4-H staff receive state honors

SAINT AUGUSTINE – St. Johns County Extension Services 4-H personnel were honored recently by the Florida Association of Extension 4-H Agents.

Geralyn Sachs, UF/IFAS extension 4-H agent, received the Meritorious Service Award; and Julia Kelly, a 4-H extension agent since 2014, was awarded the Achievement in Service honor. Presentations were made at the extension conference in Fort Myers.
In November, Sachs, who joined the St. Johns County staff in 1997, will receive the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents Meritorious Service Award during a gathering in West Virginia. Sachs first served as program assistant for the Family Nutrition Program in St. Johns County, and was later hired as a 4-H extension agent.

She received her MS degree in agriculture education and communication from the University of Florida in 2008. She currently serves as vice president of the Florida association. Her 4-H leadership roles beyond the county include Area North horse Show, the Superior Accomplishment Committee and she mentors three 4-H agents. Her major programs center around volunteer/youth development and organizational strategies.
At the county level, Sachs leads youth workshops and camps related to food preparation, consumer education, clothing/textiles, manners, record keeping, embryology, agriculture education and workforce readiness.

KELLY’S FOCUS

Before joining the 4-H staff, Kelly worked with at-risk youth in various organizations. She explains she joined 4-H because of the focus on developing life skills through positive youth development instead of programs designed to overcome negative behaviors.

She focuses on positive youth development in underserved areas through, as she describes it, “the efforts of caring adults.”

Kelly also focuses on plan and animal science and environmental science. She is also responsible for programs on communication and leadership at the county, district and state level. Kelly is a Level II 4-H archery instructor and state archery coordinator.

In 2018 she was awarded her master’s in agricultural education and communication.