By: Terry Foster, Red River 4-H Agent/Parish Chair

“I pledge my head to clearing thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world.” Red River parents should be hearing your children talking to you about joining 4-H clubs in their schools. The cost to join a school club is $6.00. A 4-H T-Shirt may be purchased for $12.

Be listening to your children to learn about “Clover Bucks”. This is a rewards program for the youth of Red River for participating in 4-H activities this year. Ultimately, the 4-Hers will get to use their “Clover Bucks” in April at 4-H Fun Day “Clover Bucks Store”. They will have opportunities all year to earn “Bucks” by exhibiting at the parish and state fairs livestock or general exhibits, attending club meetings, leading the pledges in club meetings, demonstrations, bringing community service items to club meetings, entering cooking contest, completing a project book, attending camps, etc…. If you are a parent of a Red River 4-Her and volunteer to help in the monthly club meetings at your child’s school meetings they can also earn and extra $1,000 in Clover Bucks each month!!

Our service learning project for the year will be collecting arts and crafts items for St. Jude’s Hospital in Shreveport, LA. The 4-Hers will be collecting these items monthly glue, glue sticks, construction paper, pipe cleaners, crayons, color pencils, play dough or modeling clay. In October and November we will collect new small stuffed animals and children’s lap blankets for Christmas. Please help your 4-H clubs with this worthy project for our community. More information will be sent home in the monthly newsletter.

The new school year for 4-H kicked off in September at our local schools in Red River parish. Please look for 4-H enrollment packets in children’s backpacks or call the 4-H Office for more information at
932-4342.

Through non-formal, research-based, experiential education activities, 4-H participants gain knowledge and life skills enabling them to become positive, productive, capable and compassionate members of their communities. 4-H has three primary program initiatives: citizenship; healthy living; and science, engineering and technology. Youth learn leadership, citizenship and life skills through a variety of projects with topics such as outdoor skills, aerospace, animal science, nutrition, forestry and community service. “Learn by doing” is the 4-H club slogan. 4-H members don’t just read about things; they do them. They make things. They take part in club meetings. They learn interesting new things. They learn to follow, and they learn to lead. They help their neighbors and their neighborhoods through club activities.
The Louisiana 4-H Youth Development program continues to expand to meet the needs of youth, with participation exceeding 175,000.