San Fernando Valley 4-H Club

[sfv4Hclub]

Hi everybody! So I know most of you have not even heard of 4-H and it is my hope that that will change soon! I'm the Communications Officer for the San Fernando Valley 4-H Club, and it's my job to get the word out about all that we're doing with 4-H, and to encourage families to check it out!

Everyone wants their kids to grow up, and be the strongest, most confident people they can be. Lots sign their kids up for sports teams, or get them interested in different hobbies. However, one of the best Clubs you have the opportunity to join around here is the SFV 4-H Club. 4-H is not defined to teaching your child to be the best at Dog Care, or the best volunteer, or smartest photographer. It is a national youth development program designed to help the child grow to be the best person that they can be, an all around roll-model for others and strong community leader. Truly, I honestly believe that this is a one-of-a-kind group, unlike any sort of Girl Scouts or Eagle Scouts programs, and recognized by most of the top ranked colleges.

It's hard to explain all that goes on within 4-H, but I will do what I can. A child of any age can join (and parent volunteers are adored!) and in the club the select a (or some) project(s) of what they're interested in and want to further explore. The membership fee is only $12, because it is a non-profit organization, and the club meets on the second Thursday of each month at a pre-designated location. Based on the projects, they generally meet twice a month. Most meetings (including the full club meeting) last for about two hours, and start at 6:30. Members ages 5 through 19 can sign up!

"Learn by doing" the 4-H slogan calls. If you are at all interested, I encourage you to check it out and get more information by emailing out Club Leader, Emily Mountford ([e-mail])

If you would like to do further research first, feel free to visit:

http://4-h.org/ - The Official Website for the National Organization
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-H - 4-H Wikipedia Search
http://www.ca4h.org/ - It's a division of the University of California system (website for 4H)

PS: I am already commenting on the ancient notion that all 4-H does is deal with training animals.
Living in the residential constraints of the San Fernando Valley, we all know how hard that is, so please recognize the fact that the projects are chosen by demand (i.e. we have a Dog Care project, but no Sheep project) and there is a large variety to accomodate many prefrences.

Thank you for you time! :)

         Hannah DeYoung
         SFV 4-H Club Communications Officer