David and Shawn Delker
David and Shawn Delker, of Salina, Kansas, have a long history with Kansas 4-H and Rock Springs Ranch. According to David, it all started in 1971, when he met a brown-eyed girl who distracted him when he would go into the dining hall for a refill of his water bottle. During the summer that year, David was a freshman in college and a summer maintenance staff member and former 4-H member from Chapman, Kansas, and Shawn worked in the kitchen. Shawn had grown up in Manhattan, Kansas, and was in 4-H as a youth. She recalled what an impact 4-H had on her life. "4-H gave me a chance to bloom and blossom and grow in so many ways, to be able to come to camp and be a different person than I was at school," she said. "One of the things that really has been impactful is that we got to share our 4-H passion with our own children and work with them as they developed and grew through their 4-H experiences." Through the years, David and Shawn have held many 4-H roles including community club leader, project leader, parent, donor, grandparent, fair judge and many more. They have three children and three grandchildren. They both have many memories of assisting with their children's 4-H projects and teachable moments with youth at county and state fairs. "I like to be with those kids and see what they are doing and what they are interested in," Shawn said. David enjoys the time he spends with youth teaching them about how to improve from one year to the next, including the couple's grandson who is currently a Kansas 4-H member.
"We both became known in our local clubs as being supportive and we had the leadership qualities that were needed to become leaders in our club and county," he said. "I know that was helpful too because a lot of the kids in our club did not have the technical skills or their parents might not know how to build a rocket or how to build an electronic circuit." David and Shawn are committed to Kansas 4-H and making the program a better experience for youth across the state. As a college professor, David saw firsthand that students who were the most confident and responsible were usually 4-H alumni. "I feel it's really important to philanthropically support Kansas 4-H because there are so many opportunities out there," David said. "If we don't support those opportunities financially, they won't become known and utilized by students and young people in general, out in the communities."
As part of making 4-H a better place for all youth, the Delkers recently supported the Heart of Camp initiative at Rock Springs Ranch. The Heart of Camp initiative focuses on the infrastructure of the 735-acre property to make sure that it can sustain the demand of water from the springs. The enhancements to this infrastructure would significantly reduce day-to-day maintenance on the existing systems. In preparation for the next 25 years at Rock Springs Ranch, the infrastructure is a critical need. During his time working at Rock Springs, David was on the maintenance crew that would come in between camps and fix the broken faucets or repair the roof that's leaking. Because of this experience, he knows that the team needs to fix what needs to be fixed, but it needs to be long lasting. "Most people don't realize that the roads, the bridges, the power lines, the water pipes, the infrastructure here is all owned by Rock Springs Ranch, it's not in a rural water district," he said. "They don't have the county paying for road upkeep. And for us, it is important to see that the facility is maintained properly and kept up to date especially in some of the areas that directly affect campers." As a young camper and summer staff, Shawn also saw the importance of keeping camp sustainable for the next group of campers. For her, coming to camp meant meeting new friends from all over Kansas. She explained that part of supporting the Heart of Camp effort was providing main things like water, food and comfort. "Without those basic needs, you don't have a place to enjoy and grow," she said. "The first thing you need to do is meet that comfort of guests and drinkable water is very basic to life and if you don't have that, then you're not willing to develop those relationships or have fun or feel free because you're worried about getting your next drink of water." Through their many years together, David and Shawn agree that Kansas 4-H has made a lasting impact on their family. They believe encouraging others to support this initiative is really important. "We want Rock Springs Ranch to be viewed as a top-quality experience for campers," David said. "Without the infrastructure, the programs may be obscured by the faucets that don't work or the water supply that's temperamental. We want this infrastructure to support the basic needs of campers, and those using the facility. After all, when we think of "the heart of camp" we think of the spring that gave Rock Springs Ranch its name, and the wonderful water wheel it drives. We hope our gift will give the special experiences that we enjoyed so much when we were growing up to future generations."