Posted on April 12, 2011 at 12:47 PM by Global Reach
Cheryl Ekstrom Christopherson was a nine year member of the Willing Washington Workers 4-H Club. This was the same 4-H Club her Mother Doris Williams Ekstrom belonged to in the 1930s. Cheryl was active on the club level as well as serving as President of the Webster County’s Girls 4-H Clubs in 1967 and 1968. Cheryl went on the State Home Improvement Trip to Chicago in 1987 and the Chicago Award trip in 1968. She attended the Washington Citizenship trip in 1968 and again later as a chaperone.
After graduating from Sioux Falls College, Cheryl returned to her home community and taught in the elementary school at Central Webster in Harcourt and later in Lehigh. It was the same year Cheryl was asked to be a club leader for the same club she had attended as youth. Some of the members of the club introduced Cheryl to her husband to be Donald Christopherson.
Cheryl served as a club leader with several other volunteers and also spent several years as the only volunteer leader for the club. As young girls, Cheryl & Donald's daughters, Sarah and Mary, came with their Mother to the club meetings and counted the years until they could be “real 4-H members”.
During Cheryl’s tenure as club leader, the Willing Washington Workers and the Washington Winners (boy’s club) merged in the mid 1990s. She met this change with an open mind and helped the two clubs smoothly become one.
Cheryl also served as Secretary on the Webster County Agricultural Association, and the Christophersons are donors to the Iowa 4-H Foundation.
Cheryl was honored at the 2007 Webster County 4-H Award and Leader Recognition Banquet for her 35 years of service to Webster County 4-H.
She has quietly gone about being a role model for countless 4-H youth as well as the students she assists as a volunteer at the Southeast Webster Grand School in Dayton.
Categories: Webster
