Volunteers are vital to youth development programming as a key piece of the workforce. This evaluation measured the impact of volunteers in the 4-H youth development program and demonstrated the value volunteers bring to youth development environments. The north central region 4-H volunteer impact study was conducted with volunteers in the 4-H Youth Development program across 12 states. The purpose of the study was to better understand the value of being a 4-H volunteer. Results showed that volunteers personally benefited from their involvement in these settings by becoming more experienced at working with youth and by learning skills that transferred to other settings. Volunteers also served as guides for youth as they gained leadership skills and gave back to their communities. In addition, the Extension organization benefits included volunteer time, donations of money and supplies, and volunteers serving as ambassadors for youth development programs.

Cryotherapy is a popular treatment chosen by health care providers to treat musculoskeletal injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine which cryotherapy method, Game Ready® or a wetted ice bag with elastic wrap, caused a greater and faster decline in tissue temperature during a 30-min treatment. At 2 cm below adipose, intramuscular tissue temperatures decreased more and faster with the wetted ice treatment compared with the Game Ready® treatment at all three time points: 10 min, 20 min, and 30 min. Furthermore, wetted ice significantly decreased temperature more than Game Ready® at 20 min (peak change [Ca]GR = 3.40 °C, [Ca]WI = 6.14 °C, p = .03) and 30 min ([Ca]GR = 5.62 °C, [Ca]WI = 8.67 °C, p = .02). One of the primary goals after injury is to lower tissue temperature to decrease cellular metabolism to reduce the risk of secondary ischemic injury. No evidence exists to support the optimal tissue temperature decrease for specific physiological results with cryotherapy. However, the literature is consistent with modalities producing colder temperatures are considered a better immediate care modality to decrease cell metabolism as much as possible. Therefore, these findings suggest wetted ice with an ACE wrap would be the more effective treatment in the immediate care phase.

Extension volunteers demonstrate personal, organizational, and community benefits. Our group of Extension professionals in the North Central Region applied these three levels of benefit to gather quantitative and qualitative data in a comprehensive evaluation of volunteer impact. Survey responses were received from 2,978 4-H youth development volunteers in 12 states. A mixed-methods approach, such as the one we used, can provide Extension professionals with evidence to communicate the value of volunteer programs and improve their practice in volunteer systems management.