National 4-H Council announced in September that Evelyn Wade of North Lawrence, Ohio, is a runner-up for the 4-H Youth in Action Award. She is being nationally recognized for using her sewing skills to mentor young people and benefit her community.
Most people join 4-H, but Evelyn Wade was born into it. Her parents met as volunteers at a 4-H camp! She was elected to an officer role in her club, which forced her out of her comfort zone and led her to explore sewing. Although her mom participated in a 4-H sewing project in her youth, Evelyn had no experience as a seamstress. However, she was determined to give it her all and quickly found success at the state level. This inspired her to create “A Stitch Away,” a sewing and alteration business that enabled her to mentor younger 4-H’ers and teach youth about the importance of community service through sewing-based service projects and donations.
As Evelyn’s sewing skills continued to develop, so did her involvement in 4-H. For the past five years, she has served as president of her local club, helped twenty-five new families join her local 4-H program, and served a one-year term on the Ohio State 4-H Fashion Board. 4-H gave her confidence, mentorship opportunities, and organizational skills to take on leadership roles and create community service projects in her high school as well.
Wade, eighteen, began sewing as a 4-H project, earning awards at the local and state levels. Expanding on these skills, she created an alteration business, “A Stitch Away,” to teach younger 4-H’ers sewing skills; she donated the profits earned from clients to local charities and youth organizations. Because of her expertise, she was able to double her local 4-H club’s membership, serve on the Ohio State 4-H Fashion Board, and represent Ohio 4-H at the Ignite by 4-H conference and National 4-H Conference in 2025.
The 4-H Youth in Action Awards began in 2010 to recognize 4-H’ers who have used the knowledge they gained in 4-H to create a lasting impact in their community. To learn more about the 4-H Youth in Action program and the 2025 runners-up, please visit 4-H.org/Youthinaction.