by Whitney Cherry | Apr 18, 2019
Volunteers across the panhandle make a difference in the lives of young people in their communities by simply sharing the things they love.
June Clemons and Peg Frith are a mother-daughter team who can do anything! From time to time, they’ve volunteered for 4-H, but the first time I asked them to help me teach a small sewing project during a cooking day camp, I knew I’d struck gold. Anyone can learn to sew but having the patience to teach it…that’s a whole other story.
It took me a couple of years to talk them into leading a sewing club, and honestly, I think they talked themselves into it. The holdup wasn’t a lack of desire to help; it was hesitancy to commit to something but not being able to follow through.
In fact, Peg’s advice to anyone thinking about becoming a 4-H volunteer is:
“I’d tell them it can be hard to find the time to plan, organize, and implement meetings, but it’s very rewarding. If you commit, see it through. Don’t disappoint the children.”
June emphatically said, “Do it!”
So why do June and Peg commit their precious time to 4-H? They first got involved because they had positive experiences as 4-H’ers and wanted to pass on the skills they learned. But now, it’s the kids they work with that keep them coming back. They both said that “teaching useful, lifelong skills to children and just enjoying being with them as they learn,” is their favorite part about volunteering with 4-H.
I asked June and Peg if they thought their 4-H work was making a difference.
June says, “All you have to do is see the joy in their faces upon completing a task to know how it affects the members.”
Peg added, “I get to see firsthand their sense of accomplishment. And the fact that they keep coming back to class tells me that the club is making a difference in their lives.”
As further evidence that June and Peg are making a difference, club parents have shared their children not only come home from their sewing club meetings excited to show what they made that day, but they have also started stitching up seams in their clothes and stuffed animals.
As a 4-H agent, I can tell you that the independence and mastery displayed by these young club members is exactly what we’re looking for from our 4-H’ers, and good club leaders help them achieve it.
Are you wondering if you have what it takes to make a difference in the lives of young people in your community?
You don’t have to be an expert. You don’t have to have kids or grandkids of your own. You don’t have to have been a former 4-H’er. You just have to love something enough to want to share it with the next generation. So what’s your passion? Pass it on!
There are many ways to volunteer with 4-H, and we need you – from fair exhibit and public speaking judges, to club leaders, chaperones, camp nurses, and more. To pass on your passion and help the youth in your area Grow in 4-H, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Office to find the best volunteer role for you.
by Yolanda Goode | Mar 15, 2019
Are you physically or mentally running on E?
Are you racing “90 to nothing” in your daily life? until something forces us to hit the brakes or the emergency brake is applied. Instead of clearing our plates, we add sideboards onto them so that we can accept more.
We wear many hats outside of work such as a family member, caregiver, volunteer, student, etc. Some days we find ourselves in foul moods where we lack comprehension, patience, and focus. Is it because we are hangry (hungry + angry) or just plain ole tired? You’ve heard the saying; “you can’t squeeze blood from a turnip”… or is that a beet?…LoL, you get the point. How do we avoid the breakdown that can and will happen if we keep pushing ourselves without intentional refueling?
Here are several tips to help you stay fueled and refreshed:
- Block scheduling: I shared a photo of a tool that I use, but you use what works for you. The key thing is for you to understand where you can capture time for yourself to refuel.
- Rest: Sleep on a regular schedule and take breaks during the day.
- Eat well: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
- Have some fun: You are encouraged to have fun. Adulting is tough.
- Take lunch: Go visit a local library, museum, or sit in your car at a local park.
- Vacation: Plan for it, and take it. But leave some recovery time, so you are not rushing back to work the next day. Another option is weekend trips or a day-cations while kid(s) are at school.
- Nurture your hobbies: When was the last time you ____________?
- Guard your time: Once you’ve blocked it out, it’s yours. Don’t let others guilt you into giving it back.
Slowly implement some of these tips into your life, and remember an empty tank is just that. Empty. You will be more productive by taking care of you, and you’ll be better able to wear all those hats.
by Yolanda Goode | Feb 22, 2019
Generosity is one of the four essential elements youth need for positive youth development. 4-H clubs should do at least one community service project a year as part of their plan of action. This benefits our high school students because most students need service hours as part of graduation requirements. But with all the “have-to-do’s” in life, service can become just a thing to check off and have no real value.
How can we help our 4-H youth get more value from service projects?
Use the Experiential Learning model (Do-Reflect-Apply) used by 4-H programs across the nation. Incorporating the reflect and apply portion of the model does take some effort, but it is not hard to do. If your club does many community service activities, choose which ones to incorporate all the steps of the Experiential Learning model.
How to take it deeper beyond just a thing to do:
Get buy in from youth concerning the service project(s) planned for the year.
UF/IFAS Extension Gadsden County 4-H Club members out delivering Thanksgiving baskets to families in need.
Pre-activity – Have youth do a presentation related to the service project activity:
- Who we are helping: Details about the group/organization
- What type of service(s) will be done for the group
- How will our community service benefit this group/organization
Post activity – have a casual conversation:
- Enquire about how they felt about the service activity
- What was an ah-ha moment
- What did they find challenging
- What could we do differently for next project
- What is something you learned by doing this project that you could use in other areas of your life.
