Kershaw County 4-H Leader Wins State Volunteer Award

Mrs. Rebecca L. Griggs was recently recognized at Clemson University’s State 4-H
Congress for over 17 years of dedicated service to the Kershaw County 4-H program.
Mrs. Griggs received the Glen Krohn Award for Volunteerism, the state’s top 4-H
Volunteer Award. The award recognizes volunteer leadership in the 4-H program. It is
named for the late Dr. Glen Krohn, retired Assistant Director, Family and Youth
Development, who was a strong believer in volunteers.

Length of Service
Mrs. Griggs began her volunteer service with the Kershaw County 4-H program
over 17 years ago. Before her adult volunteer career, she also served in many youth
leadership volunteer service projects as a 4-Her, from ages 9 to 19.

Impact on Youth
Many of the youth that Mrs. Griggs have worked with have had man outstanding
accomplishments and have credited their successes to their involvement in her 4-H club.
Two of her former 4-Hers have started 4-H clubs in Richland and Greenville counties.
Several others have started teaching riding lesson to handicapped children. Several of her
4-Hers are always eager to assist with camps and monthly lessons. She has had countless
winners at the State Horse, and many have gone to win at several Regional contests, as a
result of her dedication to the program. Each year, she is very supportive of the State
Horse contests, and is constantly pushing her club members and volunteers to continue
with the motto of 4-H. In the last two years, she has had a State 4-H winner in the
Veterinary Science and Horse projects. This year, she has two 4-Hers competing for the
Presidential Tray Award. These two Senior 4-Hers say they want to attend college and
major in an animal science degree because of their involvement in their 4-H club.

Program Responsibilities
Due to the number of interested youth in a neighboring county, Mrs. Griggs
started the West Wateree Ropes and Reins 4-H Horse club in Lugoff, SC. She is the
leader for this club, working with numerous other club volunteers. For several years,
there was no county agent in her county, but she never let that stop her 4-H enthusiasm.
She continued to work with the club members and their families to have them keep
records, and participate in various events/activities. She producing a monthly club
newsletter to keep her club members informed of various items. She is a member of the
county 4-H Advisory Council, and is very active in several 4-H community events.

Creativity of Program
As a result of teaching riding lessons , Mrs. Griggs saw an opportunity to involve
her students in the 4-H program. She constantly tells the 4-H story to her students, and
many of them join each year. To assist with club fundraising, Mrs. Griggs and her 4-H
club assists with a local horse show by teaching and training. The club raises an average
of $15,000.00 yearly through this event. The funds are used to send 4-Hers to
competitions, trainings, and related activities. She also encourages community service
from her club members. Some community service activities include raising money for
Hurricane/ Tsunami victims, a local fire department and Pets Inc.
Level of Involvement (County and State)

Mrs. Griggs assists youth with demonstrations, record books, county, state and national competitions. She also devotes countless hours to teaching hippology and horse judging sessions to prepare 4-Hers for contests. She is a member of the local 4-H Advisory Council. She has attended many state competitions and events over the years. She has also attended local and state 4-H Leader Workshops. Annually, she attends the State Horse Show, with an average of 17 youth.