North Carolina 4-H Program to Host NC 4-H Development Fund Lifetime Achievement Gala

22 March 2006

North Carolina's 4-H will present its Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 North Carolina 4-H Development Fund Lifetime Achievement Awards Gala to be held at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. on Thursday March 23, 2006. Wanda Starke, co- anchor of WXII News will serve as the event's Mistress of Ceremonies.

This year's lifetime achievement award recipient is Mr. Thomas W. Lambeth. Lambeth is an alum of the Beaufort County 4-H program where he developed leadership skills and learned to garden. Lambeth served as executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds foundation and is a chairman of the NC Rural Economic Development Center. Lambeth will be presented by Dr. James Oblinger, North Carolina State University's 13th Chancellor.

Also, the Honorable Burley B. Mitchell Jr. will accept the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Family Legacy Award on behalf of his family. His dad, Burley B. Mitchell, Sr. was a member of the 4-H program in Franklin County, and served as a leader in soil conservation education across the state. The younger Burley Mitchell served as Chief Justice of the N.C. Supreme Court from 1995-1999 and is on the North Carolina State University Board of Trustees. As Secretary of Crime Control, he was instrumental in assisting 4-H in the early 1990's with their State Council Project on Crime Prevention. The Chief Justice noted that domestic crime was reduced and that the number of community watches more than doubled when 4-H youth were involved in "taking a bite out of crime." Secretary of State Elaine Marshall will join Dr. Johnny Wynne in presenting the award to the Mitchell Family.

Besides the awards being presented, there will be a showcase of 4-H exhibitors, a formal dinner, silent auction and entertainment provided by the Dee Dee and Cam Harris Talent Showcase. The talent showcase will highlight 4-H entertainers, both young and old, from across the state.

All of the proceeds from the gala and auctions will support more than 199,000 youth and 4-H volunteers who participate in the 4-H program annually. The North Carolina 4-H Development Fund will utilize the funds raised to support programs that directly benefit today's 4-H youth and volunteers through educational scholarships, camperships, curriculum, teen programs, leadership development and citizenship programs. 4-H is the youth development program of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and is located in all 100 counties and on the Qualla Boundary of the Cherokee Nation. The land- grant missions of North Carolina State University and North Carolina A & T State University support the program.

For additional information, please call Sharon Runion Rowland at (919) 819-7030 or Suzanne Ward at (800) 662-8835, extension 2430.

Source: prnewswire

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