Elley Ries receives 4-H’s highest honor

Hastings High School senior Elley Ries has received 4-H’s highest honor – The Minnesota 4-H Key Award. The award represents the accomplishments and leadership contributions a 4-H member has given to their local 4-H club and community.

Ries, a Dakota County 4-H Ambassador, has been a youth leader for seven years and is a senior at Hastings High School. She was president of the Dakota County 4-H Federation last year and is very active in the Top Notchers 4-H Club and is involved in Fashion Revue.

The Key Awards were presented to 12 area 4-H members at the recent Dakota County 4-H federation banquet held at Southview Country Club in West St. Paul.

There are 900 youth members in Dakota County 4-H, with another 300 active adult volunteers. It is ranked the largest county 4-H program in Minnesota. 4-H, as part of the University of Minnesota Extension, is a program where youth learn through opportunities that provide them hands-on experiences in 4-H’s mission mandates of science, engineering and technology; healthy living; and citizenship. The program promotes life skills using your head, heart, hands and health.

The South St. Paul/Inver Grove Heights Rotary Club sponsored this year’s Key Award presentation.

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