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			 Last year, 250 young people in Logan County were 
			involved in 4-H Community clubs where, assisted by volunteer adult 
			leaders, they learned about careers, leadership and citizenship. 
			Another 929 youth were involved in 4-H through school, after school 
			and community-partner organizations. 
			 
			”4-H’ers learn by doing philosophy encourages youth to experiment, 
			innovate, and think independently, said Carissa Akpore, University 
			of Illinois Extension Youth Development Educator. “4-H grows 
			confident kids who tackle issues that matter most in their 
			communities.” Illinois 4-H members prepare for their future by 
			studying careers related to their 4-H project. “They choose from 
			more than 100 projects to study,” said Akpore. The topics range from 
			rocketry, GPS, computer game design, and public speaking to 
			photography, animal science, nutrition, and more. 
			
			  
			
			 
			Ali Roate, an 18 year old 4-H member of the Middletown 
			4-H’ers states “This past summer I worked at camp which gave me many 
			opportunities to work with kids on various projects. Watching their 
			skills develop from beginning to end was pretty amazing and it 
			taught them that perfecting anything takes practice and patience. If 
			someone is willing to put in the time and dedication they will not 
			regret it – the benefits from learning will help you hugely in the 
			future.”  
			
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Abi Steffens, a 15 year old 4-H member of Chester 4-H says 
“4-H has helped me a lot in life and I am very lucky to have the skills it has 
given me. I have become more apt to speak in front of people, more responsible, 
and more comfortable with myself and my own ideas. It has taught me how to try 
new things and experiment to expand my successes in every aspect of my life.” 
  
Sarah Starasta, a 15 year old 4-H member of Cloverdale 
4-H, states “4-H has helped me to impact the lives of others through work that I 
have done with 4-H and the 4-H Ambassador program. From doing a simple act of 
kindness to sharing my 4-H story with state legislators, I can impact the lives 
of others which is important because you never know where it may lead.” 
 
4-H club membership is open to youth aged 8 – 18. Youth 5 to 7 years of age may 
join the 4-H Cloverbud program. To learn more about Logan County 4-H and further 
information on how to enroll your child in a local club, contact the Logan 
County 4-H office at 732-8289. 
 
About 4-H: Illinois 4-H strives to help youth learn skills for living. 
University of Illinois Extension provides 4-H programs in every county in 
Illinois. Illinois 4-H aims to impact the lives of 200,000 youth each year 
through sustained learning clubs and groups and short-term programming. 
				 
			[Patty Huffer]  |