Alumni Engagement
Our UConn 4-H alumni make us proud every day with their accomplishments in their families, communities, and careers. We want to share your story and also invite you to come back and volunteer with the UConn 4-H program. We have short-term volunteer opportunities that include serving as a judge or project evaluator, to longer-term opportunities such as leading a community club or serving as a 4-H Fair Association Advisor.
Alumni Spotlights
Rachael Manzer Shares 4-H With a New Generation
“Growing up in 4-H, I attended a lot of 4-H programs right on the UConn Storrs campus, from science and engineering programs to livestock programs,” Rachael Manzer, a Hartford County 4-H volunteer says. “To me as a kid, UConn was this big, amazing place – a place of excitement and innovation.”
For 4-H Leader and Neag Student, Learning is a Lifelong Process
Joyce Ann Hyde Foundation Sustains Food Donations
“We have an opportunity to impress on 4-Hers the givers heart,” Harlan says. “It’s also important to us that the whole thing started with farmers dumping milk, being limited to what they could ship to market—we want to increase demand. We buy fruit that might not be sold at market, and increase demand for those products, and we get the 4-H members involved in community service. We’re taking a holistic approach from farm to food pantry to table.”
Linda Tomas: Making Magic Happen at the Beardsley Zoo
“It’s rewarding to see the youth with the animals and watch them grow, earning respect from the animals,” Linda Tomas, a Fairfield County 4-H volunteer says. “I also enjoy watching them teach the younger members. Seeing what careers, they pursue after 4-H is the final reward.” Many alumni have enrolled their children in the club, a true testament to the program’s value.
UConn 4-H: Making Magic Happen at the Connecticut Beardsley Zoo
Alums Integral to the Success of Operation Community Impact
“I didn’t know it at the time, but the amount of responsibility that 4-H instills in you is very important for youth members,” Meg Uricchio, a Hartford County 4-H alum and volunteer, says. “4-H teaches you about putting someone other than yourself first. I loved the dedication that the volunteers have and am pleased to give back to the program.”
“4-H runs deep in our family,” Don Tuller, a Hartford County 4-H alum, says. “We were the transfer spot for the ice cream from H. P. Hood, and put it into my freezer, and then all the volunteers came and picked it up. We were willing to make our facility available and unload the ice cream with our forklift. We played a small role in the process and we’re happy to help.” Food pantries in six counties received ice cream donations." Read more.