Coleman Killinger, 4-H Youth Development Agent with N.C. Cooperative Extension in Carteret County, was recognized for outstanding achievements during the 2025 North Carolina Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals (NCAE4-HYDP) Annual Conference held in Burlington, NC on August 27, 2025.

Coleman received two Communicator Awards for her impactful work highlighting 4-H youth initiatives in Carteret County. She was honored with the Communicator Award for Published Photo for a powerful image capturing a collaborative community service project between Carteret County 4-H and the Broad Creek Middle School FBLA Chapter. The initiative resulted in the donation of 15 handmade tie blankets to cancer patients, reinforcing the transformative impact of service-learning on youth participants.

In addition, Killinger received the Communicator Award for Feature Story, shared with
Carteret County 4-H’er Carter Becton. The story highlighted the East to West Youth Matter Program, an initiative inspired by Becton to connect and encourage youth in eastern North Carolina who were affected by Hurricane Helene. The program helped build meaningful connections with 4-H youth in western North Carolina, demonstrating the power of young people leading with compassion and purpose.

The North Carolina Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals promotes the profession of Extension 4-H and youth work across the state. 4-H is the youth education program of North Carolina Cooperative Extension, based at North Carolina State and North Carolina A&T State Universities. More than 260,000 young people ages 5 through 18 participate in North Carolina 4-H each year, supported by 16,700 adult and youth volunteers.

Visit here for more information about 4-H in North Carolina.