Hamilton County 4-H marks centennial

Submitted

January 11, 2009 02:30 pm

— In 2009, Florida 4-H will celebrate its 100th anniversary. For the Hamilton County 4-H program, that means nearly 95 years of change brought in with the help of dedicated agents, 4-H'ers and volunteers who have kept the green and white spirit alive.
To usher in the centennial anniversary, Hamilton County 4-H held local events in the community after reviving its 4-H community clubs - Corinth 4-H Warriors, Hamilton County 4-H FISH (Families In School at Home) and Jennings Eagles 4-H clubs.
"In the past couple years, we've worked hard to rebuild the community club concept as a means for youth to explore careers and activities through Florida 4-H programs in Hamilton county," said Heather Futch, local 4-H agent. "We will continue working closely with teachers to provide agricultural and environmental education in the classroom with Extension curriculum," Futch said.
"Teaching youth though 4-H classroom curriculum has been the heart of our county's 4-H program for many, many years," Futch continues.
To join one of the newly established 4-H clubs, contact Heather Futch at 792-1276 or email her at hfutch@ufl.edu.

Florida 4-H History
Florida 4-H Youth Development program began in 1909 when J.J. Vernon, the University of Florida dean of agriculture, began corn clubs for boys in Alachua, Bradford and Marion counties. Educators provided corn seed to young men offering incentives for growing corn that exceeded the normal production at that time. This method of working with youth became an effective way to influence adults and teach youth needed career skills.
Soon, 4-H club projects with youth in Florida spread to include girls' tomato clubs and work with African Americans. Like so many programs at that time, 4-H club project work was segregated.
Today, Florida 4-H is about much more than corn and tomatoes. It covers just about every area of interest, from animals to workforce preparation, and from computers to performing arts. While agriculture, horticulture, family and consumer science and livestock remain projects in Florida 4-H, new interests, such as environmental science and rocketry, are now included.
"A Centennial is a milestone to celebrate," said Marilyn Norman, PhD, associate dean and Florida 4-H state leader at the University of Florida. "For Florida 4-H, it's a tremendous opportunity to advance the awareness of positive youth development throughout the state and celebrate 100 years of helping young people develop a love for lifelong learning, leadership skills and self-confidence," Norman continues.
The year-long celebration is themed, "Florida 4-H: A Century of Youth Success." State events planned are available at www.florida4h.org.

Hamilton County 4-H History
The Hamilton County 4-H program began around 1915 with the efforts of Extension agents. The county's 4-H program did not take off until the early 1950's when Rance Andrews joined as the county Extension director. As a former 4-H'er, Andrews brought knowledge and experience about 4-H club work in hog, dairy, poultry and corn yield contests into the Hamilton county program.
In 1955, Hamilton county Extension office hired Wylma White as its first 4-H home demonstration agent to work with white girls. Although girls" club work already existed, White is credited with beginning the first organized clubs.
Noah Bennett was Hamilton County's first African American 4-H agent. Bennett began working in 1939. At that time work with all the state's African American youth was headquartered at Florida A&M University. Work with the girls' 4-H program in Florida was headquartered at Florida State College, now known as Florida State University.
Isaac Chandler was the second African American agent and his career spanned from 1953 and continued until 1988. Chandler began his career through organizing school and community clubs for African American boys and working on corn and swine projects.
"The kids I worked with were underprivileged," says Chandler, now 86. "I have had a lot of adults come up to me and tell me because of the 4-H club, they were exposed to things they wouldn't have been exposed to. I think that was part of my pay, when people tell me I had a positive influence on their lives."
After desegregation, Chandler received the majority of the responsibility for the 4-H program in Hamilton County, while White continued to put a great deal of work into the program.
In 1955, clubs in the counties started having monthly socials at their club meetings and by 1957, they were having a yearly social gathering of all clubs in the county. Originally there were only three clubs - one in each elementary school in the county. This evolved, with the creation of the Midway 4-H Community Club in 1957, sponsored by the Midway Home Demonstration Club and led by White; other community clubs continued to form in the county including White Springs, New Hope, Jennings, Jasper, and Marion Station community clubs. There was a County Song Group which later became the 4-H Choir. Club project work expanded to include classes on beginning sewing, branch weaving, and making aprons. Clubs also held car washes, fashion shows, and quilt shows to raise money. 4-H clubs also maintained the landscaping around the county court house and competed in a broad array of contests including forest ecology, horticulture, cherry pie making, dairy foods, talent contests, public speaking, and lamp making. Their projects ranged from crafts, copper models, and candles, to corn, silage, livestock, and hay.

Growth in Hamilton's 4-H Program
Over the years, the Florida 4-H program in Hamilton County has evolved. Agents have retired and volunteers have changed. For the past 10 years, Hamilton's 4-H program ran through the public school system, with research-based curriculum provided to classroom teachers. Popular projects such as embryology were and still are shared with youth in the elementary grades.
Currently, Greg Hicks and Heather Futch share responsibility of the Hamilton county 4-H program and have worked hard for the last couple of years trying to revive the spirit of community clubs and the service those clubs provide to Hamilton county.
Corinth 4-H Warriors, Hamilton County 4-H FISH (Families In School at Home), and Jennings Eagles are the community clubs that have been created over the last two years. This holiday season, these clubs worked to spread the 4-H cheer by participating in various community service projects.
Community service projects of this type have not taken place in almost ten years, since the 4-H Rockers Club, led by Jean Peterson. Clubs like the 4-H Rockers once did community service by participating in a 4-H Chorus, reading "T'was the Night Before Christmas" to youngsters in daycares, riding in the Jasper Christmas Parade, and/or visiting the nursing home.

Current Community Service Projects
In the last two weeks, Corinth 4-H Warriors made Christmas cards for injured soldiers in hospitals around the United States. They also sold baked goods to their fellow schoolmates raising almost $300 to help needy families in the county provide Christmas gifts to their children.
The 4-H FISH club spread Christmas cheer by baking and decorating cookies for both nursing home residents and staff and the Hamilton County School Board employees. The 4-H FISH club members also sang carols to the residents of the nursing home
Both clubs took part in a community holiday party for foster children sponsored by Strong Families of Gainesville and New Bethel AME Church in Jasper on Friday, December 19th.
"We're proud that our local 4-H clubs are more involved in community service projects," said Futch. "They have the ability to touch the lives of many Hamilton County residents. The community can expect to see more activities from our 4-H youth to celebrate Florida's 4-H centennial anniversary."
Florida 4-H Youth Development offers youth, ages 5 - 18, diverse project topics available in all 67 counties, and with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Florida 4-H is the youth development program of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service (CES), headquartered in Gainesville within UF's IFAS Extension. The CES is funded by a partnership between federal, state and county government agencies.
For more information about Florida 4-H, visit www.florida4h.org or contact your Hamilton County Extension office at 792-1276. All programs are open to all persons regardless of race, color, age, sex, handicap or national origin.