Janice Pollard

In her four years with Saginaw County 4-H, Jan Pollard has been an inspiration to numerous 4-H members. A teacher with more than 32 years of experience, Pollard is always looking for opportunities for young people to succeed by helping them to see their potential career and utilize their skills. She also encourages youth to seek partners in the community and encourages their involvement. Pollard formed a 4-H Youth Conservation Council (YCC) for youth to seek out and address issues in the community. And with her guidance, youth designed a recycling system to cut down on the trash and save the school money. In addition, she works with students in her classroom and an after-school 4-H program on a biodiesel production project funded by several local businesses. Her 4-H club members collect cooking oil throughout the school year and over the summer they process the oil into biodiesel that fuels five buses during the school year. Pollard was also named the 2010 North Central Region 4-H Salute to Excellence Volunteer of the Year and will be recognized at the North Central Region 4-H Volunteer Forum, to be held October 7-10, 2010, at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus.