Island business owners sponsor 4-H project
Dating back to the 1800s, 4-H has played a big role in the lives of many generations throughout the United States.
While much has changed over the years, 4-H has maintained its strong allure for many Lee County youngsters. Driven to encourage the tradition of 4-H, one Pine Island business continues to support its concept every year through sponsorships.
This year, Peter and Susan Meier from Peter Meier Appliances became the sponsors of a former island resident, Darrell Nipper, 16, who successfully reared a prize winning hog.
“We believe in helping the kids and believe that 4-H gives them responsibility,” Susan Meier said. “Each year we sponsor a child who gets a hog or calf and it is their responsibility to take care of and raise that animal until the Lee County Fair comes around. During the fair, each of the children are judged on their animals and it is a big moment for all of us.”
According to Meier, the children receive the young animals in September and they are responsible for bathing them as well as feeding, exercising them and cleaning up after them while in their care.
Once the animals and children are entered at the Lee County Fair, a show is held and judged and then the animals are up for sale during a live auction. Nipper’s hog earned him fifth place in his age division and fetched a very good price during the auction, according to Meier.
“The kids are great. All of them were successful from start to finish,” she said. “I would encourage everyone to get involved with the local 4-H.”
The nationally recognized 4-H program began when experts found it was difficult to teach old farmers new tricks and by focusing on the next generation, they felt new concepts in farming could be implemented. In the beginning, 4-H was a concept geared primarily to the children of farmers. However, today 4-H can be found not only in rural settings but urban areas as well.
Also interested in encouraging young people to explore another aspect of agriculture is the Pine Island Garden Club. Each year, this organization sponsors scholarships to college bound students who often express an interest in pursuing a career in some aspect of horticulture.
“We have had several of our scholarship recipients go on to pursue careers in the field of horticulture or agriculture. One young man in particular even came back and helped to design some of the beds for our Garden Park at the center,” Garden Club member Margie VanderKruik said. “He is now a landscape architect and we are so proud of him.”
VanderKruik added that many of the Garden Club scholarship recipients return each year to help out during the annual Garden Gala. In recent years, the club has expanded the children’s activities at the gala to include a table just for children.
Another idea VanderKruik recently introduced to the Garden Club is the possible formation of a youth garden club.
“When I lived in New Hampshire, I began teaching local students about gardening,” VanderKruik said. “In no time the small club became very popular with the students. The children were very eager to learn and we even took field trips to larger gardens so that they could see how a large-scale farm or commercial nursery works. I think it is important to teach children about gardening and how things grow in order for them to develop into well rounded adults with an appreciation for our environment. It also teaches responsibility and dedication, two very important lessons.”