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4-H Canada

The Canadian 4-H Foundation Endowment Fund

Celebrate 4-H Alumni

 

Ida Thomas
Ida Thomas
Bruce Sargent
Bruce Sargent
Jon Montgomery
Jon Montgomery
Cristy Nurse
Cristy Nurse
Ida Thomas

Vice President, Children, Teens and Young Adults YMCA
"The lessons I learned in my teens through my participation in 4-H have stayed with me always. While skill development was important the values and leadership opportunities 4-H provided had the most significant impact on me."  

About Ida

As a youth, Ida lived in Haldimand and  attended clubs in East Seneca and Canfield from 1971 - 1977. She  completed 12 clubs as a participant and 2 as a leader while in high school and received provincial honours.

In her role as Vice President of Children, Teens and Young Adults at YMCA Canada, Ida provides strategic leadership to a number of YMCA initiatives related to improving health outcomes. She provides oversight to a national youth engagement strategy ensuring young people are connected to local community priorities and have voice on identified societal needs. As a passionate advocate for the rights of children and youth she supports the delivery of the YMCA Young Leaders Initiative as well as YMCA Child Protection Strategy.

Over the past 22 years she has been in senior YMCA leadership positions in the areas of child care, health, fitness and recreation, financial development and management resources with both the YMCA of Greater Toronto and the YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford.

Prior to her career at the YMCA, Ida held several positions within provincial and municipal government in the areas of family support and child care from both licensing and funding perspectives. Ida has a Family Studies degree from the University of Guelph and has completed numerous professional development opportunities through her career. Ida is the past chair of Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada.

Bruce Sargent
Bruce Sargent

Owner & Founder of Farm Boy Productions
“Being involved in 4-H provided me with countless opportunities for personal growth. Whether it was through clubs, local shows, or provincial camps, I was constantly being pushed to learn and grow. I believe 4-H is the best youth organization for creating life learning occasions. It can be as simple as a puzzle at a camp or as complex as problem solving and communicating effectively at a high stress cattle show. Undeniably this experience has benefited my entrepreneurial spirit of starting my own business and growing a national client base. It has also encouraged me to give back to 4-H by leading a club, chaperoning cattle shows and facilitating provincial camps.”

About Bruce

Bruce was born and raised the eldest son on his family's Jersey farm in East Central Ontario. Always a member of the Dairy Club, Bruce dabbled in dog club, pigeon club, and a few others during his time in 4-H. From a young age, Bruce was interested in computers and technology. During high school, Bruce became very involved in Communications Technology and decided to pursue a Degree in Marketing Management at the University of Guelph. While at the UofG, Bruce started Farm Boy Productions, a media production company specializing in on-farm video and photography after he noticed a gap in the ability of city firms to service farm companies. Farm Boy Productions is now in its 6th year of operation and travels across Canada for clients.     

Jon Montgomery

Jon Montgomery

Olympian and host of The Amazing Race Canada

“I will forever be grateful for my time in 4-H.  The beef club safely introduced me to responsibilities earlier in life than I would have otherwise been exposed.  Things like financial accountability, for feed and the eventual sale of my animals was a necessary part of the business of raising livestock.  Collaboration and communication were vital elements of my 4-H experience so that my animals received proper grooming and training and were fed while I was at school or away with other commitments.  4-H continues to prepare young people for the Real World while providing a framework to build lasting relationships and valuable skills. “

About Jon
Jon Montgomery became a celebrated Canadian when he defied great odds to win the Gold Medal in Skeleton racing at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics – beating out his closest opponent by 7/100th of a second. Jon celebrated his victory with his famous “beer walk” in Whistler BC – reflecting his zest for life, pride at being a Canadian and love for great beer. He has gone on to become a compelling inspirational speaker and is the outgoing and engaging host of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA. 

Cristy Nurse

Olympic Rower
“Learning how to accept and move on from both success and disappointment is a learned skill, and at times like this the lessons I learned in competitive 4-H continue to serve me. More than once did I reach what was then the Scotia Bank Classic show at the Royal Winter Fair to find my heifer wouldn't behave on show day... No one likes to lose, but there is a lot to be learned in these cases, and I am grateful 4-H taught me so well.”

About Cristy

Cristy Nurse grew up on her parent’s dairy farm, in Georgetown, ON and competed in 4-H livestock competitions from an early age. This competitive nature is what found Cristy moving from varsity basketball at the University of Guelph and invited to Rowing Canada’s National Training Centre in London, ON in 2010. By 2015, Cristy was named Rowing Canada’s Senior Athlete of the Year. She competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. For the full story on Cristy’s Olympic experience, check out the 2016 edition of The 4-H Advantage. 

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