4-H offers plenty of reason for pride

As we begin National 4-H Week today, we have another reason to be proud of the 4-H youth and leaders in this area.

The source of our pride is the eight-page special section in today's newspaper. The section, which appears on pages 15 through 22, is packed with articles and pictures submitted by 4-H members, leaders and extension officers.

We invite you to join us in reading about the difference that 4-H programs have made in the lives of members.

Kent Been, who has been Red Willow County's extension educator for seven years, says the great thing about 4-H is the help it gives youth in preparing for life. Been, who grew up on his parents' small acreage near Goodland, said 4-H taught him leadership skills and responsibility. "At the time I put a lot of emphasis on ribbons, but later I realized that the other things I learned -- such as proper preparation -- were more important."

Been is an example of the fact that 4-H keeps on giving through the years. There are an estimated 45 million 4-H alumni in the United States, including hundreds -- if not thousands -- in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas.

A number of those volunteer as 4-H leaders. As an example, there are 52 volunteer/leaders in Red Willow County. They serve 178 4-H members through 12 clubs.

Similar numbers exist for 4-H programs throughout the Golden Plains region. The wide variety in 4-H is shown by the clever names for the area clubs. They include such titles as Barnyard Buddies, Wonder Wizards, T-Boners, Challengers, Stick-To-It Club, Mavericks, Silver Spurs and the Live, Breathe and Show 4-H Club.

By their names, you can guess the principal purpose of some of the clubs. But other parts of the 4-H program may not be as familiar to you. Take, for example, the Hippology Contest.

If you don't know what that is, you will need to read further. There's a report on the Hippology Contest, as well as many other parts of the area 4-H program, in the special section.

We're proud of the leaders and youth for their participation. They have done a good job of telling why 4-H is such a valuable program for this region and this nation.