PLUMSTED – 4-H is one of the largest youth development programs in the nation with more than six million young people ages 5 to 19 and more than 500,000 youth and adult volunteers.
The Township Committee is partnering with Ocean County’s 4-H staff to establish a Plumsted Township 4-H Club for local youths. 4-H is the only youth development program in the nation with direct access to technological advances from university research, according to Mayor Ron Dancer.
In New Jersey, the Rutgers University Cooperative Extension Service, the off- campus division of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station of Rutgers, has a 4-H Youth Development Program funded from a cooperative partnership of the federal (U.S. Department of Agriculture) and state governments (Rutgers University) and the Ocean County Board of Freeholders, Dancer said.
The committee thanked Freeholder Director Jack Kelly and Karen Mansue, Ocean County’s 4-H program associate, for the support to establish and fund a local youth development 4-H Club in Plumsted.
Dancer said 4-H offers youths a “learn by doing” experience through more than 1,000 projects, such as small animal care (rabbits, pets); raising Seeing Eye puppies; gardening; photography and video; arts and crafts; computers; wood-shop work; bicycle and automotive safety; public speaking; horses and ponies; birds and poultry; foods and nutrition; just to name a few.
The 4-H emblem is a green four-leaf clover with a white “H” on each leaflet symbolizing Head, Heart, Hands and Health with the pledge: ‘I pledge my Head to clearer thinking; my Heart to greater loyalty; my Hands to larger service; my Health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world.”
In preparation of establishing a local 4-H club youth development program in Plumsted, Dancer said municipal officials are seeking adult volunteers to help lead the 4-H club and its activities. With the resources of the county 4-H program, orientation is provided and no previous experience is necessary. 4-H volunteers are supported by a professional staff that includes a county 4-H agent who is a faculty member of Rutgers University.
Anyone interested in being appointed to Plumsted’s 4-H club’s youth development program as a founding and organizing member may contact Dancer at (609) 758-2241, ext. 102 or send e-mail to [email protected].
In other news, Dancer said the Township Committee obtained a tourism grant from Ocean County to pay for a Plumsted tourism brochure that will include a free business directory for all businesses in the township. To be included in this free business directory submit business name, address, telephone number, fax, e-mail and Web site information by Oct. 15 to [email protected] or leave a message at (609) 758-2733.
The next regularly scheduled public meeting of the Township Committee will be Oct 3 at 8 p.m.