|
|
 |
SCOTT WALTON |
|
|
4-H Leads to Growth
and Success for Rogers County Youth.
Over 70 4-H and F.F.A. families were represented by their children who had earned their right to compete. One family, the Guilfoyle family, volunteered and worked diligently to make the event a great night for everyone attending. The auctioneer took his seat, the crowd came to order, then the kids began coming out, leading their animals. Swine, cattle, sheep and goats were paraded in front of the judge with meticulously measured steps, a confident contestant leading the way while hoping to impress the crowd. There were none that failed to meet the mark of making a powerful impression. But, long before this night came to be, the contestants had to earn the right to be there and, by all accounts, earning that right was anything but easy. This night was the 4-H Premium Sale which is an event reserved for the best of the best animals raised by 4-H and F.F.A.members. Before this night, other rounds of competition had already been decided. The contestants were members of the Rogers County 4-H and F.F.A. programs that strive to teach children the skills needed to succeed; not just with farm animals but also with everyday life.
F.F.A. uses agricultural education to create real-world success. Agriculture teachers become advisors to local F.F.A. chapters, which students join. More than 7,000 F.F.A. chapters are currently in existence; their programs are managed on a local, state and national level. Each chapter’s Program of Activities is designed with the needs of the students in mind. Activities vary greatly from school to school, but are based in a well-integrated curriculum. Chapter activities and F.F.A. programs concentrate on three mission areas: Premier leadership, Personal growth and Career success. The Oklahoma 4-H program will celebrate its centennial in 2009 and, in these past one-hundred years, 4-H and F.F.A. have had no shortage of delivering greatness. In 2007 alone, over 158,000 youths benefited from 4-H programs. Nationwide, 4-H is one of the largest youth development programs, boasting over 6.5 million young people active between the ages of 5 and 19. To measure the success of 4-H participation, one only has to understand the facts. 4-H has a program in every Oklahoma county. While 4-h is often considered to be primarily a program in the rural areas, a full 13 percent of participants live in urban areas and that number is continually growing. Over 50% of 4-H participants go on to earn college degrees which flies above and beyond the normal of 20% for the general population. Oklahoma benefits greatly from 4-H. 88% of 4-H alumni continue to live, raise families, and contribute to the Oklahoma economy. In 2007 alone, 4-H'ers conducted 27,000 community service activities, racking up a massive 300,000 hours of service to the community. 4-H says the mission of the program is to empower youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with adults. The program has three primary program areas which concentrate on 1) Science, technology, engineering and mathematics; 2)Healthy living and; 3) Citizenship. For the young people that competed at the Rogers County Expo Center, the night was their moment to shine and receive the rewards they had earned for all of their hard work and dedication. Their animals had to be near perfect. They could neither be overweight nor underweight. The animals had to be trained to follow and accept commands and they had to be extremely well cared for. For months, these kids have been maintaining a high standard of discipline in order to be able to present their animals and, for four of the contestants, their hard work and determination paid back in a immeasurable way - full scholarships to Rogers State University.
Mary Stout, Savannah's Aunt, described the tremendous amount of work that had to be done in order to get to this point. "She [Savannah] has been working on this night for months. She first received the swine in April or May and since then she's been responsible for raising the animal. At first, it's a little easier because they mostly just have to be fed but as they grow, the work becomes more intense." Stout said that the kids are given the responsibility of making a success plan, gathering the tools and resources they're going to need, and working the project to completion. "There's a lot of dedication that goes into this. This isn't just raising an animal, this is working to make a project a success." Stout said that a lot of attention has to be paid to the animal's weight because if the animals does not meet the weight requirements, the animal is automatically disqualified. "If Savannah had not carefully monitored the animal's growth, all of this hard work could have been for nothing." Once the animal starts getting bigger, it must be walked routinely and taught to follow the commands that will be needed when they are in front of the judge. "These kids really pour their hearts into this. It's a lot of hard work, a lot of sweat, and a lot of responsibility." For the families and contestants at the Premium sale, the hard work and dedication that had been exhibited in the leading up to this event paid off for everyone. Each contestant had etched themselves a place of pride in accomplishment and learned lessons that will serve them for the rest of their lives. Still, the competing isn't over. Next stop: Tulsa; where again, the kids and their animals will be judged once more.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Paid for by Scott Walton for Sheriff |
||
As scores of people gathered in the stands of
the Rogers County Expo Center, waiting to see the results of years
of hard work on the part of Rogers County youth, a handful of young
men and women stood nervously aside their living accomplishments and
realized that this was a moment they had been working so hard for.
For four of those contestants, the end of the night would hold the
possibility to change their lives forever.
4-H
stands for Health; Hand; Heart; Head and a fifth H which stands for
Home. F.F.A. stands for Future Farmers of America.
One
of the scholarship recipients, Savannah, is a member of Rose
Walton's Sunday School class. "I am so proud of her," said
Rose. "The hard work these kids have to do is amazing and I am
thrilled that she's benefiting from putting in all those hours of
work and learning."