I'm Christian Flynn, my word is incredible
Develop. Impact. Livelong.
I picked this word. Exponential because when you think of
extension can do and how it impacts
people
from one to many others that is really a
constant being expanded by a power
and that's the definition of exponential. I
learned leadership through 4-H
and learning how to use speak with adults
and learning how to speak
publicly
I was able to attend great conferences through 4-H
in Springfield in Chicago across the state
so leadership is really part of what I learned in 4-H
and at what has made me who I am today. As I'm inspired and we continue to move forward in
our relationship
with 4-H and Macon County I'm just excited
about the possibilities and the different
things that we can incorporate
from Peace Park we're developing and the gardening that goes
along with that
and developing a relationship with 4-H and the Master Gardeners that
they've been able to connect us with
there's just endless opportunity and
and I continue to be inspired. My word is responsibility
Knowledge. Passion. Camaraderie. My words is kids because
my target is kids, I teach mainly kids then adults
It's more than just agriculture
it's really whatever you want it to be so 4-H is really original
I work with the SNAP kids and I always let them know how awesome they are
I let him know that extension gives them
a lot opportunities to share their self with others
I chose memories for my word. Opportunity. Dedication.
Explore. Master Gardener. Educating
Science. Leader. Farms. I have learned
how to create living space outside I
have learned how to make
life happy for butterflies and birds I
have learned how to
take things that were nothing and make them into something gorgeous
I learned about food and nutrition and
safety issues with children and safety
issues with food
all because of interviews i've done with the University of Illinois Extension
personnel
The leaders used to laugh when they saw me coming because I would say I have an
opportunity for you
and they knew something ]new was coming to do
for five years before I retired I knew I
wanted to be a master gardener
as a florist and a business owner I 
had worked with some of most beautiful
flowers on earth
but I was in the harvested side
the Master Gardening program
has allowed me to be
on the other side being within the nature
of seeing things grow from the beauty we
see to the food that we eat
the master gardening program has totally
fulfilled
my empty feeling after leaving my
store
you'll meet lots of friends, have lots of fun
and you will never stop learning. I chose outside because outside is where I like
to be
History. Friendships. Communication. Resilient.
Experiences. Help Desk. Hands On. Rewarding.
Service. Spectacular. Now the reason why I
chose the word impact is because
4-H has had such a big impact on my life
personally
When I first got in high school I was kind of unsure of what I wanted to but by being involved with 4-H
it had such an impact on my life
It has actually inspired me to do a lot of
other things and other pursuits as well.
So by me having that impact on my life by 4-H I was able to inspire others and to
impact other lives and to
kind of help others who may have had a
similar journey I had was in high school
I think of the service projects that we have done throughout the years and
what a very very educational experience the service projects have been
you know helping other people
Farm Progress Show has been very
educating a wonderful way to meet
many people
interact with people from different countries that otherwise we would have never had
an opportunity to meet
I'm thankful for the opportunity to
work with the other Master Gardeners out
at Heritage Gardens
and Rock Springs there's so many people
that come through that garden and enjoy
it
but the thing I'm most thankful for is
the friendships
that I've made and the acquaintances. My wife and I serve as leaders of the
Long Creek Raiders 4-H club for a number
of years and we also provided assistance
during the Macon County Fair by working
in the 4-H lunch stand
it was an honor to have been a part of
it and I look back on it very fond memories
particularly those people that
on the staff that we were able to work
with
I think of individuals like Stuart Hawbaker, 
and Stu Ellis
Mary Jo Stewart, Kathy Huber and Theresa Adams just to name a few
the people that I worked very closely
with and it was an honor to be a part of that
My word is collaboration. Technology
Preparedness. Helpful. My word is
enjoyable
Generational. My word is confidence I can
recall vividly as a young boy
going to my first 4-H club meeting in Blue
Mound
and being asked to give a talk on my
project
and I was so nervous but I got
through it
and I realized that that experience gave
me the confidence to be a public
speaker for years to come
so I appreciate the fact that 4-H gave me
confidence. Success is a word that I learned
really here in 4-H growing up you
know I look at what I've done throughout
my college career and I tried to find my
own success
and I learned how to do that because of my time I spent as a 4-Her
Master Gardeners to me the family five
years ago
I fell and shattered my left leg I
laid up for almost four months
my wife came up one day and she said
there was nine Master Gardeners
out cleaning up working my garden
and the yard. They didn't have to be asked
they just done it on our own that's what
I mean when I say we're a family
4-H is a phenomenal program that
inspired everyone in encounters
My word is creative. Give. Exciting
My word is inspiring. Powerful. Community. Hi we are the Fryes, I'm Ken Frye this is my  mom
Janet Frye, my son Daniel Frye and Cheryl Frye my wife and we're talking about
generations
It's really been very fun and I just wish that more people took advantage of it
because
they're really missing an opportunity for
as a parent for for what their kids
could gain from
all the different opportunities that
4-H has. I think it's great fun.
You meet a lot of people and you in some way help them
but I always give back more than I give. We
have about 123 members
and last year we donated
over 20,000 volunteer hours to
Macon County. To me the word committed
best describes the
4-H  extension network. Revolution. Mentor.
