Posted on August 26, 2016 at 9:49 AM by Emily Saveraid
Sandy McLain has been involved with the 4-H program for over 60 years. Sandy started as a 4-H member for 8 years in Van Buren County. She received various 4-H awards, including the State Fashion Revue Contest and State 4-H Home Improvement trip to Chicago in 1965.
In 1969, she started as 1 of the original 8 county 4-H Aide staff in the state. She continued in various extension staff positions for 42 years. She served as Van Buren County Extension Director and County Youth Coordinator for 23 years.
She has given leadership to numerous 4-H activities in Van Buren County and Southeast Iowa. She chaperoned numerous county, area 4-H camps, overnight activities, 4-H and FFA livestock judging contests and State 4-H and Youth Conferences. Sandy chaperoned 3 Citizenship-Washington Focus trips for area groups. She has organized 4-H Horse Quiz Bowl Teams and Livestock Quiz Bowl Contests in Van Buren County. Her county had 6 Horse Quiz Bowl teams compete at the state level and 5 Horse Quiz teams advance to the Nationals in Denver, and had 7 Livestock Quiz Bowl teams compete at the state level, and all 7 teams advanced to the National Level at Omaha.
She volunteered with displaying 4-H exhibits in the Home Improvement, Food and Nutrition, Creative Arts and Child Development Departments at the Iowa State Fair for over 15 years, serving as co-superintendent and superintendent in specific areas.
Sandy served on various judging events on the club, area and state level for state 4-H award selection. In 1993, Sandy and JoAnn Augspurger, Southeast Iowa 4-H Specialist, developed a new 4-H curriculum; Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. The curriculum was used in numerous school classrooms. The curriculum was successful and Sandy and JoAnn presented workshops on this curriculum at Iowa Extension Conference, the National Family & Consumer Sciences Annual Conference and at the National 4-H & Youth Conference in Milwaukee.
Sandy has served as a Family and Consumer Science Judge for over 30 years, judging at the club level, county fairs and at the Iowa State Fair. In 2015 and 2016, she has served as an Iowa State Fair 4-H Clothing Event Judge.
Sandy has continued volunteering with the county 4-H and Youth since retirement in 2009, and is currently serving as Superintendent for the School Youth Art Display at the Van Buren County Fair.
She and her husband Jerry have 2 children and 5 granddaughters all former or current 4-H’ers. 4-H is a 4 generational activity for Sandy’s family. Both of Sandy’s parents were also 4-H leaders. Jerry previously served as county fair swine superintendent and their son now serves in that role at the Van Buren County Fair.
Categories: Van Buren
