State Honoree

Kadon Leddy, 12, of Stockholm, S.D., a seventh-grader at Milbank Middle School, has focused his energies on reaching out to senior citizens in his area for the past six years. When he used to visit his great-grandparents at a local nursing home, "I saw how other residents' faces lit up with smiles when they saw me walk through the door," said Kadon. That realization prompted him to start visiting seniors at other nursing homes and assisted living centers in his county. "At first, meeting the residents was scary because I did not know the people, but as I got to visit with them they felt like grandparents," he recalled. When Kadon became his 4-H club's community service officer, the club's focus on seniors increased, with Kadon initiating and coordinating community service activities each month. Many of these activities took place at local nursing homes and included delivering special food items, providing holiday favors, playing music and bingo with residents, and bringing in small animals to cheer them up. Kadon also provides homegrown vegetables to elderly friends, and serves rolls and coffee to seniors at his church. "I have learned that reaching out to others makes our community a more caring, close-knit place," he said.