Matthew Ylarregui

Matthew Ylarregui, 16, is a junior at Madera High School and has been a member of Howard 4-H for seven years. He is actively involved in sheep, community pride, shooting sports and leadership. This past year, Matthew was the county winner in community pride.

Striving to do his best in everything he does, Matthew has a 4.3 grade point average, is a two-sport athlete (football and baseball), along with being very involved in the Madera County 4-H program.

One of his most rewarding achievements was winning a $500 grant for his community service project “Blankets for the Heart,” where the Howard 4-H community pride group made craft kits and fleece blankets for patients at Valley Children’s Hospital. They also did a hospital activity day where patients had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours out of their rooms doing three different craft stations, a science station, cookie decorating and making ice cream in a bag station.

He enjoys community pride because he likes helping others and helping out in the community. Through this project, He has helped plant flowers and weed the flowerbeds in front of the Madera County Historical Museum, helped decorate and clean up the museum for the Christmas tour, sold Kid’s Day papers, volunteered at Relay for Life, along with making craft kits for Valley Children’s.

In his sheep project, Matthew shows both market and breeding raised from his own sheep.

This past Madera District Fair, he won 4-H Reserve Champion market lamb. Matthew takes great pride in doing well with lambs he has raised from his own flock.

In his seventh year of 4-H, Matthew has been chairman for the Christmas Star Program, pancake breakfast, and our club’s community service project to collect and put together toiletry items for the Madera Rescue Mission.

He was vice president of Howard 4-H last year where he organized all the programs. This year he will be the president.

One of his favorite leadership roles this year was being on teen council at 4-H camp where he got to plan out night activities, run campfire and make camp fun for all.

He is a teen leader for both the sheep and the community pride project. Matthew is on the county leadership team this year where he will help run and organize county events during the year.

During the summer, Matthew attended State Leadership Conference at Humbolt State where he attended sessions, was inspired by motivational speakers and met teenagers from all over the state.

Matthew likes 4-H because he is able to meet friends from all over the county, learn new things and attend fun activities. He looks forward to another busy year in 4-H.