WFRV reporter inducted into WI 4-H Hall of Fame

Matthew Day

Staff

May 18, 2026

KEWAUNEE COUNTY – For its latest class of inductees, the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame selected a familiar face across Northeast Wisconsin: Millaine Stodola of WFRV/Local 5.

Known professionally for two decades by her maiden name, Millaine Wells, she said her induction this spring used the name Millaine Wells-Stodola to recognize both her career and married names.

“I did that primarily because in the county where I am now involved in 4-H, it’s ‘Millaine Stodola,’ because that’s my married last name – all the little kids know [me as] Mrs. Stodola,” she said. “It kind of logically made sense for me to use both names.” 

Stodola said she started volunteering with the Kewaunee County 4-H Club five years ago, when both of her sons, now aged 10 and seven, joined as Cloverbuds – the youngest members (age five to seven) of the youth development program. 

“It just sort of happened that our local club was looking for a new Cloverbud leader, and my husband always calls me an ‘enthusiastic volunteer…,’” she laughed. “If I see an opportunity to grow and offer a skill set I have, I’m going to do that, not only for my kids but for others.” 

Stodola said the last five cherished years of voluntarism are just the start of what she anticipates will be lifelong involvement in 4-H. 

However, since she was inducted into the state program’s hall of fame ahead of people who she said have already been involved most of their lives, she was “really confused” by the notification letter she received. 

“I mean, I like 4-H, and I’m really excited about being involved, but there are people in our county who have been 40-, 50-year volunteers, and I’m thinking, ‘Why am I getting this letter?’” she said. “Well, then, come to find out, the nomination came from all of the leaders I’ve worked with in a media capacity, and then it made a little more sense to me – ‘Oh, okay, well, for 20 years, yes, I have been supporting your programming and helping you get the message out.” 

Stodola said she became aware and enamored of 4-H through her work as a reporter, anchor and co-host at WFRV, where she has long championed coverage of positive, community-centered stories. 

“I have always been passionate about making sure positive stories have a place in our newscast, because I think it is such a good balance sometimes to the rest of the stories that we do need to bring to our community, but sometimes, highlighting those things like 4-H are so important,” she said. 

It was through such coverage, Stodola said, that she connected with Melinda Pollen from the Brown County 4-H Club and many others involved. 

“It drew me into the 4-H program,” she said, “and through the years, whether it was covering the stories at the fair, a new program they were launching or a summer camp that was available to the kids, I always make airtime available for them, because I know that’s such a valuable resource to be able to share their story to recruit new members, especially as students are further removed from agriculture.” 

Stodola said she recognizes that today’s youth often have a much different connection to agriculture than past generations.

“Not everybody’s grandpa has a farm,” she said. “Students 30 years ago had a different connection to agriculture.” 

With her media platform, Stodola said she’s able to help maintain that connection. 

“I want to make sure 4-H has a chance to grow and reach a new generation,” she said. 

Finding another H 

Growing up in Appleton, Stodola said she had little exposure to 4-H. 

“Not that 4-H can’t happen in a very urban setting – in fact, that’s their largest area of growth now, is in some of the urban school districts – but it was not something that was really offered or promoted [when I grew up],” she said. 

Stodola said those unfamiliar with 4-H are prone to misconceptions about the program, which spans a broader range of interests well beyond agriculture and husbandry. 

“The thing so many families don’t understand about 4-H is there is a component of showing animals at the fair, if you want to, but my son, [for example], shows Legos,” she said. “He shows woodworking. He is involved in service projects. He is involved in leadership events, and the doors that 4-H opens for him are incredible.” 

Earlier in her life/career, as she came to better understand the program, Stodola said she anticipated she would get her then-future children involved. 

“It was just one of those givens – ‘As soon as I have kids, we’re doing 4-H,’” she said. 

Once this came to be, Stodola said she also joined as a volunteer.  

Since there can be multiple 4-H Clubs within a given county, she said she sought to organize monthly countywide 4-H events. 

One such event, she said, is a Lego project featuring guest speakers. 

“We have people [come] who are structural engineers and teach them about how Legos can lead to a career and things like that,” she said. 

