My Journey In A Family

The level of membership in 4-H does not have anything to do with your knowledge or experience. For most people like myself, we got started in 4-H at the age of five being a cloverbud. I got to go to the club meetings, participate in them, do activities with older members, and even take a project to the fair if I wanted to, but it just did not get judged. At the age of eight I became a first year 4-Her. I got to take any project(s) I wanted, and gave me a good feeling that I got to pick what I wanted to do. I took a market lamb, sewing for beginners, and cooking project. I had so much fun working with my grandma on my sewing project but learnt at the age of eight that it was not something I liked to do. I cooked with my mom and found I really enjoy to cook. Working on my market lamb with my older sister was probably the best of all my first year experiences. I never took another livestock project throughout my fifteen years in 4-H though. I could not handle sending an animal to its death after I had spent endless amounts of time with it. When I turned eleven I became a junior member and when I did my projects I was expected to do more with in them. As I

My free time has consisted of volunteering. Unlike most children, majority of my time was spent engaging in one organization or another. From ten to eighteen, I was involved in 4-H through the local, county, and state level. Along with showing livestock, I learned public speaking, leadership skills, and a dedication to serving others. At the end of my 4-H career I served as president for two years, as well as planned and executed many community services for the Helotes 4-H club. Once I began high school I joined the Future Farmers of America (FFA), Younglife, the Texas

It’s the middle of the winter of 2009 and my family and I are on our way to my very first meeting with the Three Rivers 4H Club. I am incredibly unsure about what 4H is, in fact, I had never even heard of 4H before my mother presented the idea to me in the spring of 2009. My mother brought the idea to me because I was tired of lying around all summer and I needed something to do. To fix this dilemma I was having, she did a little bit of research on the Internet for summer activities and programs around Carlisle and the state. That’s when my mother stumbled across an Iowa State University link for something called 4H. After she and I sat down and talked about 4H I found out that I loved the idea of all 4H is and what it does.

Throughout high school 4-H and FFA were both very important to me. These organizations fueled my love for agriculture and ultimately were instrumental in deciding my college major. I am an Agriculture Communication major with a Food Science minor. I love and communication goals, and objectives to others and I this is why public relations is the dream job for me. I am very interested in the sheep industry and love helping my nine year old sister and other livestock exhibitors with their show animals. If I am not with friends, working on school work, involved in organizations, you can

Growing up on a family farm in rural South Dakota, I never considered myself different from any other farm kid. At the age of eight, I joined the local 4-H club. Through my ten years of membership, I have participated in many differing project areas from showing beef calves to visual arts and everything in between. Through my many failures, I learned from my mistakes taking numerous best of show awards at county fair and finding success at state fair. 4-H has also given me the opportunity to become more involved in my community through local, county, and statewide community service projects. 4-H sparked my interest in agriculture.

My most important 4-H accomplishments include joining the Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team (YLT), being chosen to serve on the Illinois Farm Bureau Youth in Education in Agriculture Committee 4-H representative (YEA), and county awards I have earned. Serving on YLT was a goal of mine ever since I went to the Junior Leadership Conference (JLC) my 7th and 8th grade years. On the team I have met some of the best people I now can call friends while representing 4-H across the state and impacting 4-H members too. Being apart of the team I have helped plan and execute two JLCs assisted with SFI-4-H training, worked at the Illinois State Fair, and represented 4-H at the University of Illinois Salute to Ag Day tailgate and football game. As

We then reimplant them and take them off the halters until a few weeks before a show. When they are off the halters we check on them daily. In the summer, we tie up our steers, and walk them 3 times a day to water. We also give them a rinse each evening to help keep them cool. Over the years I have won Rate of Gain, Class Champion, Reserve Grand Champion, and Grand Champion with my steers. But, Livestock is not all I have done in 4-H. I have also tried a few general projects. My favorite general project has been my sports fishing project. My first year showing this project I created a soda can casting device to help me practice my casting, I then recorded my improvements as I practiced. My second year I built a fish habitat for our farm pond. I used old plastic culverts, stainless steel cables, and clamps. To build the habitat I used fifteen gallon drums attached to the top, and to keep it from floating to the top I attached concrete stepping stones to the bottom. To show the project I created a poster and was chosen to go to the Illinois State Fair to represent my county. All of my projects have taught me responsibility and have helped me improve my public presentation

