From the left: Lill Smith, Jennifer Hyland-Waldroff, Fayd Alhattab, Jill Robinson and Kenda TePlate. Thompson Goddard Photo

AVONMORE – Stormont County 4-H and Roxborough Agricultural Society provided people with the opportunity to enjoy a roast beef dinner, followed by an entertaining and informative presentation from guest speaker Fahd Alhattab. Approximately 80 people attended the event held at North Stormont Place on Sat., Oct. 15.

Among the goals set for the Stormont County 4-H organization, in 2022 was to make leadership development a priority. After attending a volunteer conference, members received several ideas for achieving this goal. That resulted in a May leadership fun day for 4-H members held at North Stormont Place, a presentation by Junkyard Symphony in the Finch arena with the event concluding with dinner. A note of thanks was provided to the community for their support of the organization.

Jill Robinson, a member of the Stormont County 4-H fundraising committee, introduced the guest speaker for the evening, Fahd Alhattab who she described as: “On a mission to build the next generation of global leaders.” During his presentation, he provided the audience with engaging and interesting stories about coming to this country in the late 1990s following the first Gulf War, where Iraq invaded his Kuwaiti homeland. He described the challenges faced by his family and how together they were able to overcome the chaos. As he graduated from elementary school, a teacher challenged him and a friend to help the people in the local community.

While in Grade 12, he was contacted by this friend and together they decided to organize and run a March Break Camp for the local children to give them opportunities they hadn’t had growing up. Alhattab described the various challenges they faced, noting how through collaboration, mentorship, and assistance from others, the camp became a reality and served the community for several years.

He commented how it was amazing to hear all the things that 4-H provides to their young people and to see people coming together and working as a team to provide these opportunities. Alhattab mentioned how making the community, the country, the world better than when you arrived is a purpose many people have in life. He mentioned how a split-second decision can result in the changing of a person’s life and the need to be mindful of this.

“What we do as leaders and individuals is we have small actions that create a sense of belonging” and people need a sense of belonging to grow as an individual, noting how organizations such as Stormont County 4-H provide this to their members.