Each month, we highlight an Ohio 4‑H alum whose journey demonstrates the program’s lasting impact. This month we feature Grace Lucas, a Greene County alumna who spent 10 years as a member of the Farmers and Friends 4-H Club.
For Grace, 4-H is a family tradition that began with her parents. Her mother showed hogs and horses in Greene County, while her father exhibited cattle in Guernsey County. Surrounded by livestock and county fair culture, Grace quickly developed an interest in 4-H; especially after watching her older brother raise his first market lamb, she knew she wanted to join as soon as she was eligible.
Rabbit projects caught her attention early on in her 4-H experience, as Grace would find herself in the rabbit barn at the Greene County Fair. Rabbit Committee member Shelly Bryan became a key mentor, helping her learn about care, showmanship, and project selection. “She was supportive and helped multiple people in the rabbit barn and shows,” reflected Grace on Shelly’s impact on her life. Grace began exhibiting Dwarf Hotots and later expanded to Lionheads after attending the Ohio State Rabbit Breeders Association Mini Convention, bringing her first registered pair home that same day.
In addition to rabbits, Grace occasionally showed market hogs, sheep, and goats. She also enjoyed creative and specialty projects, including sheep lead-in classes, costume contests, and flower gardening. Her very first flower gardening project earned her a trip to the Ohio State Fair—a memory she still treasures.
Grace also embraced leadership throughout her 4-H career. She served as a club officer for several years, earning the 4-H Outstanding Teen Leader Award in 2017. On the Greene County Junior Fair Board, she chaired the rabbit committee for five years and led educational tours during fair week. She also represented the program as Lamb Princess in 2016 and Rabbit Queen in 2017 and 2018, and she participated in 4-H Camp Clifton as both a camper and counselor.
Today, Grace works as an early childhood educator and credits 4-H with shaping her career path. Teaching others how to care for animals, leading tours, and mentoring younger members helped her discover her passion for working with youth. Her time as a camp counselor strengthened her skills in patience, problem solving, teamwork, and communication. She continues to rely on the work ethic, public speaking, responsibility, and empathy she developed through 4-H.
Her favorite 4-H memories center around the friendships that she built. “We would hang out before and after shows, stay up late at the fair, play games, and work our animals together,” reflected Grace. Many of those friendships have lasted well beyond her 4-H years.
Grace encourages current members to embrace every opportunity 4-H offers. She reminds youth that success is not defined by winning, but by the experiences gained along the way— “it’s awesome to win, but the experience is far greater than an award.” She encourages participation in skillathons, judging contests, showmanship, and open classes, emphasizing that knowledge and effort matter far more than the cost of an animal.
She continues to give back to the 4-H program by participating in attending the county fair with friends and family, entering drawings in the Dining Hall, and planning to join a barn committee when she lives permanently in the area.
“4-H has helped shape me into the responsible person that I am today and has given me the chance to meet so many wonderful people,” Grace shared. “I have gained lifelong friends and discovered a career I love through working with and teaching children.”