of National 4‑H Council. "We are thrilled to host our third annual 4-H Legacy Awards Gala to honor the amazing individuals and corporate partners that help us deliver on such an important mission. Their commitment and contributions exemplify the 4-H philosophy of 'making the best better'."

For more than 100 years, 4-H has made a significant and positive difference in the lives of youth. And now, research confirms the life-changing advantages young people acquire through participation in 4-H. Youth development scholar Dr. Richard Lerner, working with researchers at the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University, conducted The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. The longitudinal study has found that, when compared to other youth, young people involved in 4-H are:

Nearly two times more likely to get better grades in school;
Nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college;
Two times more likely to participate in science, engineering, or computer technology programs;
Three times more likely to make positive contributions to their families and communities.

About 4-H:
4-H is a community of six million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of 4-H National Headquarters located at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within USDA. 4-H programs are implemented by the 111 land-grant universities and the Cooperative Extension System through their 3,100 local Extension offices across the country. Learn more about 4-H at www.4-h.org or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H.

Related Link:
National 4-H Council

SOURCE National 4-H Council