Stodola said the club is also a year into hosting countywide projects for Cloverbuds to connect younger members and expose them to the broader 4-H experience.

“Whether it’s photography or jewelry-making or animal projects like rabbits and hogs and things like that, we’re trying to open the door to what 4-H can look like for you,” she said. 

Stodola said it’s heartening to see athletically inclined students exploring woodworking, for example, or her own Lego-loving son motivated to play kickball with friends before meetings. 

“It doesn’t matter who the student is – there’s a space for them [in 4-H],” she said. 

As a parent, Stodola said she feels it’s her duty to expose her children to a range of positive activities and experiences, and 4-H makes for a great catalyst. 

“I want to make sure we are giving them a wide variety of choices to explore, so they are better prepared to be good citizens and members of their community,” she said. “Because 4-H checks so many boxes – whether it’s arts or mechanical engineering or community leadership – it is something I feel as many students as possible should be involved in.” 

Stodola said it’s also a great way for an entire family to share experiences. 

“As a mom, running my kids to 10,000 activities can get a little overwhelming, and this is something we all go do together, which is, to me, a huge blessing,” she said. 

The four Hs of the program – per 4-h.org – are head, heart, hands and health, but Stodola said she would argue for the inclusion of a fifth H. 

“For me, that word would be ‘hope,’ because when I attend functions with 4-H youth, I have hope for a new generation of leaders,” she said. “I have hope that there are people who are engaged and involved in our community and care about it as much as we do.” 

Stodola said just as her coverage of programs like 4-H can bring necessary positivity to a news broadcast, 4-H itself gives her “a little bit of balance to some of the other things that go on in the world.”  

“When I attend these events, I’m feeling like, ‘Okay, we can do this – we’re going to be all right,’” she said. 

Welcome media recognition 

With her induction into the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame, Stodola said it was atypical for her to receive such recognition as a member of the media – regarding not only the 4-H distinction but more broadly, to garner praise from outside an industry.  

“The fact that somebody took the time to say ‘thank you for a job well done’ is probably what means more than anything,” she said. “[Members of the media] deal with a lot of ‘feedback,’ let’s call it, on social media, in our inbox and from people who didn’t like the way a certain story was portrayed. Not often do we hear the ‘thank you,’ so that meant a lot.” 

Stodola said she feels the hall of fame selection committee particularly took note of her on-air articulation of what 4-H is and how it continues to evolve. 

“4-H has gone through a bit of a transformation to make sure they’re serving the students who make up Wisconsin school districts today, while still certainly staying true to those roots,” she said. “I think [the selection committee members] appreciate the fact that they have a pipeline to get that messaging out and to reach new families.” 

Stodola said sharing the benefits of 4-H off the air has become just as important to her as promoting it through television coverage.

While at a nail salon recently, she said she spoke with a single mother who shared she was struggling to find activities for her three children.

After encouraging her to look into 4-H, Stodola said when the two later crossed paths again, the woman told her how much her family was enjoying their new involvement with the program. 

“To me, that’s the icing on the cake, when another family finds a passion for it,” she said. 

Grateful 4 it 

Though she is grateful for the recognition, Stodola said she plans to continue earning her place in the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame.

“I joked when I was giving my acceptance speech – I said, ‘I hope you’ll allow me to amend my [hall of fame] biography in 30 years and say ‘here’s the rest of the stuff she did with 4-H as she got more involved,’” she laughed. 

Reading some of the biographies of other inductees, Stodola said, was “mind-blowing,” including one who was “the first woman to ever exhibit an animal at the fair.” 

In addition to being included in such respectable company, and for the enjoyment and enrichment her sons have found in 4-H, Stodola said she’s grateful for how the program has helped her find her own “spark.” 

“I have found something that excites me and gives me something to look forward to…,” she said. “I thank [4-H] for having this programming available, and then, not only that, but for recognizing my small contribution to it. Emphasis on the word ‘small,’ because of how many hands it truly does take to put on a program like this.” 

Among the upcoming programs and events, Stodola said the Kewaunee County 4-H clubs are featuring classes, camps and speakers covering cooking, candy-making, firefighting and leadership. 

For more information on 4-H and its programs, visit 4h.extension.wisc.edu.