Help. Future. Legacy. Network. Blessing.
Informative. When I started going
with my who would later become my husband
Kenny Frye who had pigs for his 4-H project
and so during the summer as a girlfriend
I would go over
go out in the barn lot
and help him wash his pigs getting ready for the fair.
One year when we were juniors he took his pigs to the fair
and they won first place qualifying for
the State Fair
so after the State Fair because his
litter was
sold and he was able to recoop a little
bit income from it
he bought me a diamond ring and I guess he though any girl
that will get out in barn lot and help wash pigs, she's a keeper
so I became engaged and Kenny and I
married after high school having had
four children where we
in turn involved all of our children in
4-H
in the years to come and it really
taught us
because of training and our background
to become very good stewards
of the land and was one year honored
to have received the conservation farmer
of the year and I think it goes back to the
good basic training
that we were brought up with I think
sustainability is critical not only for
the natural world
but also for the community I've watched
over the
the many many years the extension being
involved
in so many things that relate both to not only to children
but adults alike and most recently the
Master Naturalist program which I have
been involved with
that was a direct connection to what I
do with the Macon County Conservation
District which is
primarily to help people of all ages to
get out in the world
nature and hopefully soften their fears
a little bit
and encourage them to have a lot of fun
while they also are educated at the
same time
because of 4-H I have experience in everything I have experience in science
technology
engineering math livestock foods
nutrition
health even sewing I've done so many
things and they
always come up with something new that I
haven't done have recently taken up
shooting sports because I what they've
done for me and now I love archery
and that's why my word is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
because nothing else
encompasses everything I've experienced
through 4-H. I'm Rosemary Knap and my word
is 4-H
Clover. 3-D. Transforming. Fantastic.
Empowered. Grow. Innovative. The reason why I chose is really two-fold first
of all
it's due to the quality of the programs
that the extension services provided over
the years to our community
and also more specifically for my job
with the city of Decatur
is the quality of water entering Lake Decatur. As we teach kids that have fun
during the summer that makes me enjoy
being a junior leader and throughout the
years I have grown and become an amazing
or remarkable junior leader as Amy would call me and I am now officially the SNAP President
I have been SNAP president for two years and it has been a remarkable
feeling knowing that I inspire kids
throughout the community when they see
me
out in the community they come up
the run up and hug me and tell me how much
they want to see me next summer
this is a really amazing feeling. Gardens to me mean
friendship and beauty and lots of other words
hard work of course but I enjoy the benefits
I love coming to Macon, Piatt and DeWitt County
to see the connection that the
extension personnel have with HCE here
I think that when we are working together we can all accomplish
so much more and it's really exciting to
see
that that connection really working
here in these counties I have chosen the
word establishment
or established. Growing. Resource.
Quality. My word is experiences.
Educate. Focus. My word is inspire. Memories.
Sprout. Synergy. When I started a 4-H club
here in Macon County several years ago
it was a leadership club
you everybody in the club took
leadership as well as other
projects and that's what we really focused on
my name is Carol Bork and my word is
education
I have been associated with extension for many years probably close
to fifty
and everything that
I have learned I think has come from
extension
4-H and U of I Extension it isn't
just about education or even community
But it's really an aspect of enriching your social life
enriching your education and I think the
greatest area that I've grown
and what I've gained the most from
my experience in 4-H
and U of I extension is mostly just the
idea of growing and leadership
that type of enrichment
of what I want to do with my life
and how I involved and give back to the
community
last year at the food challenge I made coffee cakes
and I got a blue ribbon for that and this year I made
some
muffins and we all got a blue ribbon for that
I'm a master gardener I've been working in the master gardening program
since 2008, been working with the
green thumb organization and
I enjoy every day that I'm with them even
through the winner will get together at
least once a month
some like and just sit around and chew the fat
and decide what we're going to do in the
spring where the gardens are gonna be
and it it's really a great group to work
with. My name is Amy Lehman and my
word is spark.
Charitable. Partnership. Teamwork. Healthy.
Super. Answers. Fulfillment. The reason I chose
one plus one equals three to help
describe synergy
and it's not for mathematics it
basically
I believe it was aristotle who said the
total is greater than the sum of its
parts
and so I thought the one plus one equals
three kinda helped describe that way
one plus one in most instances is 2
but because of the dynamic and the power
that comes when people work together
it makes it greater than two. I was really
amazed
that I discovered such a wide curriculum
in 4-H and once we started getting
inner-city kids involved with the 4-h
curriculum
they were discovering lots of new
things
hats off to a wonderful 100 years
here's to another great 100 years 
of Macon County
cooperative extension. In the next 100 years I would like to see
extension really be the top of
mind go-to place
for people that are seeking to improve
the quality of life in the communities
they live in
Young people, city kids
farm kids, those who wear those green and white shirts called 4-Hers
and they go to some clubs some meetings
learn a lot of great lessons
then take them home and teach other kids
in their classroom their friends in the
neighborhood
leadership technology citizenship
nutrition all of a sudden that is being
spread throughout the community
and more and more people know about
those benefits that is
exponential growth all started
by 4-H
started by extension
that's what extension means so much to
me it just provides an
exponential improvement capacity
benefits to a community
