February 18, 2026
Volunteer Salute to Excellence Award
The 4-H organization is a community of young people across Kansas who are learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. Volunteers are the heartbeat of the 4-H program, serving as mentors, teachers, and friends. The National Salute to Excellence Volunteer Recognition Award recognizes 4-H volunteers who demonstrate exceptional service to 4-H. The Kansas Association of 4-H Volunteers has adopted the Salute to Excellence award to recognize and promote Kansas 4-H volunteers who have excelled in their roles locally and continue to select Kansas’ top volunteers for the National competition. The Kansas Association of Volunteers believes establishing the Salute to Excellence Award will provide two options for the Kansas 4-H Program: 1) recognition of 4-H Volunteers for their outstanding contributions to 4-H youth, and 2) enhance the mission and awareness of the Kansas Association of 4-H Volunteers.
Each extension unit may select its representative and submit its nominees electronically to the Department of 4-H Youth Development by March 1, 2026. These individuals will then have an opportunity to be selected as the Kansas Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer and Volunteer of the Year. The two Kansas honorees then become Kansas’ nominees for the North Central and National 4-H awards.
For more information, please go to https://www.kansas4-h.org/resources/awards-and-recognition/volunteer-salute-to-excellence.html