Estella (Stella) Almeida of Eatontown will be inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame on Oct. 7 for her lifetime achievements and contributions to 4-H.
Honored by the New Jersey 4-H Youth Development Program, Almeida will be one of 16 people inducted during the ceremony at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
The National 4-H Hall of Fame honorees are nominated by their home states, National 4-H Council, National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) or the 4-H National Headquarters/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), based on their exceptional leadership at the local, state, national and international levels.
Honorees will be presented with a National 4-H Hall of Fame medallion, plaque and memory book during the ceremony. The National 4-H Hall of Fame was established in 2002 as part of the Centennial Project of the NAE4-HA in partnership with the National 4-H Council and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.
“We are proud to acknowledge the outstanding 2016 National 4-H Hall of Fame honorees for the passion, dedication, vision and leadership they’ve shown toward our young people during their many years of service to 4-H,” said Jeannette Rea Keywood, National 4-H Hall of Fame committee chair.
Almeida volunteer’s her time to the 4-H program as well as other organizations. She became involved in the Monmouth County 4-H Youth Development Program when her children joined 4-H in 1980 and is now in her 36th year as a 4-H volunteer. She began as a dedicated 4-H horse club leader, but over the years she has also volunteered to chaperone state delegations to national 4-H events, assisted with county advisory councils and planned major equine events, including the state 4-H Horse Show. Even after her children aged out of the 4-H program, Almeida continued her service and dedication to the organization.
Almeida has embraced the program at its core and contributed on the county, state, national and international levels. She is passionate about the importance of public speaking and leads by example. She developed the county 4-H presentation curriculum, has been a state public presentation contest judge, a state 4-H Equine Presentations team coach and is currently the national chair of the Eastern National 4-H Round-Up Equine Presentations program.
Almeida contributes to her county 4-H program as a mentor and leader and also supports the state 4-H program and its civic and citizenship trips for state delegations to Citizenship Washington Focus and the International Japanese Exchange.
She was on the planning committee when New Jersey hosted the Northeast Regional 4-H Leaders’ Forum as she recognized the importance of educating and supporting other 4-H volunteers. Over the years, she has consistently stepped up to take on various county and state leadership roles.
For more than 30 years, she has served as the coordinator for the Monmouth County and Tri-County 4-H Horse Shows. She has been chair of the New Jersey 4-H Horse Project Advisory Council several times and has also served as vice chair and secretary as well. She has chaired the state 4-H Horse Show for 25 years and served as the New Jersey 4-H Equine Presentations coach for many years prior to becoming a member of the of the Eastern Regional National Round-Up Equine Presentations Planning Committee 10 years ago.
In support of the 4-H program, Almeida has coordinated benefit horse shows to raise money for St. Jude’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House for several years.
Each Memorial Day, she encourages patriotic horse project participation in parades with horse and riders decorated in red, white and blue and donates hand flags for all 4-H parade participants.
Her club has been recognized with a community service award for writing letters to active-duty military members and for providing donations for military packs. She has developed a 4-H partnership with local veteran organizations and provided opportunities for 4-H members to participate in Armed Forces Day at local military bases.
Outside of 4-H, she helps needy families and supports veteran groups with her husband, Manny, who is an active member of state and local veteran organizations.
She was recognized for her contribution with the New Jersey Association of 4-H Agents Volunteer of the Year award in 2001; the 2002 New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station/Rutgers Cooperative Extension Volunteer of the Year Award; and the Eastern National Round-Up Outstanding Service Award in 2014.
For more information about the National 4-H Hall of Fame event and past recipients, visit www.nae4ha.com/hof.