4-H celebrates service during National Volunteer Week starting Sunday

[April 09, 2015]  LINCOLN - Volunteers are the heart of Illinois 4-H, and the University of Illinois Extension 4-H Youth Development program salutes its 13,000 volunteers during National Volunteer Week, said Patricia McGlaughlin, U of I Extension youth development specialist. Statewide, volunteers support nearly 200,000 4-H participants in Illinois. National Volunteer Week runs April 12-18.

In Logan County, there are over 100 volunteers who are inspiring youth involved in county and local 4-H club programs, said Carissa Akpore, Youth Development Educator for Extension Unit 16. “Our volunteers are the lifeblood of our county, serving in roles from club leader and project instructor to advisory council member and chaperone,” Carissa said.

Local volunteers assist with things such as project workshops including International Cooking, Junkdraw Robotics, Welding, Shooting Sports, Sewing, Quilting, Hunting & Wildlife and Geology to name a few. Volunteers also work with Jr. Leadership groups and 4-H Ambassadors, help foster community service, leadership and public speaking opportunities for youth and work to grow 4-H in communities and create new opportunities for new audiences to participate.

National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities,” said McGlaughlin. “It’s about demonstrating that by working together, communities have the ability to meet challenges and accomplish goals.”

The Points of Light Foundation sponsors National Volunteer Week, and the 2015 theme, “Celebrate Service,” aligns with the focus of Illinois 4-H Volunteers who are engaged in taking action and encouraging 4-H members to provide service to others and their community. National Volunteer Week encourages people to be engaged in their community. 4-H volunteers are actively engaged in their communities by impacting the lives of Illinois youth, sharing time and talents with youth through 4-H clubs, Special Interest clubs, metro 4-H clubs, after-school programs and camps, McGlaughlin said. Today’s 4-H youth are engaged in learning activities in the three mission mandate areas of citizenship/civic engagement; healthy lifestyles; and science, engineering and technology.

To learn more about becoming a volunteer in the Logan County 4-H program, contact the Logan County Extension Office at 732-8289.

[Patty Huffer, Logan County 4-H/Logan County Extension]

About 4-H: Illinois 4-H helps youth learn skills for living. University of Illinois Extension provides 4-H programs in every county in Illinois. Illinois 4-H impacts the lives of 200,000 youth each year through sustained learning clubs and groups and short-term programming.

For Further Information Contact:
Source: Patty Huffer, Extension Program Coordinator/Youth Development, Logan County, 217-732-8289

News Writer: Judy Mae Bingman, Extension Media Communications Specialist, 217-300-2113