National 4-H Council announced this week that Kiya Kernodle, 17, of Graham, North Carolina, has been named a runner-up for the 4-H Youth in Action Award, a national honor recognizing 4-H youth who are making meaningful, lasting change in the lives of others. Kernodle is being recognized for her work with children of all abilities, and for founding Kiya’s Cupcake Fundraiser, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting local students and families in need.
Kernodle’s journey began with NC State Extension’s 4-H program, when she volunteered at a community egg hunt hosted for children in a special education class. Though she had never worked with children with differing needs and abilities, the event quickly became her favorite 4-H activity — and inspired her to pursue a career as a special education teacher.
As her passion grew, Kernodle began helping with an all-abilities dance class in her community. When she learned that some families couldn’t afford recital costumes, she began baking and selling cupcakes to raise money. The effort took off, and Kiya’s Cupcake Fundraiser soon expanded to address other community needs.
With support from family, friends and her local 4-H club, Kernodle has paid off school lunch balances for graduating seniors, provided supplies to underfunded elementary schools and created two free food pantries. She also hosted a cupcake-decorating class through 4-H, with proceeds benefiting her nonprofit projects.
“Kiya embodies the mission of 4-H and NC State Extension by applying her skills and passion to create opportunities for others,” said Mike Yoder, state 4-H leader with NC State Extension. “She saw a local need and found a solution that’s made a meaningful difference in people’s lives — we couldn’t be more proud.”
The 4-H Youth in Action Awards, launched in 2010, honor outstanding youths who apply what they’ve learned through 4-H to make a positive impact in their communities. Learn more about this year’s honorees at 4-H.org/youthinaction.
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA 4-H
North Carolina 4-H, the youth development program of NC State Extension, serves more than 275,000 young people each year across all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Through local clubs, after-school programs, camps and hands-on learning experiences, 4-H empowers youth to build confidence, develop life skills and make a difference in their communities.
Learn more about North Carolina 4‑H at go.ncsu.edu/About4-H and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
