Source: Ken Culp III, principal extension specialist for 4-H youth development 

The Kentucky Volunteer Forum is the premier professional development and networking event for the state’s extension volunteers. The 2022 forum is Feb. 24-26 at the Hyatt Regency Lexington and the Central Bank Convention Center. It is graciously sponsored by the Kentucky 4-H Foundation, Kentucky 4-H Youth Development, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, UK Cooperative Extension Service and many others. 

The opening event will take place at the Woodford Reserve Club in Kroger Field on Thursday, Feb. 24 and will include a keynote speaker and a performance by the Kentucky 4-H Performing Arts Troupe.  

Forum attendees can participate in some of the 220 workshops in 21 different content tracks. These workshops, sponsored by the R.C. Durr Foundation, include presenters from UK, 57 Kentucky counties and 10 states. The 21 content tracks ensure that the educational needs of all extension volunteers are met. While 4-H volunteers comprise the single largest audience, workshop tracks are also offered for horticulture and Master Gardeners, family and consumer sciences and Extension Homemakers, and agriculture and natural resource producers.   

In addition to workshops held at the conference, volunteers will have an opportunity to explore the greater Lexington area through Seminars on Wheels. Most of these seminars are held on Thursday, Feb. 24.  

New to the 2022 forum are four special sessions. Volunteers and extension professionals can learn about innovative instruction efforts from extension professionals from Maryland, U.S. Navy and Georgia. In the fourth session, UK extension professionals will focus on extension’s response to natural disasters including floods, tornadoes and ice storms.   

Volunteers are the backbone of UK Cooperative Extension, and the Kentucky Volunteer Forum is one way for us to celebrate their efforts to help mold Kentucky youth into productive adults. Two major recognition events are planned during the forum including the Hall of Fame Banquet, on Friday, Feb. 25, and the Volunteer Recognition Luncheon, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 26. 

Volunteers can register to attend the event through noon Jan. 24. If you are interested in attending all or part of the forum, contact the (COUNTY NAME) office of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service to register.  

Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expressions, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.  

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4-H