Mission Possible Team receives Vice Chancellor’s Award in diversity

COLLEGE STATION — The Mission Possible Team has received a Texas A&M AgriLife Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence in the diversity category.

The Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence recognizes the commitment and outstanding contributions of faculty and staff across Texas A&M AgriLife. The award was presented Jan. 14 at the AgriLife Center on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station.

Members of the Mission Possible Team are Dr. Darlene Locke, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist-4-H Youth Development, College Station; Mrs. Laurinda Boyd, 4-H program assistant, retired; Maranda Revell, AgriLife Extension agent-family and consumer sciences, Young County; Matt Miranda, AgriLife Extension agent-4-H Youth Development, Guadalupe County; and Wade Howard, AgriLife Extension agent-agriculture and natural resources, Eastland County.

The Mission Possible Team has been an advocate for including youth and adults with disabilities into the traditional 4-H program since 2004, according to the award nomination. The summer of 2015 marked the eleventh consecutive year for Mission Possible, with 190 disabled youth joining 229 other 4-H’ers who served as mentors and helpers.

In his letter of nomination for the team, Dr. Chris Boleman, state leader for 4-H Youth Development, College Station, wrote: “For eleven years, Mission Possible continues to be the prime example of programming efforts for diversity and inclusion. Simply put, Mission Possible is the most celebrated and well-known program that impacts and educates youth regarding diversity in the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.”

The nomination also noted that Mission Possible has served as a catalyst for 4-H projects and events statewide that are strategically marketed to youth with disabilities.

Mission Possible has served youth with medically diagnosed disabilities including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder, traumatic brain injuries, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, spina bifida, hearing and visual impairments, diabetes, intellectual disabilities, autism and more.

Regardless of their medical diagnosis, each youth participates in camp to the extent of their abilities, with the team and the mentors adapting the program to meet each individual’s needs, the nomination states.

4-H mentors participate in training prior to camp to prepare them for their assignment. Through these experiences, they become more aware of those who are different and become advocates for the disabled. As many of these youth mentors are already leaders in their clubs and communities, Mission Possible allows them to further demonstrate and practice their skills by providing instruction, working as a team and learning how to communicate with a special audience.

The team has presented numerous presentations on disability awareness and inclusion, including presentations in Texas, Ohio, West Virginia and Minnesota.

During its eleven years, it also has partnered with various organizations and private donors to gather financial support for the camp and the mentor training, as well as technical collaborators to provide training and additional resources.