Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County is getting ready to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the Orange County 4-H Youth Development Program!
It all started in a one-room schoolhouse in Coldenham back in 1923 and since then, Orange County 4-H has continued to provide fun, experiential learning opportunities to help local youth grow to be healthy, happy, contributing global citizens.
Over the past ten decades, thousands of youth grew and benefited from the efforts of volunteers and staff through the 4-H motto of “Learning by Doing.”
“4-H does not shape you with a cookie cutter, but instead by allowing you to grow freely in your own time by providing water and a window of sunlight to nourish your development. 4-H shaped me for the better by helping me to learn life skills outside of the classroom. It often pushed me out of my comfort zone, but now as an adult I can truly appreciate it,” shared Teddi Matthews, an Orange County 4-H Alumni and current 4-H Leader with CCE Orange County.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary, CCE Orange County has organized a “$19.23 for Orange County 4-H” fundraiser that will benefit the 4-H Youth Development Program, help support the Education Center & 4-H Park in Otisville and provide funding for the Orange County Agriculture & Family Festival held each July. We are asking all Orange County 4-H alumni, volunteers, and those who believe in 4-H to donate $19.23 over the next two years to help support these efforts.
As part of the fundraising, longtime Orange County 4-H volunteer, Bunnie Reichle will be hosting a home arts silent auction at the 2022 Orange County Agriculture & Family Festival on Saturday, July 30 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Education Center & 4-H Park. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the 1923 Orange County 4-H fundraiser. Be sure to stop by and view the elegant, homemade arts created by local 4-Hers, 4-H alumni, and friends and family.
If you wish to donate home arts to the silent auction, please contact Bunnie Reichle by email at bunniereichle@hotmail.com or by phone at 845-222-4833. For more details about the silent auction, please visit our website: http://cceorangecounty.org/events.
To learn more about the 1923 Orange County 4-H fundraiser, or to learn more about the Orange County 4-H Youth Development Program, please visit our website: www.cceorangecounty.org.
Be sure to save the date for this year’s Ag & Family Festival - July 29, 30 & 31, 2022! This event is free to attend and will include fun for all ages! The 3-day event will be held at the Education Center & 4-H Park located at 300 Finchville Turnpike in Otisville.
For a full schedule, please visit: cceorangecounty.org/ag-family-festival.