Posted on August 21, 2023 at 1:17 PM by Emily Saveraid
Ray Tlach’s commitment to the Garfield Sluggers started when he was young and was a member of the club. Years later, Ray’s good friend, Vern Neved, asked him to become the Garfield Sluggers 4-H leader, and he graciously accepted the role for over 20 years! Ray enjoyed his time as a leader. His fondest and proudest memory was one year at the Hancock County Fair the Garfield Sluggers had the most entries than any other club. He also talked about how incredible it felt to see his club represented so well and how proud he was of all the kids and parents. He always recognized the time and commitment the 4-Hers put into every 4-H project and the support of all the parents.
After Ray retired from being a club leader, the club later diminished for many years. During those years, Ray worked many hours in promoting the benefits of Hancock County’s 4-H program and what our program can offer! All his hard work paid off as he was able to find leaders to revive Garfield Sluggers and bring their membership now to be the largest club in Hancock County.
Ray later served on the Hancock County Extension Council. Ray dedicated his time on the council to build up Hancock County’s summer workshops. With all of his work with county staff and council, the Hancock County summer workshops have become a model for many other counties.
When asked what advice he would give to kids and parents today about joining and being involved in 4-H, Ray said, “Kids need to find any way they can to get involved. Everyone is busy these days, but it is essential to make the time and not be afraid to try new things.”
Ray has put in countless hours to the Hancock County 4-H program, and we congratulate him for being the 2023 Hancock County 4-H Hall of Fame nominee.
