4-H
The Amazing Leaders of Kind Clovers
By BEN W.
Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 Clover Chronicles
Gene and Cinde Bontrager are the leaders of the Kind Clovers 4-H Club. This year (2024) they are celebrating their 25th anniversary of being the club leaders. Kind Clovers is a general 4-H Club that meets on the third Monday of each month. A general club includes a large variety of projects done by its members. The projects are exhibited in the ECCC building. Some of the projects include Arts, Crafts, Cooking, Photography, Models, Cake Decorating, Sewing, Floriculture, Gardening and many more.
Each month the club has an interesting meeting, teaching a variety of subjects. There is fun, friendship, food and a good dose of learning. The clubs members are taught to lead, learn, volunteer and be charitable. They are encouraged and given advice on how to complete all of their own 4-H projects.
I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Gene and Cinde in their home. I asked them questions about their jobs, connections to the fair, and what they enjoyed about 4-H in Elkhart County.
When asked about how they came to be leaders, Cinde said it kind of fell into their laps. The current leaders had quit so someone needed to take the lead. Their children were members of Kind Clovers, and Gene was on the advisory board so they stepped up and became the leaders. They have led the club ever since.
I asked Gene and Cinde what their favorite thing was to do at the fair. Gene laughingly said "Eat!"
Then he explained that the thing he enjoys most is working with Wayne and Jan Robinson on the Green Committee. He enjoyed bottle cap sorting, which they both helped with. He said that they helped take the sorted lids and caps to the processing plant, to be made into tables and benches. Then he would bring the finished tables and park benches back to the fair.
Then he explained that the thing he enjoys most is working with Wayne and Jan Robinson on the Green Committee. He enjoyed bottle cap sorting, which they both helped with. He said that they helped take the sorted lids and caps to the processing plant, to be made into tables and benches. Then he would bring the finished tables and park benches back to the fair.
Cinde's favorite thing to do is help with the judging. She enjoys checking in the projects that are brought in. She also helps checking in foods and assisting the judges that day. She very much enjoys all of the people and all of the members. She said she likes it when the past members walk up to talk or just say hi.
A favorite thing they both like to do at the fair is to volunteer emptying recycling bins every day at 6 p.m. They also help clean the grandstands daily after the last show of the day.
Gene said that he was never in 4-H, but did have animals. (His father said it was 4-H for him.)
Cinde was a member of the Elkhart County Busy Beavers 4-H Club. The projects she took were Cooking, Photography, and Fine Arts. She said that the projects that she took back then were displayed in a tent here at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair.
Cinde's favorite fair food is corn dogs. Gene's favorite fair food is ice cream from the Dairy Bar.
The club, when they started leading, consisted of 20 members. During the course of the years, it has reached as high as 80 members. Being a member myself, we all know how emotional it is for Cinde each year as she announces the 10-year members at the club banquet. They both really care about the members.
I was very surprised to find out that they volunteered for much more than just the Kind Clovers at the fair. They put so much effort into the club each year. If you see them at the fairgrounds please tell them, a well-deserved 'Happy Anniversary!'
Gene and Cindy Bontrager emptying recycling bins