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Ohio 4-H Youth Development

Ohio State University Extension

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Faces of Ohio 4-H – Shannon Amos

Shannon Amos

Each month, Ohio 4-H highlights an outstanding alumnus who shares how 4-H shaped their life, and how they continue to give back. This month we are featuring Wood County 4-H alumna, Shannon Amos, who is the vice president of agency programs for Children's Hunger Alliance.

4-H meant camp for Shannon Amos. “Going to camp as both a camper and counselor were my best 4-H memories over the years! As a camper, the counselors made camp, so much fun that I knew I wanted to become a counselor. As an older 4-H’er and counselor, I looked back on the counselors who made the best camp experiences and tried to provide that same experienShannon during 4-H swine show judging.ce for campers.”

Amos took a variety of 4-H projects from art to gardening to a dairy beef feeder. As an older member she was active in Junior Leaders, Food and Fashion Board, and Junior Fair Board. 4-H took her to Conservation Camp, 4-H Club Congress, Buckeye Leadership, and Leadership Washington Focus.

All those experiences made an impact. “Many of the friendships I developed while in 4-H, I have to this day. I met and became friends with my husband through our mutual 4-H experiences as well.”

Many of the skills that Amos learned during her 4-H career carried into her professional life. “I really developed a passion for community service due to my 4-H experiences, so I knew I wanted a career in which I was working to benefit others. I started in so1997 Junior Fair Queen Courtcial work and then switched to a program in human/child development called child and family community services.

In her current role, Amos works to expand food access for at-risk children. “We support the establishment and expansion of USDA Child Nutrition programs in family childcare homes, childcare centers, afterschool and summer programs, and school meals. We also provide nutrition education and physical activity education in many of these settings.”

She recognizes the lifelong impact of 4-H. “While I've certainly honed many skills in the workforce over the years, I gained a solid foundation of many skills through my 4-H experiences and use many of them on a daily basis! Even though I didn't know it at the time, 4-H really gave me a head start on many professional skills needed to be successful in my career.”