Groene is recipient of Outstanding 4-H Service award

HARTINGTON — Cedar County recently announced the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding 4-H Service Award.

Sidney Groene, daughter of Jerry and Shelley Groene, Laurel, is a senior at Laurel Concord Coleridge High School and a member of the Laurel Bit and Bridle 4-H Club.

Groene couldn’t wait to get involved in 4-H at a very young age and that is where her story begins. For the past eight years, Groene has been helping with the Foods and Nutrition project area during static judging at the Cedar County Fair. Each year the superintendents in this area have commended her on a job well done and recruit her to help again next year. She has also volunteered her help in the photography area, where she helped set up the displays at the fair. This got her interested in the project and years later, she had photos qualify for state fair and one picked to be on display at UNL offices in Lincoln.

As a member of the Laurel Bit & Bridle 4-H Club, Groene has also been active in 4-H by participating in fundraising events like the Haunted House in Laurel where they raised nearly $2,000 for the fairgrounds horse barn. Their club also received a Feed the Hungry grant several years ago where they educated families that with a small garden you can prepare a delicious and healthy meal for a low cost. Other community service activities included highway litter pickup, donating to Haven House, cleaning up after the game and making contributions to the local food pantry.

“She is very hard working and is a great leader,” said her coaches at school. Her employer at the Dairy Barn has witnessed the many positive characteristics that make her a great recipient of this award.

This 4-Her said that all of her great experiences in 4-H have helped her becoming the leader that she is today. She will serve as the President of the FBLA organization at school this year. She has decided in a career in photography and business. Her plan includes attending Northeast Community College to major in business before attending Metro in Omaha to get her photography degree.

For Groene’s accomplishments, she received a cash award from the Cedar County 4-H Council and a plaque sponsored by the Cedar County News.

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