Posted on August 19, 2011 at 11:06 AM by Global Reach
Based on their dedicated involvement with the Wright County 4-H program, you would never guess Larry and Shorty Anderson of Clarion had limited 4-H experience in their youth.
All three of their children were active in a variety of project areas and leadership roles. Their involvement and support of the program far exceeds their children’s involvement. Larry and Shorty have been volunteers in Wright County over 30 years.
The majority of their involvement is linked to their livelihood of running a cow-calf operation. The couple played a role in the county beef project area for many years. Throughout that time they have served as the Beef Project Leaders, hosted exhibitor clinics and fair orientation meetings at their farm, helped individual 4-Hers locate animals for purchase, been donors for fair awards and scholarships, and volunteered numerous hours to help with the shows at the fair. When the Wright County Farm Bureau initiated the bucket-bottle calf program, Larry and Shorty saw the importance of this program to attract new youth into the beef project area and have been helping with the program throughout its seventeen years. The couple helped conduct the exhibitor interviews, hosted the fair preparation workshop at their farm, matched potential exhibitors up with calves for a project, and helped with the organization and awards for the show. Larry served as the state advisor to the Iowa Junior Beef Breeds for several years and played a major role in the institution of sanctioning shows and growing the awards program. He has also served as a judge at numerous county fairs and local shows throughout the state.
In addition to their beef project involvement, Larry and Shorty have both assumed leadership responsibility within Wright County’s extension system. Both Larry and Shorty have served on the Wright County District Junior Fair Board. Larry served on the board for six years and served as the Superintendent for the Livestock Sale. Shorty is in her seventeenth year of serving on the fair board; she is Superintendent of the Open Arts and Crafts and also serves on the committee for Horse and Beef. Shorty also served on the Wright County Extension Council for six years prior to her involvement with the fair board. Larry was the Wall Lake Wee Women 4-H club’s softball coach for two summers which included a season championship for which he is quite proud.
The Andersons are tremendous volunteers in the Wright County 4-H Program and are true examples of selfless individuals that would do anything to better the life experience of our youth. They are loyal donors of their time, talent, and resources. They live out the quote “service is the rent we pay for living” and ask for nothing in return.
Categories: Wright
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