Over the weekend the YICU award winners were announced during a virtual event. The group's mission is to recognize and celebrate young adults' leadership skills and contributions to the broader community. The Olympia school district had
The Olympia High School Life Skills Class won the YICU 2021 Advocate Award and Olympia Board of Education Vice President Carolyn Hansen won the YICU 2021 Mentor Award! We would like to congratulate them on their achievement!
The Olympia High School Life Skills Class is a group of teens and young adults with special needs who learn life skills that help prepare them to be contributing members of society. They are also committed to being active contributing students to Olympia High School and the communities they serve. They show the general population of the school what Community Service is all about. They frequently volunteer at the Helping Hands by sorting food. The class also leads Olympia Middle and High Schools in their canned food drives. They also coordinate the stocking of the Emergency Mini Food Pantry that is on the campus.
Carolyn Hansen graduated with a degree in Social Studies Education and a Master’s degree in Adult Education from The Ohio State University, although she has never taught in the classroom. Her commitment to youth of all ages has been shown through her professional and volunteer work. Her involvement with 4-H spans 60 years since she was a member, to being a leader in Ohio and Illinois, and she closed her career by serving as 4-H and Youth Educator with University of Illinois Extension in McLean County. Throughout her adult life she has also worked with high school and college students, mostly through Kiwanis International, working with Key Club and Circle K. As a 4-H member she lived in the Philippines working with their 4-H program and created several curricula and established a camping program. Since then, she continues to work with IFYE as a state coordinator finding host families in Illinois for collegians from various countries. She recently was a chaperone for 13 teenagers from 8 states to Japan with the State’s 4-H International Program for 8 weeks. She was responsible for their training, in country care and debriefing. Currently, she is a leader with the Olympia Pacesetters 4-H Club. This is her fourth year serving on the YICU steering committee. Carolyn has been married to Gordon for 32 years and is mother to son, Eric.
