I did not grow up as a 4-Her. I was a girlscout instead who lived in town. I dreamed of owning a horse and I worked HARD selling girlscout cookies so I could be scholarshipped to horse camp each year. Yes, I literally sold THOUSANDS of cookies each year to go to camp!
As time passed and I grew up, I had great hope of being a girlscout leader of my daugher's troup. But I never had that daughter and instead, was blessed with all boys and we live in the country. It seemed like we should consider 4-H and I'm glad that we did!
I have met many great families through 4-H over the last several years...many families with the same goals and values. Even though 4-H has blessed our family and many others, it seems that so many children would rather watch TV or play video games than 'learn by doing'. I guess in this life of convenience we have so much done for us, the children must wonder 'why' they need to learn how to do certain skills. The number of families that particiate in 4-H has dwindled over the years to only a fraction of what it was 40 years ago. It is to the point that funding is questionable and fought for each fiscal year. In Georgia, there is not even an extension agent in each county. I'm not sure how to change this trend, but I sure would like to see it changed. 4-H has blessed my family with leadership skills that they would not have recieved elsewhere as well as the opportunity to start their own business. If you have forgotten about the benefits of 4-H, give your local extension office a call and check into the program. If you have children ages 5 - 18, you will be glad you did!
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