On May 11, 1981, during the course of the evening’s business meeting and 4-H presentations, an explosion occurred in the house that held 27 people (4-H members, their parents, siblings and leaders) and severely injured many of them. It was a miracle that no one lost his or her life that night.
In the face of this tragedy, we saw our local community come together like never before. The victims became known as the “Burn Victims” and a fund was established to help those burned with the mounting expenses which had been kept in a trust fund through First Central State Bank. The youngest “burn victim” was just 18 months old at the time. When she became an adult there was no longer a need for these funds to be held.
In 1994 the “burn victims” decided to give back to the community that so richly blessed them during this tragedy. An annual $500 scholarship will be given to a graduating high school senior in Clinton County who has been a 4-H member for at least four years, exemplifies the leadership skills gained through 4-H and shows a strong commitment to service within their community.
Applications are due April 1st of each year and can be found on the Clinton County Extension website and at: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/clinton/recognitionawards