Volunteer a ‘guiding light’
With 40 years of volunteer work under his belt, Jim Taney has never seen a bad 4-Her.
He has been volunteering and working with Utah State University students in a 4-H Club for over 40 years, and was recently named to the National 4-H Club Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame during National 4-H Club Week last week in Washington, D.C.
“He is the guiding light for adults on how they can help youth today by volunteering,” Jack Payne, vice president for USU Extension, said.
Taney is admired not only by the youth he works with, but also by his associates for the impact his volunteer work as had on the youth.
Taney and his wife Connie reside in Taylorsville, where they began a 4-H club with their five children in 1965. Connie’s parents and grandparents had been involved with the 4-H club and she wanted the tradition to continue. The Taneys expanded their club to include neighbors and eventually the community, including various students from Utah State University.
“It really takes a dedicated effort to put aside time in your life and for most volunteers, it becomes their life,” Payne said. This is the case with Taney. “It’s became a lifestyle for him and for us,” Connie said. “While sometimes it is tough, it’s a lifestyle that we enjoy because we are able to help the youth in our community.” “Of the 20 people being honored nationally, he is the only volunteer,” Payne said.
Taney volunteers not only for the 4-H program, but also for the Salt Lake County Teen Council, Boy Scouts of America, Taylorsville-Bennion Heritage Center Restoration Project, judging at county and state fairs and numerous other youth programs and activities. Being well known for his cooking skills, Taney is often recruited to cook for a variety of camps, retreats and road trips. “He gets up at 4:30 a.m. to start cooking and cooks until 9 p.m.,” John Paul Murphy, 4-H youth development specialist at USU, said. “We eat like kings and queens when he cooks.”
Taney doesn’t mind this responsibility and is often also in charge of coordinating these trips from beginning to end. “I’m happiest when handling the logistics and seeing the results of my effort in the eyes of the kids and fellow volunteers,” Taney said. Currently, Taney and his wife are county chairmen of the Taylorsville-Bennion Heritage Center Restoration Project. They have worked to obtain funding for this project and many are excited to see the results.
“He’s bringing the farm to the city,” Murphy said as he explained the set up of the center.
The Taneys hope to provide a place for children to come and teach them a little more about rural life and the history of their community. Sheep, cows, horses, chickens, rabbits and mules currently occupy the center and the garden will be back in the spring. Taney hopes to preserve the heritage and lifestyle of the people who settled the area and those who have lived there since then.
“Jim has always been there for everything we’ve needed,” Murphy said.
Taney’s philosophy to serve youth, make a difference and help turn kids around is seen in his constant and unfailing efforts serving them. He truly is the guiding light for anyone wanting to change others by being a volunteer, Murphy said.
-albaugh@cc.usu.edu