Forming new Friendships

As we move through life there is always the benefit for meeting new people, learning about different areas, forming new relationships regardless of locale – all opportunities that 4-H youth can experience when socializing with other 4-H youth outside our county or state. In April, Martin County 4-H youth had a wonderful experience meeting youth from Powell County, Kentucky. The youth, led by their 4-H Agent, Valerie Stewart, her husband, Gary, and 4-H volunteer Roberta, traveled south to meet with us in Martin County. They were en route to a reward trip leaving from Miami to the Bahamas. They were looking forward to meeting Florida 4-H youth along with some community service during the trip . . .

Community Service

It was a fortunate day when I received their call in February, requesting a community service project along with a visit with our youth. For the community service project, the KY 4-H youth collected from their local families PB&J for our local non-profit, the House of Hope. Some of the peanut butter was very fresh, packaged from the Algood facility in Louisville, KY. I hear the van smelled ‘yummy’ the entire trip south!

Learn by Doing

The Saturday of their arrival we were joined by local club members and had a wonderful time showing them around our county. An educational – and fun – visit to the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center following by lunch under a Stuart Beach pavilion. The KY youth then hit the sand – considering the snow left behind – for an afternoon of fun in the sun! Later that evening, we met at our extension office for a 4-H Family potluck dinner. Our FL youth and families experienced Ale 8 – the local KY soda. If you vacation in the area the Ale 8 Winchester facility conducts tours. Kentucky advice: Drink it cold!

Adventures

At the conclusion of this wonderful experience, Martin county 4-H now has a 4-H Family in Kentucky … so a road trip is needed! A 4-H adventure with new experiences to look forward to! If you ever travel to Kentucky be sure to visit the Daniel Boone National Forest: https://www.nationalforests.org/our-forests/find-a-forest/daniel-boone-national-forest. Also feel welcomed to stop by their UKY Extension office to say Hello.

Thank you Powell county 4-H for spending time with us in Martin county. This new 4-H Friendship of ours is valued.

For more information:

Powell County Extension visit: https://powell.ca.uky.edu/ and Martin County Extension: https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/martin/

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