Christian County 4-H Agents spotlighted the programs they offer local youth, and how the community can support their efforts at Tuesday’s Hopkinsville Rotary Club meeting.
4-H is a national youth development organization with chapters across the country. In Christian County, 4-H Agents Jeremiah Johnson, Katie Mills and Mary Anne Garnett oversee a wide range of youth programs.
The local 4-H organization has seven program pathways: Agriculture; Communications and Expressive Arts; Family and Consumer Sciences; Health and Wellbeing; Leadership; Natural Resources and Science, Engineering and Technology. Johnson says the program pathways were created based on an education needs survey that was completed by educators and community members.
Through the agriculture pathway, Johnson says they offer a beef quality assurance training program. Each year, around 70 high school students participate in the training to learn about cattle vaccines, tagging and tracking cattle and much more.
Christian County 4-H also hosts an annual summer camp for children between the ages of 9 and 14 at the Western Kentucky 4-H Camp from June 15 to June 18. At the camp, kiddos can take classes focused on canoeing, arts and crafts, archery, fishing and much more.
Mills says there are still available spots for kiddos who want to camp, as well as volunteer positions for older teenagers.
Attending the camp costs $230, and Mills says financial assistance is available for those want to send their child to camp but may not be able to afford admission.
Along with highlighting the programs available to kiddos, Johnson shared their need for more volunteers. He says many of the events they host require a lot of manpower, so they can always use extra help.
More information about local 4-H programs and volunteer opportunities can be found at christian.mgcafe.uky.edu.