The Sarasota County 4-H program was honored Monday with an official proclamation and some time for a few members before the county commission.
The program was recognized by the Board of County Commissioners as part of efforts celebrating National 4-H Week, slated for Oct. 4-10. The local 4-H program, administered by UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, reaches some 3,000 youths each year through workshops, projects, camps, conferences and a host of other events.
Studies show 4-H members are nearly four times as likely as their peers to be engaged in the community, and twice as likely to be involved in science, technology, engineering or math programs outside school.
Rebecca McCafferty, 4-H Agent, and 4-H members Benjamin Adams, 10, Kelsee Desmarais, 15, and Morgan Holdsworth, 17, visited the commission chambers to hear the formal reading of the proclamation by Commissioner Paul Caragiulo. Each then took a moment to describe a little bit of the 4-H mission for commissioners and the audience.
The full proclamation reads:
WHEREAS, 4-H is the youth development program of the University of Florida, and is implemented locally by Sarasota County Extension along with the help of 4-H volunteers, who are outstanding men and women in their communities; and
WHEREAS, Sarasota County 4-H reaches almost 3,000 youth annually through educational workshops, learn-by-doing projects, presentation experiences, camps, conferences, before- and after-school programs, and other events at local, county, district, state, national and international levels; and
WHEREAS, 4-H prepares youth to be responsible citizens and productive members of the workforce, and young people in 4-H are nearly four times more likely to be engaged in their communities, two times more likely to pursue healthy behaviors, and two times more likely to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs outside of school than their peers!
NOW, THEREFORE, WE THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF SARASOTA COUNTY, FLORIDA,
do hereby proclaim October 4 – 10, 2015 to be:
NATIONAL 4-H WEEK in Sarasota County.
PRESENTED this 21st day of September, 2015.
0
