Ohio 4-H Week was celebrated locally this week by the Logan County OSU Extension Office, including with a stop by the Logan County Commissioners’ Office Tuesday, March 4.
Olivia Ruffner, Logan County 4-H educator, and the county’s new agriculture and natural resources educator, Jacob King, met with the commissioners to recognize the achievements of local 4-H members, volunteers and leaders who make a difference every day.
Logan County Commissioners Greg Fitzpatrick, Mike Yoder and Joe Antram honored the impact Logan County 4-H has on the community’s youth by issuing an Ohio 4-H Week proclamation for March 2-8.
4-H is America’s largest youth development organization, supporting more than six million children around the U.S., including approximately 154,000 members in Ohio.
Now in existence for 123 years, 4-H was originally developed an as organization for farm children. Today, it emphasizes leadership development, civic engagement, healthy living, STEM skills, career awareness and workforce development, “empowering Ohio’s youth with the skills to lead for a lifetime,” according to the proclamation.
4-H alumni are 10 percent more likely to have a college degree, four times more likely to give back to their communities and two times more likely to make healthier choices, compared to their counterparts not in 4-H, the proclamation notes.
The local 4-H clubs available in Logan County cater to a wide variety of interests, including raising livestock, but also with clubs focusing on horses, sewing and even a shooting sports club.
Members can pursue plethora of project topics, ranging from writing to nutrition, small animals, bicycling, chemistry, genealogy, woodworking, gardening, baking, photography and much more.
To participate in 4-H, members must be 8 years old and in third-grade by Jan. 1, 2025. In addition, some of the clubs have a Cloverbud component, which is available for youths ages 5 and up who are in kindergarten through second-grade.
A youth’s 4-H eligibility ends Dec. 31 the year he or she turns 19.
Members can join 4-H anytime, but must join by the county’s enrollment deadline to be eligible for the full range of 4-H opportunities, including participating in county and state fairs.
To learn more, contact the Logan County OSU Extension Office, 1100 S. Detroit St., Bellefontaine, at (937) 599-4227, or visit the Logan County 4-H Facebook page.
