This award is named after Loren Kruse, an Iowa man whose career in publishing rose from very humble 4-H beginnings. As a youngster, he was absolutely terrified of public speaking, but a 4-H club leader took Loren under his wing and helped him overcome this great fear. His communication skills changed dramatically, he found some missing confidence, and the rest as they say is history.
Throughout Loren's adult life, he credited the outstanding guidance provided by that special 4-H leader as central to his success at Meredith Corporation's founding magazine, Successful Farming. When Loren retired as the editor-in-chief of the magazine in 2012 the Meredith Corporation Foundation and the Edwin T. Meredith Foundation decided to create a legacy for Loren's 4-H story with the Iowa 4-H Foundation. The legacy is this award; an award to honor 4-H leaders who across the state of Iowa. Iowa 4-H Club Leaders are adults who dedicate their time, talents, and treasures to Iowa's 4-H youth. This award honors those who go above and beyond their position to transform the lives of the youth they interact with through the Iowa 4-H program.
The nomination parameters are:
1. A leader who has inspired a 4-H’er to reach potentials beyond those they thought they could achieve on their own merits.
2. A leader whom has served (or is currently serving) Iowa 4-H’ers
3. Must be nominated by a past or current Iowa 4-H’er.
4. Previously awarded recipients cannot be re-awarded
- Click here to nominate a 4-H leader! -
Nominations will be made and received no later than 5/1/23 by the Iowa 4-H Foundation office.
Award nominees will be reviewed by a small group of neutral decision makers who know and understand the 4-H impact. The individual recipient will be selected by criteria standards and notified no later than 6/30/23.
This award is:
• Given annually to one leader, nominated by a single (or group of) 4-H’er(s)
• The permanent 4-H Leader Recognition in the state of Iowa
• Recognized at a state-level function (such as State 4-H Conference)
• to provide approximately $1000 to the recipient to be utilized in one of the 5 ways described below
The recipient of the award may select one of the following to utilize the single payout of their award:
1. Travel, registration and hotel costs for attendance at a Volunteer 4-H Leader’s Forum for continued inspiration
2. Donation back to their club to do a specific, defined project
3. Donate to their county 4-H endowment for use as endowment saw appropriate
4. Scholarship to a 4-H’er in the county the leader comes from (for that year)
5. Donation to the Iowa 4-H Foundation in the name of the honored leader
| 2013 - Claudia Putnam | 2014 - Barb Determan | 2015 - Wil Groves | 2016-Janet Ritchie | 2017-Shirley Helmrichs | |
| 2018-Neil Lansing |
2019 - Nancy Welsh | 2020 - Kay Schmitt | 2021- Barb Clawson |
