A local 4-H leader has been recognized as this year’s Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame recipient for Monroe County, celebrating her contributions to the club and many other areas of youth ag activity.

Raeleen Neary was born and raised in Red Bud but moved a short ways away to Hecker when she got married.

Neary said she didn’t participate in 4-H or FFA herself when she was a kid. Rather, her interest in ag education came as she and her husband began raising their kids on their farm.

“I became more familiar with the program after I got married and had children,” Neary said. “My husband was a leader for just a couple of years way back when, and when we had children, he wanted them to be part of the program.”

Neary’s time as leader of the Clover Friends 4-H Club began 15 years ago as her eldest child began participating.

She noted she wound up taking the reins of the club largely by happenstance, as the group’s longtime leader happened to be retiring at the time.

Given she didn’t have much background with 4-H when she stepped in as leader, Neary said she had plenty to learn when she first started out.

“It’s a huge learning curve going from just being the parent of a member to being a leader,” Neary said.

Most of that learning focused on elements of parliamentary procedure and making sure student meetings ran smoothly.

Neary stressed that, while she oversees the club as leader alongside her co-leaders, the Clovers are a kids club just like any 4-H group, with the students making decisions about club activity.

She described how club members have actually done a lot to educate her. With kids picking a certain subject to study and present on each year, she’s learned a great deal about everything from beekeeping to robotics to geology.

Neary further discussed how those presentations get more and more detailed each year as students grow up and find areas of genuine interest for them.

These presentations, she added, serve to educate not just the individual students but their peers and those around them as well, whether they’re talking about the particulars of a rocket’s ascension or what kind of feed they used to see the most growth in their livestock.

“I have learned so much from the members of Clover Friends,” Neary said. “They probably haven’t learned near as much from me as I have learned from them.”

Neary expressed a strong appreciation for the opportunities 4-H provides local youth, voicing her pleasure at being able to contribute to such a positive program.

Her involvement in a number of other ag programs and activities in the area has similarly stemmed from her interest and passion for the way they benefit students.

Along with working as the Clover Friends leader for 15 years, Neary has served as goat superintendent at the Monroe County Fair for five years, has helped with the Monroe County Youth Livestock Auction Committee, and has served on the Monroe County Illinois Extension Council.

Neary has offered an abundance of support for the extension and the 4-H Education Foundation’s annual Harvest Night Dinner Auction on top of being a member of the foundation. She’s also volunteered as a judge at the Illinois State Fair.

Having donated such time and effort over the years, Neary said she simply wants to help for the sake of local youth and the community.

“It’s just stepping up where there’s need, and I like to be involved,” Neary said.

She further invoked the 4-H motto, “To Make the Best Better,” saying that if she can help, she wants to.

Speaking more on her time as a 4-H leader, Neary said she always strives to bring her best since that’s what she asks of the members of Clover Friends.

She also voiced thanks to her 4-H co-leaders Annette Schreder, Abby Carter and Tricia Matzenbacher.

Neary has touched the lives of many young agriculturalists through her work with the Clover Friends and elsewhere, and her impact has not gone unnoticed by those who work closely with her.

Monroe County 4-H Youth Development Program Coordinator Kelly Brandt helped nominate Neary for her 4-H Hall of Fame recognition and attested to the work she puts into the program.

“Dedicated is probably the biggest word I could say about her,” Brandt said. “Ever since she took over the Clover Friends 4-H Club 15 years ago, that would have been enough, but she’s also done so many other volunteer things with our extension council, now our foundation and Harvest Night, goat superintendent. She just goes above and beyond, and she’s so pleasant to work with. She always wants to make sure the kids get an educational experience out of whatever they’re doing.”

Neary’s 4-H co-leaders also had high praise for her, with Carter recalling how Neary has served as a leader for her own kids ever since they got started with the club.

As both Carter and Neary also serve as substitute teachers in the area, Carter said she’s come to be good friends with her and commended the effort she puts in to 4-H.

“She is that leader that puts her whole heart into it,” Carter said. “She is truly there for the kids, for their growth, their development. She really cares about each and every one of them. She establishes relationships with them, gets to know the new kids and then sticks with them throughout their whole career.”

Carter further spoke about her excellent management of the club and how she really allows the members to make it their own while also working well with their parents.

“She really allows the kids to be hands-on,” Carter said. “She’s not overbearing, she’s not doing the stuff for them. She’s a guide there to watch them through it, which is what 4-H is all about. The kids are the ones doing the work, and she’s just a great support, great encouragement, great cheerleader and really is there for the families at every level of commitment.”

Matzenbacher likewise had only good things to say about Neary and what she’s done for the kids in the club.

“Raeleen does a phenomenal job with our 4-H club and county 4-H, really,” Matzenbacher said. “You can tell that she cares and her heart’s in it, and she loves the kids and she loves 4-H.”

Also offering praise for Neary’s work was her youngest daughter Janella, who has been active with the Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team and will soon enjoy her last year helping to present awards at the Illinois State Fair.

Like her older siblings Jessica and James, Janella spent her time with the Clover Friends Club working with her mother, and she is plenty appreciative of the impact their time together had.

“She really had a hands-on opportunity to really teach me what I needed to know to get to where I am today,” Janella said. “I truly would not be where I am today without her not only because she’s my mom, but she was my support through 4-H and got me to the Illinois Youth Leadership Team where I currently serve as the president… I really just would not be here without her and her support.”

With Raeleen set to be recognized at the state fair, she was exceptionally humble about the honor.

“I was super surprised when they told me it was me,” she said. “I can think of 25 other people that are just as involved and just as deserving as I am. I was very honored and very humbled to be chosen. I’m looking forward to Friday up at the state fair.”

She also discussed the future of her 4-H involvement, and though the last of her kids is stepping away, she plans to stick around to help guide other local youth for some time.

“I don’t plan on quitting just because our youngest just completed her last year in 4-H,” she said. “It’s such a good program. It teaches the kids public speaking skills, it teaches them responsibility, it teaches them independence… It’s just such a good program.”