A Jefferson resident was recently recognized for her work with ISU Greene County Extension.

Samantha Hardaway, who is the Greene County Extension 4-H and Youth Coordinator, was the recipient of the Excellence in Partnerships to Iowans award for the Southwest Area. According to ISU Extension and Outreach, this award is given to county extension staff that work with different public and private entities within Iowa. The Greene County Extension Office says one of those successful collaborations that Hardaway has had is with the Greene County Career Academy with Iowa Central Community College with the youth exploration camps to give kids an opportunity to learn the educational strains that they could do when they get into high school.

The Greene County Extension Office goes on to say that with the partnerships that Hardaway has been able to work with, 4-H’ers were offered 19 project workshops which has resulted in over 200 projects that were exhibited at the 2024 Greene County Fair, and that was nearly double the amount from the previous year. 

The award announcement was made at the recently held Southwest Area County Services Awards program.