Last autumn, she made one of the best decisions of her life; to be a candidate for the Kansas 4-H Youth Leadership Council. She worked extensively on her interviewing skills, her speech, and the format of her poster to transform her into a representative of Kansas 4-H. Through the 4-H Youth Leadership Council, she not only expanded her leadership skills, but she helped others come out of their shell, and influenced their lives for the (hopefully) better.

I remember joining 4-H at a young age and having the older club leaders to look up to. I enjoyed having the opportunity to have the same impact on the youth in the club. I was able to demonstrate responsibility and organization while improving upon my leadership

Mr. Mike Joyner, the assistant commissioner in the Department of Agriculture of Florida, said “4-H is a great way for youth of all ages to get involved and educated on agriculture, what is going on in the government, and how to make healthy decisions. The club helps you use your 4-H's to go out and help the world. I think that this is probably one of the best youth organizations to have your kids involved in. As a father, I really encourage mine to be involved in some way.” Those 4-H's being head, hands, health, and heart, are impacting communities small and large. Each of the members in 4-H have gained excellent qualities that have helped them prepare for the future. Learning about science, citizenship, and health, has helped these members gain an understanding and appreciation for those involved in agriculture and engineering, the government officials, and not only their health, but for others as well. “This club has helped me expand my capabilities in so many areas like people skills, my responsibility, and time management has become a major key. Not to mention that it has given me a ton of opportunities that look awesome on college applications,” said Grace Ergle with a little sarcasm in her voice. “I think being in 4-H even helped my brother get into University of Florida's agricultural program!” Our youth of society today can become more enriched with education and engaged in our community through the work of 4-H. With the skills gained from this club, many public service officials, businessmen, and entertainers have already prospered in the country. The youth today, now far more advanced in technology, can prosper so much more and help our country and world to civility, and equality amongst us all. There are no qualifications to participate in the club, just a want to learn more. If you are want to attend a 4-H meeting, or get involved, their website, http://www.4-h.org/ , has countless

I learned how to make things from banana bread to a blanket to a wood planter box. The projects that I made and entered at the fair helped me become a well-rounded person and I am so thankful for that. Not only did making the projects shape my life, but learning to talk with the judges and tell them about my project was a great experience for me also. I was also taught how to learn from my mistakes and receive constructive criticism from the judges. I did not always receive a blue ribbon and I would have to learn from that and how to make my project better the next time. The things 4-H and my projects taught me growing up is

This year, entering the county fair for the sixth time, the most important thing about 4-H hit me. My 4-H club has become more than just that. They are my family, my friends, my future. Each year brings more kids

Throughout high school, I’ve been involved in multiple clubs and extracurricular activities. Of all the activities I’ve been a part of, 4-H has by far been the most influential. Being a 4-H teen leader has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It has provided me opportunities to improve my leadership skills, sense of responsibility, kindness toward others, and social skills.

How amazing that your family has been involved in 4-H for 198 years! It’s incredible that four generations of your family have been involved in 4-H. Your dedication to leadership, volunteering, and service is inspiring!

I was born and raised into a hardworking family that are the complete opposite of culture alienators. My siblings and I are all first generation in America on my mom's side and second generation on my dad's side. Life was very hard for my parents to raise all seven of us and depended on my grandparents for most of their help. Being that my grandparents brought all nine of their kids to America from Belize it was also very hard for them so survive and find stability. Most families that come to America from a third world country usually find it very difficult to keep up family traditions and sometimes lose all contact. My family found a way to stay very close and keep the Belizean culture very alive still to this day. As you can tell by now