Plymouth County youth celebrate National 4-H Week

Plymouth County 4-H'ers will join with 4-H members across the nation to celebrate National 4-H Week Oct. 4-10.

Nationally, the week kicked off with the 4-H emblem being featured in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday. The emblem was on the No 24 DuPont Chevrolet car driven by Jeff Gordon at the Kansas Speedway.

Plymouth County 4-H has several activities planned through the week.

County 4-H Council members will be visiting fourth and fifth graders in county schools sharing their 4-H experiences and recruiting new members.

Several of the 4-H clubs have entered into the window display contest and will be decorating windows across the county promoting 4-H, including downtown Le Mars.

On Wednesday, anyone who has been part of 4-H is asked wear 4-H apparel in honor of National 4-H Week.

There were 492 4-H members in Plymouth County during the 2008-09 4-H year which ended in August, according to Carol Schneider, Plymouth County Iowa State University Extension program coordinator.

There are also more than 100 local volunteers who work with the 4-H clubs and programs throughout the year.

State numbers are still being compiled to see where Plymouth County ranks in Iowa as far as number of 4-H participants, according to Schneider.

"Our goal is 500 members this year," Schneider added.

One of the newer projects for 4-H members is the Shooting Sports club.

"Shooting sports is a new avenue for us and we will continue to see it grow," said Schneider. "It's a program that attracts some kids not interested in some of the 'traditional' project areas."

Clover Kids, a program for third graders will be starting again in October.

"We hope to graduate those third graders into a community club," said Schneider, who will lead the clubs at four locations in the county. They are in Kingsley at Kingsley Pierson Elementary School, Remsen at the Remsen City Library, Kissinger Elementary School in Merrill and Hinton Community School.

The goal is to have a Clover Kids program in each community in the county, Schneider added.

Plymouth County 4-H'ers and their families are invited to the Halloween party which this year will be at the Hanno Family Fun Farm.

"Traditionally, this has been a for junior 4-H members only. We changed it to include the entire family," said Schneider.

Local 4-H members in grades 10 through 12 have the opportunity to participate in the Washington, D.C. Focus trip in 2010. Members in grades nine through 12 can participate in the Iowa 4-H Conference.

"We'll be doing some fundraising activities for the focus trip," said Schneider. "Our food stand at the Plymouth County Fair was very profitable for us this year. That helps us fund our program in the county," said Schneider.

One Plymouth County 4-H alumnus, Jesa Wolthuizen, said she has gained social skills and the ability to interact with others and be productive during her years as a 4-H member

The fundamental 4-H ideal of practical, "learn by doing" experiences encourages youth to experiment, innovate and think independently, according to Ann Schoenrock, county youth coordinator.

4-H reaches out to students through community clubs, as well as school-based, after-school and camp settings.

Anyone interested in joining 4-H or to volunteer as a leader may contact Schoenrock at the ISU Plymouth County Extension Office, at 712-546-7835 or xplymouth@iastate.edu.

Nationally, the 4-H community involves six million young people who learn leadership, citizenship and life skills. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of National 4-H Headquarters (USDA).