I grew up in northwestern Oklahoma in the rural town of Woodward.
From the time I was 9 years old until I was 18, I was involved with the 4-H organization.
4-H originally began around the beginning of the 20th century. Its purpose was to teach rural youth practical skills and connect them to their agricultural communities. Because adults in farming communities did not readily accept new agricultural discoveries, it was a way for youth to introduce new agricultural technology to their parents and foster improvement in farm and home practices.
The organization grew to include young people in all types of communities and evolved into a world organization to help youth develop life skills to reach their fullest potential and become contributing, productive, self-directed members of society.
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Through 4-H, I learned:
- to speak and perform in public
- to express myself through writing
- to grow, preserve, and prepare food
- to care for animals
- to make my own clothes
- to work with others
- to stand on my own
- to be a leader
I was given the opportunity to visit, and learn, about industry and history; to attend camps and conferences; to travel inside and outside the United States; to participate in community service; “to make the best better.”
And I had a great deal of fun, saw beautiful places, and met wonderful people along the way.
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have been a member of the organization and even more grateful to my mother who had to push me now and again to keep me at it.
That was almost 50 years ago. I was immeasurably transformed and was given a firm foundation on which to build the life I currently live. To this day, I recite the 4-H Pledge, and it is just as relevant now as it was then. And it will be just as relevant tomorrow as it is today.
4-H Pledge
I pledge my head to clearer thinking,
my heart to greater loyalty,
my hands to larger service, and
my health to better living,
for my club, my community, my country and my world.
So simple, yet so powerful.
From the 4-H Creed:
