Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award
North Central Region Winner
Illinois 4-H Winner
Jerry Hicks has been a dedicated supporter of 4-H for nearly 43 years. As an Illinois 4-H alumnus, he is a lifetime believer in the tremendous impact 4-H can have on the lives of youth. He credits 4-H for putting him on a lifelong path to career success, and he wants every child in Illinois to have that same opportunity. Through his work as a 4-H volunteer on the county, multi-county and state level, Jerry has gone above and beyond to make that happen.
Jerry’s commitment to 4-H has allowed Illinois to continue educational efforts, hire youth development staff and expand programming. He helped secure funds during a crucial time – when funding and staff cuts would have drastically reduced opportunities for growing the 4-H program and reaching new audiences. Not only did Jerry find the dollars to maintain 4-H programming in his state, but he secured enough funding to increase staffing that would support reaching underserved audiences.