UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Two Pennsylvania residents recently were chosen as outstanding volunteers by 4-H as part of the organization's "Salute to Excellence" recognition program.

The program honors individuals who serve as the best examples of 4-H volunteers by showing dedication and hard work, and by having significant positive influence on youth. The Lifetime Volunteer Award is conferred upon an individual who has spent more than 10 years volunteering for 4-H. The Volunteer of the Year Award is presented to an individual who has served with 4-H for less than 10 years.

Mary Ellen (Ellie) Bard of Portage, Cambria County, was chosen as Pennsylvania's 2003 Lifetime Volunteer Award winner. Bard has participated in numerous 4-H projects and activities since childhood. An active 4-H leader in Cambria County for more than 20 years, she currently leads the Pleasant Hill Swine Club, the South Ebensburg Community Club and the Cambria County Lamb Club. She has been a member of the state's 4-H Program Advisory Committee since 1985 and spearheaded the creation of the annual Cambria County 4-H Sausage Sale fund-raiser.

Bard has organized and run the 4-H Roadside Clean-Up project with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for 19 years. She also organized "Project Blue Bird Box" with the 4-H Woodworking Club and the County Conservation District for the 2002 4-H Centennial.

Rick Perry of Kennerdell, Venango County, was selected as Pennsylvania's 2003 Volunteer of the Year. Perry has been volunteering for four years and currently serves with the Seneca Indians 4-H Club. While mainly guiding youth involved in beef cattle care, he also has mentored young people with a variety of interests. Rick is a member of the Venango County 4-H Leaders and is a past fair board director of the 4-H Fair Inc. Through his involvement in these committees, he has helped to initiate a Rate of Gain program for 4-H beef, encouraged a broader awards system for young participants and worked to develop the local 4-H fairgrounds.

The 4-H Salute to Excellence Awards were created in 2002 by Gene and Sharon Swackhamer to emphasize the important work of 4-H volunteers across the nation. They are supported by the Salute to Excellence Fund, which provides donors with the opportunity to recognize 4-H volunteer leaders who have made an impact on their 4-H experiences.

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EDITORS: Contact Robert Lewis at 814-865-6551 (phone) or rbl@psu.edu (e-mail).

Contact:

Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu 814-863-2708 814-863-9877 fax #153