News : Local 4-H member donates barn quilt for Iowa 4-H Foundation auction

Garrett Paustian, a Benton County 4-H member donated a barn quilt to the Iowa 4-H Foundation for its annual auction.

4-H supporters from around the state gathered on Feb. 28 in Cedar Rapids to raise funds to support the Foundation. Over 200 attendees enjoyed an evening full of food, socializing, and of course, opportunities to bid on more than 110 silent and live auction items! At the end of the night, over $106,000 was raised to fund opportunities for Iowa’s 4-H youth which include state-level award recognition, scholarships, national 4-H trips as well as financial aid support.

“We were thrilled with the success of this event,” said Albert Grunenwald, Executive Director of the Iowa 4-H Foundation. “It was a great night to connect with people who care about the future of 4-H in Iowa. Funds raised from this event will help to give Iowa’s 4-Hers opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have had.”

The live and silent auctions raised $24,620 and $17,500 respectively. This year’s Fund-A-Need portion of the auction raised more than $5,750 to support National 4-H Congress! These funds will allow the Iowa 4-H Program to bring five more Iowa 4-H’ers on this national 4-H experience. Highlights of the silent auction were the 17 items submitted by Iowa 4-H’ers. Half of the proceeds from these auction items go back to the 4-H members’ local county or 4-H clubs. Garrett's club, the Harrison Willing Workers, received half of the proceeds from the auction of his barn quilt.

“We are pleased to be able to highlight the efforts of local 4-H’ers, to help support their local programs and promote the impact 4-H has on Iowa’s young people,” Grunenwald said. “We thank the many sponsors, auction donors, attendees and friends­­ for supporting this vital program in our state.”