Pat Tonn
I grew up in Chilliwack and 4-H has always been a part of the community. Our neighbours and friends invited our family to be a part of it as soon as I turned nine and that was the start of it all. My parents were leaders, and my brother and I were a part of the foods and dairy club and we did all the speaking, demos, judging, junior leader, fairs, provincial programs, exchanges, everything that was part of the fun! It was something for the family to do together and often was our holidays for 10 years!
I learned lots of great skills in 4-H like working in teams, public speaking, leadership, about BC agriculture and traveling. I went to university to be a teacher and started my career teaching, but it wasn't long until I was pulled back to the Agriculture and the 4-H program. I was teaching in Kitimat, and the winters were cold with much more snow than I expected, so I applied for the Youth Development Specialist Position with the Ministry of Agriculture in Abbotsford and suddenly my job was teaching 4-H members and leaders in a program I admired and had learned so much in myself. I spent 25 years with Youth and Community Development Programs and the Ministry of Agriculture, eventually in management, I always said "building the leaders of tomorrow... today". It was rewarding, I worked with the best people in 4-H and in agriculture, where I found my mentors, people dedicated to making a difference for youth, great team members for building programs, and longtime friends!
As a 4-H member my most memorable experience was when I was awarded the National 4-H Agriculture Scholarship at the Canadian National Exhibition, an honour and fantastic trip to Toronto. Working with the 4-H program I was most proud of the difference we made in young peoples' lives through teaching and experiences in the 4-H program, it was never about the champion animal, or the trophy, it was about everything the members learned on their way to that achievement.
For the last part of my career, I was inspired to teach even more young people about the value of agriculture and gratitude for Farmers. Everything I learned in my career through teaching, 4-H and working in the agriculture community has given me a great background to lead BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation as their Executive Director, a responsibility so important to the future of the industry. I am thankful for the support of long time 4-H friends and the opportunity to learn more about BC agriculture and food.
