Photo Credit to kagysjewelrybox.com

Steve Kagy                                                  

Steve Kagy, a local business owner of Kagy’s Jewelry Box, is a Sarasota native and pillar of what makes 4-H in Sarasota great. After raising Steve until the age of 4 in Indiana, his family decided to move down to Sarasota, FL and have been here ever since. It was here that Steve’s father, Butch, decided to open up their family store in 1980. The family has been serving Sarasota’s community ever since. 

4-H Involvement

As a child, Steve was a member of Sarasota’s Action Clovers. A mix up of bunny rabbits is what caused him to get involved. One fateful Christmas morning Steve and his brother Mark were each given a male bunny rabbit. It just happened that one rabbit was a girl. The two started to reproduce rapidly. The family had too many rabbits to handle! Steve’s family friend, Karen Sellers, the leader of Action Clovers, recommended they enter their rabbits into the fair.

From that point on, Steve was involved in 4-H. He began his involvement at the age of 12 and quickly learned how to succeed within 4-H. Besides being interested in photography, he loved the aspect of leadership in 4-H. Steve served as president of the Action Clovers, president of the county, president of the district, leader at Camp Cloverleaf, and attended 4-H Legislature.

He and his brother would give team presentations that would get them to the state competition. They were smart enough to present things they knew the judges would love, like how to safely use a lawnmower. Additionally, Steve competed at states with his photography and even won a trip to Chicago to compete on the national level in his senior year. Times were different, so he and the other state winners were able to run around Chicago, taking photos of everything, they found interesting during the trip. He humbly attributed his success not to his photography skills, but to the beauty of Sarasota, Florida.

Besides competing, he would volunteer his time to teach classes at GWIZ, a science museum in the area. One of the classes he highlighted was about using photographic paper. He would instruct kids to lay leaves on top of the paper. Once removed, the leaves would leave their imprint on the paper! He was able to lead these classes because Dr. Elva Farrell had been director at the museum and Sarasota County’s 4-H Agent at the time.

Career Path

After participating in 4-H, Steve decided to pursue Political Science at Florida State University with hopes of becoming a lawyer. However, something interrupted his plan. He was saved. Steve left college and attended a seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended for two years before realizing he wasn’t called to full-time service. So, he started working within management for UPS. He explained to me that the choice to return to Sarasota was for his family. His wife was a teacher, and he would be working third shift, so they barely saw each other. And while that worked for a while, they recognized that they wanted to stay connected. They prayed and asked for guidance for about two months. Then, they made the decision to move back to Sarasota and assist with the family shop. He now also serves as a deacon at Lakewood Ranch Baptist Church.

Life Skills

I tasked Steve with identifying which of these life skills he felt he developed while in Sarasota 4-H as a child. He identified the following:

– Community Service                     – Critical Thinking                      – Concern for Others

– Accepting Differences                 – Problem Solving                       – Leadership

– Contributions to Group Effort   – Decision Making                      – Conflict Resolution

– Teamwork                                      – Goal Setting                              – Social Skills

– Self-esteem                                    – Keeping Records                      – Cooperation

– Character                                       – Planning/Organizing              – Communication

The Future

Now, Steve has reconnected with his fellow 4-H alumni. Together, they started Action Clovers 2.0 and have enrolled their children in it to continue their family’s legacy within 4-H. This club focuses on developing hands-on skills through growing plants, arts and crafts, sewing, small animals, and leadership.

Steve remains fond of 4-H and the principles it was founded on. When asked about the skills he developed while being a part of 4-H, he cited all the relational skills. He believes that these skills have helped him in his career path and still assist him to this day. Steve constantly assists with moderation and connection within his involvements. He advises new parents thinking about involving their kid in 4-H that 4-H made him a better person and he is thankful for it. 

Overall, Steve is a local representative of not only 4-H but of the American dream. If you can dream it, you can do it. Here at 4-H we hold firm to our mission of making the best better and want that for you and your family. So, whether it’s Action Clovers 2.0 or any other of the clubs we offer, come out and give us a try!

For more information about Sarasota 4-H and clubs – https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasota/4-h-youth-development/4-h-youth-development/4-h-clubs/

Contact 4h@scgov.net to find out more.

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