Bruce County to celebrate 4-H Ontario's 100th anniversary
Bruce County is set to mark the 100th anniversary of rural Ontario’s oldest, youth-serving organization, 4-H, this Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Saugeen Golf Club in Saugeen Shores.
In celebration of this great milestone, the Bruce County 4-H Association invites all 4-H members, alumni and supporters of the program to a centennial celebration, beginning with a social time at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m., and entertainment, greetings and speakers at 8 p.m.
“We want to celebrate the incredible history 4-H has in Bruce County, but also showcase the exciting, fresh programs of today,” says Donna Bridge, a proud 4-H alumni, volunteer and president of the Canadian 4-H Council who is chairing the event.
Alumni and current 4-H members are also being asked to submit videos, photos and memorabilia for the evening. More information can be found by searching Bruce County 4-H on Facebook or by contacting Jennifer Christie at: jennifer_christie@live.ca.
The Bruce County 4-H Association is a volunteer-led and non-profit organization which co-ordinates the program for youth in Bruce County. Funds raised through Saturday night's event will be invested and used to support local competitions for members, such as the Grey-Bruce Judging Competition, and club growth, as well as the participation of local members in national 4-H events, such as the Royal Winter Fair and youth exchanges.
The first 4-H clubs in Ontario were started in Waterloo County in 1915 and were called “Boys and Girls Clubs.” They focused on teaching youth the “critical skills of farming” and later home crafts to girls. Today, more than 5,000 young people participate in 4-H clubs across Ontario, ranging from such traditional agricultural projects about “cows and cooking” to the more modern clubs about paintball, geocaching, photography and party planning. The possibilities are literally endless, and the skills that 4-H teaches youth today are endless as well.
“4-H played a big role in my growing up, more than I ever imagined as a kid training a dairy calf or learning to make taco dip," says event volunteer, keynote speaker, and 4-H alumni Jennifer Christie (below). “It helped me develop self-confidence, discover my passion for agriculture communications and understand what it takes to be a leader. There’s no doubt, without 4-H, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
As comfortable on the seat of a tractor as she is in the boardroom, Christie splits her time between her family's sixth-generation Bruce County dairy and grain farm, and developing marketing strategy with John Deere dealers across Canada. She enjoys the learning opportunities of working in today's agri-business environment, and is chairperson of the recently-established Ag Women's Network. She is also a 4-H Canada director, 4-H Ontario volunteer leader, and co-founded the Canadian Agri-Business Education Foundation.
Also at the event, there will be a silent auction, and 4-H presentations.
Tickets are $75 each ($25 tax receipted); available at Country Depot in Kincardine, Huron Tractor in Walkerton, Sprucedale Agromart in Tara, or by calling Elaine McTeer in Paisley, 519-270-5484, or Sharon Martin in Ripley, 519-395-4132, or by E-mail at: brucecounty4h@gmail.com
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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