Rhoades named to Illinois 4-H Foundation Hall of Fame

By Editor | May 31, 2012 |

Mary Ann Rhoades has been selected as the 2012 Illinois 4-H Foundation Hall of Fame Award recipient from Fayette County.

She will be formally honored at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Saturday, Aug. 11.
Rhoades thought she was done with 4-H when she retired after 35 years as a leader of the Ramsey Senors & Senoritas 4-H Club, but the perfect opportunity was just waiting for her with the creation of a special interest 4-H Club in Ramsey geared around teaching children to cook. After a few sessions, she was hooked.
Sporting red “Let’s Cook” aprons, the 4-H Cooking Club – comprised of third- and fourth-grade students – gather in the Ramsey High School home ec room to learn basic nutrition and food preparation techniques.
All cooking club members learn how to read a recipe, measure the ingredients and bake it in each meeting session.
The members also learn responsibility in cleaning up the work area and washing the dishes that they have used. The members leave each session with a sample and the recipe to share with their family.
To make the after-school program a reality, some local adults and youth have volunteered their time to oversee the youth enrolled in the club.
Martha Rosenberger, Lou Leach, Laura Smith and Jim Brewer are adult volunteers assisting. Local 4-H youth assisting are Angel McDonald and Brandon McDonald. Jo Stein, SNAP Ed coordinator for University of Illinois Extension, also assists with the program.
The Ramsey Community Unit administrators were very supportive and helpful in making this after-school 4-H cooking club program possible, seeing this as an extension of classroom education and an opportunity to help youth learn essential life skills.
“This is what 4-H is all about,” Rhoades said.
In addition to the Senors & Senoritas and the 4-H Cooking Club, Rhoades has given her time and talent to serving on the administrative Extension Council, Extension Foundation and leadership teams of the 4-H program.