“I pledge my head to clearer thinking

My heart to greater loyalty

My hands to larger service

And my health for better living

For my club, my community, my country & my world”

What is your ‘H’?

It’s a great question for each one of us, do you live your life by your head, heart, hands or health? You may ask any 4-H member and/or alumni and they could tell you, specifically, what their H is. 4-H teaches our youth so much about those four aspects of life that they carry it with them through their careers and life.

Montezuma County’s 4-H program is such a success. In 2013 our enrollment was 259 members and 48 leaders. Our completion rate for 2013 is 92 percent. We believe that if you start something you need to finish it, which reflects our completion rate. Accountability is so important in life, for all of us.

We encourage families to attend all meetings and learn as their children do. Keeping the family engaged and learning is a great tool for our completion. 4-H is not like a seasonal sport that lasts only two or three months, 4-H is a 12-month process of “learning by doing” and the highlight is the Montezuma County Fair in August.

Every member is accountable for their attendance for both club and project meetings. They are also responsible for the completion of their project, providing community service, a demonstration and a record book. 4-H is about teaching life skills, accountability, responsibility, decision making, relating to self and others, fostering positive self-concepts and acquiring a concern for their community, country and world. 4-H believes in the safety and welfare of our children. All volunteers and leaders go through a background check and training. These are just a few reasons why 4-H is the number one youth organization in the country.

Shooting Sports is Montezuma County’s biggest 4-H project. Along with club meetings these kids begin practice around spring break and continue once a week until the county fair in August.

They are required to keep records of their shooting, attendance, expenses of ammunition and range fees, all community service and what they learned and accomplished throughout their 4-H year. Our shooting sports leaders have to be state trained, a minimum of 15 hours of safety training in order to teach our children to shoot. You can actually see the weekly progress these 4-H members make in their shooting and self-esteem.

The older shooters are helping the newer ones with advice and technique; it makes my heart happy to see these kids become life-long friends.

National 4-H Week is Oct. 7-11, 2013. I hope you will enjoy the 4-H Club Window Displays at H&R Block, Love on a Hanger, Basin Coop and High Mesa Design.

Please call Tonya at 565-3123 to find out more information on the success of 4-H and how to enroll.