page 154 2014 LOGAN COUNTY FAIR LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com July 31, 2014
Children who otherwise might
not get a nutritious meal during
the day have that opportunity
at school. But they became
concerned about what those
same children do on the
weekend. With the diversity
of families that we have today,
do their parents work during
weekends? Do they have what
they need in the way of food
when mom, dad, or both are at
work?
The Ambassadors decided they
would put together weekend
snack bags to take to the local
schools. The bags were then
distributed by the school, to
children whom they felt could
benefit from a weekend food
program. Akpore said the kids
in the Ambassadors decided
on what to include in the bags.
They chose items that would
need no preparation, or would
be safe and easy preparation so
children didn’t have to try and
cook the food.
Akpore said when kids join
4-H, this is one group they can
join if they are age appropriate
and learn more about being a
community-minded citizen.
The second group “YES!” is
for junior high students. Again
the group is open to any 4-H
member. Akpore said this group
also does fun projects that
give them social time together,
teaches them new life skills,
and they do community projects
as well.
She said again, the kids decide
what their community service
project will be. This year
they met and discussed what
it would be like to be a kid
whose family couldn’t afford
to celebrate their birthday. The
YES! group understood, when
families are living on a limited
income, some things have to be
cut out. The group then decided
what they wanted to do was
create birthday bags to be given
to the local food pantry.
The bags include a cake mix,
frosting, candles, and small,
inexpensive favors, enough
for a small birthday party.
Akpore said this was a nice
activity for the group, and they
enjoyed giving a local child
a nicer birthday. Being kids
themselves, the YES! group
thought of something that
perhaps a lot of adults wouldn’t
have. Food pantry donations
often include the essentials,
vegetables and non-perishable
food, all geared toward feeding
the entire family. The YES!
group, which consists of kids,
felt it was only appropriate that
they targeted their community
service project to benefit their
peers.
When 4-H began 100 years
ago, the purpose of the club
was to introduce youngsters to
innovations in the agriculture
arena. Kids studied crops and
livestock, and the membership
was young men. Over the years,
the membership evolved as the
program began offering projects
in gardening, food preservation
and home economics, and
young girls began joining as
well.
The membership was ultimately
farm kids in the beginning,
but over the years 4-H has
continued to grow and evolve
with the times. Today 4-H
offers something for everyone.
Kids, whether they grew up on
a farm or in the city, can find
projects and opportunities in
4-H that will help them grow
into more successful adults.
A list of available projects
to be involved in today
includes everything from art
to woodworking, rocketry to
computer sciences, and visual
arts to communication arts and
photography.
Akpore said when the kids
complete their passports; they
will have gotten just a small
taste of what 4-H could be
for them personally, and she
is hopeful that it will entice
more youngsters to become
a part of this important youth
organization.
2014 Logan County Fair
Story By Nila Smith
