Alan Hamel Citizenship 4-H Award goes to Suisun Valley 4-H'er

SOLANO COUNTY, CA –PHOTO: Oliva Frenkel (left) of the Suisun Valley 4-H Club is the winner of the 2016 Solano County 4-H Program's Alan Hamel Citizenship Award. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Citizenship is much more than “dropping a can into a food bank barrel,” says Olivia Frenkel of the Suisun Valley 4-H Club, who won the 2016 Solano County 4-H Program’s Alan Hamel Citizenship Award.

Her winning essay about what citizenship means to her was declared the winner of the award, which memorializes a former Dixon 4-H’er who won the Solano County All-Star Award in 1956.

“By definition, citizenship is the quality or characteristic that a person is expected to have as a responsible member of the community,” Frenkel wrote. “To me, citizenship is so much more than dropping a can into a food Bank barrel. Citizenship is extending yourself and your time to people, local organizations, and charity events. I read a book once, and it proposed that life is a series of pulls, back and forth. They called it the tension of opposites. You cannot take from the resources that are presented to you without giving back.”

“I am a firm believer in this concept; therefore ,I take time to volunteer at the Food Bank and Mission Solano. I also participate in school fundraisers and supply drives. 4-H has helped me realize the importance of giving back to the community. Whether that be picking up trash or donating something to a local animal shelter. Everyone is always in need of something and more often than not, that something is time. The local organizations thrive on volunteers and I am always willing to give up a Saturday for them.

“The 4-H motto will forever be a part of my decision making ‘to make the best better.’ It is something I will strive to do for the rest of my life, and I believe that citizenship will help me achieve that. Being able to work hard and be persistent for the benefit of others is a very important skill to have and 4-H has helped me develop that. Citizenship is giving back to your community and the value of that is immeasurable.”

The Suisun Valley 4-H Club is one of 11 clubs in the county. The Solano County 4-H Youth Development Program, part of the UC Cooperative Extension Program, is open to youths ages 5 to 19. In age-appropriate projects, they learn skills through hands-on learning in projects ranging from arts and crafts, computers and leadership to dog care, poultry, rabbits and woodworking.

For information on the Solano County 4-H Program, access http://cesolano.ucanr.edu or contact Valerie Williams at vawilliams@ucanr.edu or (707) 784-1319.

• ALSO SEE: Solano County 4-H'ers Honored at End-of-Year Program