This week is National 4-H Week. Tessa Hobbs-Curley is a youth development educator for the four-county unit of Warren, Henderson, Knox, and McDonough working for the University of Illinois Extension office. She says the program’s numbers continue to grow in the four counties that she oversees.
“In our clubs, we have close to about 400 in Knox, 100 in Warren, 100 in Henderson, and close to 200 in McDonough. But for 4-H youth development, we serve over thousands of youth with our 4-H programs,” she said.
The name 4-H comes from the 4 H’s: head, heart, health, and hands. Hobbs-Curley says the club’s main focus is to build leadership, communication, and citizenship skills through community projects. She also wants people to know that 4-H isn’t just about agriculture.
“Agriculture is a huge part of 4-H. We are part of the University of Illinois Extension as that land grant university, but we have so many projects from robotics, to shooting sports, to woodworking, to photography, to visual arts, and I can go on and on,” Hobbs-Curley stated.
To celebrate the week, the 4-H clubs from the surrounding area will be giving out cookie jars to local businesses. If you’re interested in joining 4-H, you can call your local extension office or find them on Facebook.
written by Jackson Kane