Here’s a great article in the Florida 4-H Volunteer Training Series that really breaks down the process. You can also give your local UF/IFAS Extension 4-H Agent a call for more help.
How can you keep up with the great things we’re doing in our 4-H extension district?
- LIKE the 4-H in the Panhandle Facebook page – @volunteeringinthepanhandle
- LIKE your county’s 4-H Facebook page
- SUBSCRIBE to the 4-H in the Panhandle blog
by Niki Crawson | Jan 19, 2017
4-H Alumnus Jerrett Kandzer with his agent, Niki Crawson.
As a 4-H Agent, one remembers many of their “firsts” on the job, i.e., their first day, their first fair, their first 4-H club meetings, etc. For me in Holmes County 4-H, I was hired in the midst of a reorganization phase within the program. I clearly remember meeting Jerrett Kandzer one of my first days on the job in 2007, a reserved yet quick-to-smile farm boy who seemed to be doing a good job of holding in the excitement of asking me 101 questions as his new 4-H Agent. He, along with his sister and parents, met with me to discuss re-establishing a 4-H archery club in our county. Excited to have volunteers and youth interested in starting an archery club again, I couldn’t wait to get started. That very next week, we all set a date for our first club meeting. Jerrett and I still laugh today about the day of our first club meeting when we had to count me, the 4-H Agent, as the fifth member in attendance so that we did not have to cancel our first club meeting! However, thanks to Jerrett’s perseverance and leadership as a youth nine years ago when starting the Dead Centers 4-H Archery Club in Holmes County, we now have over 65 4-H members in our archery program alone! So, when getting ready to ask Jerrett how he believes 4-H has impacted him, I hesitate. Thinking back over the past nine years, I am finding it difficult to think whether Jerrett has been impacted more so by 4-H or if 4-H has been impacted more so because of Jerrett. For a 4-H Agent to have the pleasure to ponder such a wonderful conundrum means that 4-H is truly growing inspiring leaders!
According to Jerrett, he joined 4-H as a means to find extracurricular activities that fit not only his after school schedule around his farm life but also to find an outlet that fit him personally. As he put it, “I was looking for somewhere I fit in. I wasn’t an athlete in school. I was raised on a farm. So, I thought 4-H was cool.” After joining 2007, Jerrett began to help rebuild and cultivate a sense of belonging for the next seven years in Holmes County 4-H. With his giving spirit, contagious enthusiasm, and natural sense of urgency to make actions count, he truly inspired everyone he met to get involved and make the best better.
Jerrett’s passion for learning, leadership, and youth continues as he is applying his 4-H-acquired life skills in his life journey. Currently, he is a junior at the University of Florida in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, with a graduation date of Spring 2018. He attributes his good leadership and time management skills to his deep involvement with 4-H. Always wanting to do much more than time allows, Jerrett said 4-H taught him to prioritize and schedule his time efficiently. In fact, In between college classes, studying, squeezing in fast visits back home, and working with CRU on campus, Jerrett still devotes time to 4-H as a volunteer with Alachua County 4-H. When asked why he felt compelled to volunteer at this time in his life, Jerrett replied with his easy grin,
“Ms. Niki, there are not many ways to serve your community as a poor college kid. Overall, I’d say being a 4-H volunteer is an easy and safe way to give back to kids and the community.”
When asked about what he enjoys the most about 4-H, Jerrett immediately replied, “Working with kids. Helping youth learn by doing through hands on experiences is a good vessel for them to mature with positive adult role models around to assist them. 4-H is not about winning like other youth programs are about. It’s about growing through maturity, not competition.”
Jerrett is a Holmes County 4-H alumni, a true 4-H leader. He is a present day 4-H example of the definition John Quincy Adams once gave a leader, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” So it’s little surprise that this 4-H alumni has no intentions of ending his green journey after college. Jerrett’s career plans include putting his 4-H life skills, farm experience, and University of Florida education to perfect use as a future UF/IFAS Extension Agriculture Agent. We look forward to Jerrett’s return to the Extension Service one day soon.
Are you a 4-H Alumni interested in “paying it forward” to inspire the next generation? We would love to talk to you about the different ways you can help us grow 4-H in your community! Contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office or visit http://florida4h.org for more information.
by Heather Kent | Jul 29, 2016
Mrs. Ruth Ann Scurry, 2016 Florida 4-H Hall of Fame Inductee
Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Ruth Ann Scurry, Jefferson County 4-H Club Leader and Volunteer, on being inducted into the 2016 University of Florida 4-H Hall of Fame. Mrs. Scurry was one of only five individuals inducted this year, and the Florida 4-H Hall of Fame is the most prestigious award for Florida 4-H volunteers, alumni, and professionals.
Mrs. Scurry was accompanied by one of her sons and three of her grandchildren, representing 3 generations of 4-H!
Inductees are selected by the Florida 4-H Foundation Board. Mrs. Scurry was nominated by Jefferson County Extension Director Mr. John Lilly and Regional Specialized 4-H Agent Heather Kent. Read Mrs. Scurry’s inspirational 4-H Story, featured in last year’s Volunteer Appreciation Week Celebration. Thank you Mrs. Scurry for your leadership and dedication to the 4-H Program!
