Many think 4-H members must show animals or live in the country. No doubt, many 4-H members put in many hours working with their animals and 2.6 million of the 6 million 4-H members worldwide live in a rural setting. However, many more bring static exhibits (non-living) projects, participate on judging teams, participate in shooting sports, and attend state and national youth leadership gatherings.

Take, for instance, Ward County 4-H member Dalyce Leslie of Deering, a member of the Sunshiners 4-H club. Leslie, a senior at Our Redeemers Christian School, has represented her county at the state fair with many static exhibits including horticulture items and crafts. She has also participated in state Communication Arts, clothing review and has even attended the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia last year. She is currently a Ward County 4-H Ambassador and helped with Secret Agent Clover Camp in Minot.

Another Ward County 4-H member who demonstrates multiple aspects of 4-H is Peppers 4-H Club member Thomas Schauer of Carpio. Schauer, a Berthold High School senior, has represented Ward County and North Dakota at the national level while judging on the meats judging team coached by Christopher Rockeman and Paige Brummund. Schauer and his fellow teammates earned honors as the Reserve National Champion Meats Judging team at the National 4-H Meats Judging contest in Denver this year. Not only is Schauer a successful meats judger, but he is also a Ward County Ambassador, shows livestock at Ward County Achievement Days and had several static projects enrolled at the state fair, including a very large welding project.

Nationwide, 4-H has nearly 6 million participants like Leslie and Schauer; 1.8 million are from an urban setting, 1.6 million from suburban and, as previously stated, 2.6 million members are from a rural setting. 4-H not only gets youth involved, but there are 500,000 volunteers and 3,500 4-H professionals providing caring and supportive mentoring to all youth members across the world.

Submitted Photo Bug hunting participants are shown during Drift Prairie Day at the Upper Souris Wildlife Refuge, north of Foxholm, in October 2017.

The statistics don’t lie, Tufts University (TU) completed a study to measure 4-H’s effectiveness on positive youth development. TU found that 4-H members are four times more likely to give back to their communities, two times more likely to make healthier choices and two times more likely to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities.

For those who would like their family to join, attending a local 4-H meeting is a great way to get started. Upcoming meetings include:

® Afton Country Kids; Location: K & L Farms, 7900 16th Street SW, Minot, at 2 p.m. They will pick their new club officers and have the National Youth Science Day kits “Code Your World” presented by Ward County Extension agent Emily Goff as their activity.

® Gasmann Helping Hands; Location: St. Paul Lutheran Church, 200 W. Burdick Expy, Minot. They meet the first Sunday of every month. Next meeting will be Sunday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. They will be discussing their next community service project at the Lord’s Cupboard in November.

® Mighty Mustangs; Location: Surrey City Hall, 100 Pleasant Avenue S, Surrey, at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9. They will have their new officers picked during this meeting.

® Peppers; Location: Berthold Sportsman’s Club, 220 Main St, Berthold, at 2 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 9. They will be electing new officers and discussing events for the new 4-H year.

® Prairie Ryders; Location: Ryder. location to be determined, on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 4 p.m. They will be learning about parliamentary procedure and the differences in each 4-H officer position. Their first meeting was on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 2 p.m. They met at Fort Stevenson and went geocaching.

® Rocky Acres; Location: Max Civic Center, 214 Main St, Max, at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16. They will have a meet and greet with root beer floats and make plans for the upcoming 4-H year.

® Souris River Wranglers; Location: Sawyer City Hall, 104 Dakota Ave, Sawyer, at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9. They will be making fairy gardens.

® Trailblazers; Location: Renew Church, 15 W. Division Street, Kenmare, at 2 p.m. They will be discussing upcoming events, participating in the local parade and electing new club leaders.

For more information contact Emily Goff, NDSU Extension Agent for Ward County 4-H, at 857-6450 or email her at emily.goff@ndsu.edu.