Prominent 4-H Alumni Join National Leaders to Celebrate Youth Impact at National 4-H Council Legacy Awards in D.C.

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 250 business leaders, philanthropists and dignitaries joined National 4-H Council at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. to recognize an accomplished 4-H alumnus who went from a high school dropout to leading one of the nation's most powerful Hispanic business organizations, and a 4-H teen leader who triumphed over poverty and extreme bullying to become a local champion for youth empowerment.

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At the sixth annual National 4-H Council Legacy Awards, New York 4-H'er Nosa Akol was honored with the 2015 4-H Youth in Action award and United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) president and CEO Javier Palomarez received the 4-H Distinguished Alumni Medallion. Both Palomarez and Akol spoke about how 4-H empowered them with the resilience, character and self-motivation to overcome such personal obstacles as homelessness and bullying.

In addition to the national award, Akol – who was selected out of more than 80 candidates – will receive a $10,000 college scholarship. Palomarez joins a prestigious group of 4-H Distinguished Alumni Medallion recipients, including such 4-H alumni as Facebook "News Feed" inventor Andrew Bosworth, Food Network celebrity chef Anne Burrell, CNN host Nancy Grace, songwriter and musician Jennifer Nettles, and professor and best-selling author Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

ABC News Correspondent Mara Schiavocampo emceed the award ceremony. Julian Castro, former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, presented the alumni honor to Palomarez, and 2014 Youth in Action award winner Andres Parra presented the 2015 award to Akol.

Thanks in part to the support of Legacy Leader sponsors Bayer CropScience, Coca-Cola and Monsanto, the event set a National 4-H Council record for Legacy Awards funds raised to help empower more youth with the life-changing 4-H experience. To view more photos from the 2015 National 4-H Council Legacy Awards, visit www.4-H.org/gala.

PHOTOS:

1. National 4-H Council leaders pictured with 2015 Legacy Awards honorees and participants. Pictured (L – R): Mara Schiavocampo, correspondent, ABC News; Nosa Akol, New York 4-H'er and recipient, 2015 4-H Youth in Action award; Julian Castro, former mayor, San Antonio, Texas; Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, National 4-H Council; Javier Palomarez, president and CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and recipient, 2015 4-H Distinguished Alumni Medallion; Alison Lewis, chief marketing officer, Johnson & Johnson Companies and chair, National 4-H Council Board of Trustees.
2. Julian Castro, former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, introduces and presents 2015 4-H Distinguished Alumni Medallion to Javier Palomarez, president and CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
3. 2015 4-H Youth in Action award winner and New York 4-H'er Nosa Akol delivers acceptance speech to crowd at the National 4-H Council sixth annual Legacy Awards.
4. 2015 National 4-H Council Legacy Award honorees celebrate together with their prestigious awards: Nosa Akol New York 4-H'er and recipient, 2015 4-H Youth in Action award and Javier Palomarez, president and CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and recipient of the 2015 4-H Distinguished Alumni Medallion.
5. Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, National 4-H Council, addresses packed audience of business, political and nonprofit leaders at the sixth annual National 4-H Council Legacy Awards.

About 4-H
4-H, the nation's largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. 4-H programs empower nearly six million young people across the U.S. through experiences that develop critical life skills. In the U.S., 4-H serves every county and parish through our network of 110 universities and more than 3000 local offices. Globally, 4-H collaborates with independent programs to empower one million youth in 50 countries. The research-backed 4-H experience grows young people who are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two times more likely to be civically active; and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs.  4-H is led by a unique private-public partnership of universities, federal and local government agencies, foundations and professional associations. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of the Cooperative Extension System and 4-H National Headquarters located at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H.

SOURCE National 4-H Council