{"id":35694,"date":"2013-03-05T04:57:30","date_gmt":"2013-03-05T09:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/?p=35694"},"modified":"2013-03-06T06:54:00","modified_gmt":"2013-03-06T11:54:00","slug":"4-h-week-group-not-just-for-farm-kids-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2013\/03\/05\/4-h-week-group-not-just-for-farm-kids-anymore\/","title":{"rendered":"4-H organization not just for ‘farm kids’"},"content":{"rendered":"

CINDY WOOD\/<\/strong>independent feature writer<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Van Wert County 4-Hers gather around the campfire at Camp Palmer in Fayette. This week has been designated "Ohio 4-H Week\u201d, which promotes the benefits and leadership development skills 4-H offers to local youth. (photo submitted)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cows and rabbits and pigs \u2026 oh my. Try robotics, sewing or rockets \u2026 oh yes.<\/p>\n

Truth be told, 4-H is way more than milking cows or feeding the hogs. It\u2019s developing a resume. It\u2019s learning professional development. It\u2019s public speaking.<\/p>\n

Once thought of as a club for \u201cfarm kids,\u201d the organization devoted to youth development has shattered that stereotype and children everywhere are reaping life-long benefits, while making friends and memories along the way.<\/p>\n

Locally, Heather Gottke oversees a thriving Van Wert County 4-H program, which boasts 550 members. Once a 4-Her herself, Gottke knows first-hand the values and leadership skills 4-H provides. As the local coordinator since 2009, Gottke spends time planning activities, grant writing and filing paperwork to submit to the Ohio 4-H organization in Columbus. In short, she\u2019s somewhat of a \u201cjack of all trades.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re definitely focused on the traditional projects, but we also focus a lot on teen leadership development with our Buckeye Ambassadors and our camp counselors,\u201d she said. \u201cWe actually have a lot of flexibility in being able to offer new and creative opportunities for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Children are young as the third grade are able to participate in competitive 4-H, while the non-competing Cloverbud program is open to children ages 5-9. Before coming to Van Wert, Gottke interned in Allen County, which gave her experience and ideas to bring to the local program.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
4-H Coordinator Heather Gottke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The county 4-H program offers approximately 220 projects. Ironically, only 20 of those projects involve some type of livestock, debunking the myth that 4-H is only for \u201ccountry kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe obviously have those livestock projects, but we have so many other projects as well that focus on science and engineering, robotics, sewing and many others,\u201d Gottke said. \u201cWhen we go into the schools to talk about 4-H, we let the kids know it\u2019s okay if you\u2019re not from a farm. That used to be the stereotype behind 4-H, but this is definitely a youth organization, not just a rural youth organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stacia Burgoon of Van Wert also knows the benefit of growing up with 4-H and is looking forward to getting her two sons involved in the organization. As a member of 4-H for 12 years, Burgoon said 4-H taught her critical life lessons that she still carries with her today.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt taught me independence and responsibility,\u201d she said. \u201cIt also taught me how to keep a job, have patience and it kept me away from drugs and alcohol and made me concentrate on more fun activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ask any 4-Her about those \u201cfun\u201d activities, and they will immediately mention the annual 4-H Camp Palmer, which is held in Fayette. \u201cWe take a little over one hundred youth every year, and they get to experience things like shooting sports, high ropes, and just a lot of different activities where they\u2019re interacting with new friends,\u201d Gottke said.<\/p>\n

Camp counselors are already preparing for the annual trek, and are looking forward to this year\u2019s \u201cDr. Seuss\u201d theme.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really exciting time for our counselors right now, and they\u2019ve got a lot of really neat things planned for camp this year,\u201d Gottke said.<\/p>\n

Robin Kraner of Ohio City has two children who have been involved in 4-H for five years now, and Kraner wholeheartedly agreed that 4-H is much more than chickens and cows.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have any farm animals, but each year the kids are challenged with doing projects that teach them about life: like growing a garden from start to finish, or how to tie ropes,\u201d Kraner said.<\/p>\n

This year, Kraner\u2019s children have taken on scrapbooking projects and will also house chicks to provide eggs for the family. \u201cChris is also doing beekeeping and exploring Ohio\u2019s forests. It really teaches them so much about helping the community,\u201d she noted. \u201cNext weekend we will clean up the entire area of Liberty Township by picking up trash along the township roads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kraner\u2019s husband, Mitch, also grew up in the 4-H program raising dairy cows, teaching him responsibility and how to produce milk. \u201cIt instills a sense of pride and self-worth when you go to the fair with your animal and show it, whether you win a ribbon or not,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really an accomplishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

4-H members work on their projects throughout the year, and their efforts are displayed during the Junior Fair program at the Van Wert County Fair.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat gives the kids the opportunity to show off their hard work and the time and effort they are putting into these projects,\u201d Gottke said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a really great way to meet new friends and try new things. There are so many different projects to choose from. There is definitely a fit for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The deadline to register for 4-H is April 1. More information can be found at www.vanwert.osu.edu<\/a>, or by checking out the local 4-H Facebook page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CINDY WOOD\/independent feature writer Cows and rabbits and pigs \u2026 oh my. Try robotics, sewing or rockets \u2026 oh yes. Truth be told, 4-H is way more than milking cows or feeding the hogs. It\u2019s developing a resume. It\u2019s learning professional development. It\u2019s public speaking. Once thought of as a club for \u201cfarm kids,\u201d the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-31 08:53:40","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35694\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}