Ask Lee Ann Clark how long she’s worked for the St. Clair County office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and she’s likely to tell you she grew up there.

“I was a 4-H’er from the time I was in sixth grade until I was a freshman in college, so I kind of feel like I grew up here as a kid,” she said.  “It’s great to have been able to come back and work here.”

Now the county’s extension coordinator, she promotes the programs in which she once participated.  “I don’t call it a job.  It’s something I love to do.”  In her Pell City office, festively decorated for the season, she explains how she benefited from 4-H, the purpose of the extension system, and how she maintains a positive attitude about life.  

The extension system:  The nonprofit organization offers outreach programs conducted by regional extension agents to help individuals and communities improve their quality of life and economic well-being.  “We have an advisory leadership council which makes suggestions about how we direct our programs to see how best to meet the needs of those they serve,” Clark said.  

The best part of her work:  “Being able to help people and work with a variety of age groups.  I enjoy meeting and talking with folks from all over the county.”

The job’s biggest challenge:  “Finding the funds we need for our programs.  Extension is funded federally, through the state, and the county commission.  We are very appreciative of what the county provides for us, but with the economy the way it is, sometimes it’s hard to find everything we need. Sometimes we have to rely on grants and funds we raise locally, which can be challenging. Like 4-H, for example.  I wish there were funds available so we could reach more kids.  I know, being a product of 4-H, that it definitely helps you”

How it helped her:  “I was a quiet child, and 4-H helped me come out of my shell.  It encourages you to do things you probably would not do otherwise.  Through 4-H, I won an expense-paid trip that allowed me to spend eight days in Washington, D.C.  As a 15-year-old who’d never been any place like that before, it was a great experience.  I learned a lot about government and leadership.  I also participated in 4-H competitions at Auburn and the University of Montevallo.  Without 4-H, I might not have had opportunity to visit those campuses, which helped me make a decision about where to go to school.”  She graduated from Montevallo with a degree in family and consumer science.

How she describes herself:  “Happy-go-lucky, if that’s the right word.  Life can be hard.  I’ve definitely learned that over the last few years, but I’ve also learned that life is what you make of it.  One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass.  It’s about learning to dance in the rain.’  You just have to make the best of things.  We’re all going to have bad things to deal with, but if you look hard enough, you can always find a blessing in something.”

The best advice she ever received:  “I think so many times about my dad, who often said, ‘If you can’t do something right, don’t do it at all.’  I always strive to do things the best I know how.”

‘tis the season:  “I like to decorate and bake for the holidays, and I love the beauty of the season.  Things always seem so drab in January.  I love to give and do for others.  It just makes me feel good, and I believe especially during the holidays we should take advantage of opportunities to do that.  It sounds sappy, but that’s how I feel.”