Gary and Susanne McCollum of Gasport were recently honored as the 2007 4-H Distinguished Award Winners at the annual meeting and dinner of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County.
The McCollums, who own and operate a dairy farm, have been long-term supporters of and leaders in the Niagara County 4-H program. They were both active as youth members of the Orangeport Rangers 4-H Club and have continued their love and support of 4-H throughout their lives. The McCollums’ 4-H tradition continues today with their grandchildren.
The McCollum family has given financial support to the 4-H program, has donated equipment for dairy exhibitors and donated straw for animal bedding at the fair, even in years when the straw crop was poor. They also have been ready and willing to help out on short notice, contributing the use of farm equipment and operators to prepare the tractor pull area at the fairgrounds.
The McCollums also are active in the Holstein Association, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, the Western New York Land Conservancy and the American Farmland Trust. They were also instrumental in forming the Committee to Save Farmland and were successful in preventing the loss of prime Niagara County farmland to a railroad right-of-way.
A plaque with the McCollum coat of arms will be on permanent display in the auditorium of the 4-H Training Center at 4487 Lake Ave., Lockport.
