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The Mariah
Award was first presented in 2004 by Charles W. Chaillet, Jr. and L.M.
Shannon-Chaillet, in honor and remembrance of their Newfoundland, Shannollet
Like the Wind Mariah.
In March of 1997 a
very special Newfoundland puppy was born into our household. Her name was
Mariah and her specialty … being a troublemaker with her siblings and
surroundings.
As she grew,
Mariah’s physical deformities began to appear in her crocked spine and
legs. Her genetic deformities also showed up with her food allergies and
Addison disease. But through it all, she never lost her spunk, her
devilishness, and her strong will to survive. Everyday as she grew, she quietly
showed courage, persistence in getting her own way, and patience with us as she
gently taught us what kindness and love for life really meant to us. But mostly
she worked very hard on whittling her way into my husband’s, Charles
Chaillet’s heart by laying her head upon his lap when he sat down to
relax, looking up at him with eyes that could see into your soul, and demanded
he scratch and cuddle with her. He always proclaimed her “his special
love.”
Mariah become a
team canine for Best Friends in 2003. She helped a few of our non-traditional
4-H’er discover the wonderful world of dog training by being stubborn with
that “sure I want to please you, but you have to give me a treat
first,” attitude. And she gently showed them how to be persistent in
getting the obstacle course finished.
The life
expectancy of a Newfoundland dog is eight to ten years. Mariah left us when she
was nine. And when she left us, my husband wanted to find a way to honor her
life and her accomplishments with the Best Friends 4-H Club. So.. in 2005 began
the first of the Best Friends 4-H Club’s Mariah Awards for our
Nontraditional 4-H'ers. In 2016, a Leader Award was also added.
Mariah, like Best
Friends 4-H Club's Nontraditional members, never realized she was labeled as
"disabled" because she never thought of herself as such. She just
kept right on exploring life, fighting for her right to live by overcoming her
health issues, loved everyone, and was one happy, stubborn, willful
Newfoundland who pushed her way into everyone's heart.
Qualifications:
To earn a Mariah Award, a 4-H'er or leader must:
Have been a Best Friends 4-H Club member for five years.
Demonstrate courage, determination, and persistence on
obtaining goals in life.
Demonstrate a willingness to learn life lessons and
inspire sportsmanship and character.
Recipients of the Mariah
Award:
| 4-H'ers: |
Leaders: |
| 2004 - David Dynes |
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| 2005 - Tyler Cook |
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| 2006 - Dawn Williams |
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| 2007 - Mitch Krugh |
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| 2008 - Hailey Traywick |
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| 2009 - Paige Irwin |
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| 2010 - Kaitlin Irwin |
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| 2011 - Aubrey Richter |
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| 2013 - Marjorie Neilson |
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| 2014 - Jared Schuck |
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| 2015 - Audra Vilag |
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| 2016 - Nathene Wendzell |
2016 - Kim Wendzell , Barb Schuck |
| 2017 - Vincent Haynes |
2017 - Colleen Melendy |
| 2018 - Duncan Haynes |
2018 - Victoria Williams |
| 2019 - Tiffany Enders |
2019 - Lisa Mattson |
| 2022 - Cristy Burtchett |
2022 - Brian Haynes |
| 2023 - Maizie Murphy |
2023 - Madeline Batson |
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