4-H Leadership Starting Strong

By: Abby Morgan

Without missing a beat, the Indiana 4-H program is starting off another great year! 4-H is year-round program that annually starts October 1st and ends on September 30th. In Montgomery County, we are kicking off our 4-H program year with our 8th annual Spooky Science program on Monday, October 23rd from 6:00-7:00 pm in the beef barn.

We already have 4-H clubs that have started meeting, including our Junior Leader Club. So what is Junior Leaders and how are they different from our other community and project-based clubs? Junior Leaders is for youth currently in grades 7-12 that are seeking additional leadership opportunities. These youth serve in variety of leadership roles, serve as mentors, and participate in different community service projects throughout the year. The club is organized and led by the youth officer team, with each meeting having a different theme, activity, or community service aspect.

The Montgomery County Junior Leader officer team this year is Miranda Crowe (President), Kylee Reeves (Vice President), Cole Rhoads (Secretary), Rachel Rhoads (Treasurer), Social Media Coordinator (Grace Simpson), and Natalie Rhoads, Lennon Woods, Kale Vaught, and Savannah Crowe (Council Members). For the club’s kick-off event, the officer team planned pumpkin painting and an ice cream social. This year there were 37 members in attendance for their first meeting! Thank you to Oak Hill Tree Farm for your generous donation of the pumpkins! If your child is looking for a unique way to be more involved in the community and enhance their leadership skills, I would highly encourage them to consider joining 4-H and the Junior Leader program. The next Junior Leader meeting is Monday, November 13th at 6:30 pm in the Exhibit Hall at the Montgomery County 4-H Fairgrounds.

To enroll in Montgomery County 4-H, please visit https://v2.4honline.com or visit the Montgomery County Extension office at 400 Parke Avenue, Crawfordsville. The program fee for enrolling in 4-H is $15 per child and mini 4-H (grades K-2) is free. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Extension office at (765)364-6363.

– Abby Morgan is the 4-H Youth Development Educator at the Montgomery County Purdue Extension Office. She can be reached at [email protected] or 765-364-6363.