Yeomans named outstanding 4-H alumna
Print
EmailMidland County 4-H alumna Mary J. Yeomans, of Midland, was among 12 4-H alumni inducted into the 2022 class of the Michigan 4-H Emerald Clover Society at a ceremony on Sept. 30.
Midland County 4-H alumna Mary J. Yeomans, of Midland, is among 12 4-H alumni inducted into the 2022 class of the Michigan 4-H Emerald Clover Society. Yeomans was recognized on Sept. 30, during the Michigan 4-H Legacy Awards Celebration hosted by Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan 4-H Foundation in East Lansing.
The Michigan 4-H Emerald Clover Society honors former Michigan 4-H members whose professional leadership and community service reflect the ultimate outcome of 4-H membership – extraordinary use of an individual’s head, heart, hands and health to make communities, the country and the world better places in which to live. This recognition is provided by Michigan 4-H Youth Development with support from the Michigan 4-H Foundation.
Yeomans is an educator at heart, with more than two decades of work in the education sector and nearly five decades of service as a volunteer with Michigan 4-H. For 17 years, Yeomans taught interior design and child development at Delta College. During that time, Yeomans also added family and consumer science roles at the Midland County Intermediate School District, the Midland/Bullock Creek/Coleman Consortium, the Saginaw Career Complex, and the Education and Training Connection.
Yeomans taught food service at an alternative high school and led child development, customer service, interior design, life skills, and vocational courses. She also developed a transition program for high school students at risk of dropping out. Most recently, Yeomans worked for the Bay City Public Schools. Yeomans has received the Lynn Heatley Award for Distinguished Service from Delta College in 1998 and the Windover High School Hall of Honor Award in 2000.
“Participating in 4-H projects, I found that I especially enjoyed the family life and consumer science areas,” said Yeomans. “This realization helped me to decide to attend MSU where I earned a teaching degree in that specialization. As a result, I have witnessed firsthand how the life skills and knowledge that I taught my 4-H and classroom students positively influenced their lives for the better.”
Yeomans’ commitment to education also extends to her service to Michigan 4-H. For 47 years, she has led a 4-H club in Midland County, where she was once a 4-H member. In 2013, Yeomans co-authored the National 4-H publication called STEPS to a Healthy Teen. She has served on the state 4-H food, nutrition, and fitness committee, led countless 4-H workshops for young people and volunteers, and taught sessions at 4-H Exploration Days for more than 20 years. Yeomans has been recognized for her 4-H service in many ways, including receiving nine different awards for years of service, the Midland County Outstanding Leader Award in 1991, and the Midland County Agents Choice Award in 1993. Yeomans has also served her community by volunteering with the League of Women Voters, managing the local United Women of Faith rummage and estate sales, preparing meals for low-income people, and building homes for families through the Rio Bravo Missions in Mexico.
The Michigan 4-H Legacy Awards Celebration was hosted and emceed by MSU Extension Associate Director Matt Shane, a Kent County 4-H alumna and 2014 4-H Emerald Clover Society inductee. Also inducted into the 4-H Emerald Clover Society Class of 2022 were: Gail R. Frahm, Saginaw; Larry J. Gould, Morenci; Jon D. Hausserman, Fenwick; L. Janel Horrocks-Boehmer, Williamston; Alice A. Kempf, Holton; Karen Kolberg Kietzer, Stevensville; Dian M. Liepe, Pullman; Sarah J. Pion, Cassopolis; Rachael N. Ramirez, Birch Run; Melissa A. Souva, Bronson; and Schawna M. Thoma, Anchorage, Alaska.
Michigan 4-H Emerald Clover Society members are inducted every two years. The inaugural class of 62 members was inducted in 2002 to coincide with the national 4-H centennial. For more information on the 4 H Emerald Clover Society and its members, visit www.mi4hfdtn.org/ecs.
The Michigan 4-H Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that supports Michigan 4-H Youth Development. For more information about the Michigan 4-H Foundation, visit www.mi4hfdtn.org. Michigan 4-H Youth Development is the youth-serving program of MSU Extension. Nearly 100,000 youth are involved in 4-H with the support of 9,000 adult volunteers. For more information about Michigan 4-H, visit www.4h.msue.msu.edu.
