Logan County’s new 4-H educator Allison Rison, standing center, is accompanied at the Logan County OSU Extension Office by interns Shelbie Snoke, left, and Shelby Nicholl. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
A self-proclaimed 4-H lifer and Logan County’s new 4-H educator Allison Rison wants area youths in grades 3 and up to be aware of the extensive number of opportunities available to them through 4-H to suit just about any interests — from writing to nutrition, sewing, livestock, small animals, bicycling, chemistry, genealogy, woodworking, shooting sports, gardening, baking, photography and much more.
Logan County 4-H hosts an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14, to showcase the 23 local clubs at the Logan County OSU Extension Office, 1100 S. Detroit St., Bellefontaine.
Each of the 4-H clubs will host a booth with club representatives to answer questions about their offerings to help potential members identify which club might be a good fit for them. 4-H is free to join in Logan County.
“Whether you’re familiar with 4-H or totally new to the program, we want to invite everyone to stop by to have a fun night with us to find out which clubs would fit their needs,” said Rison, who moved to Ohio last year from Tennessee. Her father served in a similar educator role in the 4-H program in her area for many years when she was growing up.
“The 23 clubs in Logan County have so much variety. There are four clubs specific to horses, one club that is sewing specific and even a shooting sports club.“While there are many wonderful opportunities to raise livestock through 4-H, we also want people to know that it’s not just for farm kids; it’s for everyone.
“And for 4-H members who are interested in livestock, but don’t live on a farm, there are even opportunities to lease animals. We have several kids who live in Bellefontaine City and lease animals with area farmers, and they learn so much from these local mentors.”
The open house coincides with National 4-H Week and Ohio 4-H season, with enrollments ongoing right now, with a deadline of April 9 to register for 4-H this year. Participants can receive assistance with registering online.
To participate in 4-H, members must be 8 years old and in third-grade by Jan. 1, 2024. In addition, some of the clubs have a Cloverbud component, which is available for youths ages 5 and up and in kindergarten through second-grade.
Rison and OSU Extension Office Associate Jess Barker noted that in Logan County, scholarships are available through the Milroy Foundation, which makes it free for members to take up to two project books to the Logan County Fair.
The open house will also include a number of hands-on demonstrations from various clubs, and a blender bike on site, rented from the State OSU Extension Office, where attendees can take take a turn to help make smoothies and other fun beverages.
Door prizes will be offered from a number of area businesses as well.
For current 4-H members, Barker invited them to pop out to check out the interactive evening, too.
“It’s an enjoyable night of fellowship and being together to kick off the 4-H season,” she said.
While the opportunities available in 4-H vary greatly among the 200 plus projects, Rison related that all of the programming focuses on valuable lessons in leadership, communication and collaboration, inspiring youths to reach their full potential and achieve personal growth. Including 4-H projects and accomplishments on resumes and college applications certainly makes a candidate stand out as well, Barker noted.
In addition to reaching out to the 10,000 or so youths eligible for 4-H in the county, Rison said Logan County 4-H is also looking to expand its number of dedicated 4-H advisers.
“We are so appreciative to our current 4-H advisers. They put in so much of their time and energy and are vetted every year.
“There are so many other adults in our community as well who have special skills that could be passed on to the next generation.”
Barker also noted that the Logan County OSU Extension Office also recently was approved to hire an agriculture educator this year, a specialist who will be able to provide their expertise on gardening, trees, farming and etc. The timeline for implementing the agriculture educator has yet to be announced.
Also employed at the local extension office are interns Shelbie Snoke and Shelby Nicholl, both Logan County natives.
A Benjamin Logan High School graduate, Snoke is a student at Wilmington College pursing a degree in agriculture with a concentration in business. She grew up showing goats and lambs through 4-H and was heavily involved in the Benjamin Logan FFA Chapter.
Nicholl, a Riverside High School graduate, attends The Ohio State University studying agriscience education. During her years in 4-H and FFA, she was heavily involved in Helping Hands 4-H and the Riverside-OHP FFA Chapter, and participated in many non-livestock projects, as well as livestock projects.
For more information about Logan County 4-H or to inquire about being an adviser, e-mail Rison at [email protected] or visit https://logan.osu.edu/program-areas/4-h-youth-development.