Chris Redding carries on a family tradition rooted in 4-H

In observance of the Week of the Volunteer, Nebraska 4-H is proud to celebrate some of the 2023 Nebraska 4-H Volunteer Award Winners.

Chris Redding is receiving the Outstanding Adult Volunteer Award for Zone 5. Chris volunteers with the Antelope County 4-H program and was nominated by Jane Schuchardt.

Following in the footsteps of her grandmother and mother, Chris Redding serves as a club leader for the Way Out West 4-H Club. In the early years, the club had about 25 members, and now, with the popularity of chicken and rabbit projects on the rapid rise, membership in 2022 was 54 youth. The club draws in members from across Antelope and nearby counties.

"Chris is so humble," wrote Schuchardt. "I have never met a volunteer so passionate, committed, caring, and generous of her precious time. Chris is completely deserving of this recognition."

Consistent with the 4-H approach to learning, Chris Redding is all hands-on for members of the Way Out West 4-H Club. Backed by this supportive and encouraging adult leader, members always are front and center leading meetings, even if it takes a little nudging, guidance, and confidence building. As a leader, Chris prioritizes community service and encourages all members to participate in the club's project. In cooperation with the Nebraska Department of Transportation, the club picks up trash along a four-mile stretch of Highway 70 west of Elgin several times a year. Chris also has membership heavily involved at the Antelope County Fair, often going on to the Nebraska State Fair and other competitive events. As a reward for all their hard work throughout the year, Chris also organizes fun activities for club members, such as tanking down a river. 

Tell us about yourself.

I now live on the same farm I grew up on in rural Antelope County, west of Elgin. I was that shy, awkward kid, and my mom wisely got me involved in 4-H as she was already a 4-H leader. My summers were all about 4-H - cooking/baking/sewing/decorating my room. I also did home ec judging and got to go to the State Fair in that event! That was a big deal to this shy, naive farm girl. I went to the University of Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture in the Veterinary Technician program. After graduation, I moved to Montana and worked in a veterinary clinic there, met and married my husband Jim. In Montana, I was a 4-H leader for a small group of girls interested in veterinary science. In 1985 we moved back to my hometown to farm and ranch with my parents and started our family. As our daughters became 4-H age, my husband and I wanted them to have the 4-H experience, as my husband had also grown up in the 4-H program, so along with a friend/neighbor Merry Sprout we started the Way Out West 4-H club in 1996. When Merry's kids aged out of 4-H, she decided to retire as a leader, and another friend's grandkids were becoming 4-H age, so Karin Kinney became my co-leader. This is most certainly not a one-person show; I have had great co-leaders, a supportive family (my husband and daughter are leathercraft leaders), and great 4-H'ers, parents, and families!

Outside of 4-H, I am in my 17th year working part-time for Town and Country Veterinary Clinic in Elgin, groom dogs part-time, help with the farm/ranch, am an active member of Park Congregational United Church of Christ, and enjoy gardening and my favorite past time - quilting.

What do you look forward to when you step into your volunteer role?

I enjoy the kids, watching them grow from a (sometimes!) shy, maybe awkward young person into a smart, confident, capable young adult.

What is your favorite memory as a 4-H volunteer?

I have some second-generation members in our club; I love that!

How have you helped youth find their spark through 4-H?

By encouraging and supporting them, helping them discover new interests and skills, and engage in their community through community service activities