Our Illinois 4-H Story

It's that time of year when the minds of 4-H storytellers turn to impact reports. My understanding of impact has changed in the years since I first studied ag communications in the basement of Mumford Hall. It took real life to show me what my professors tried so hard to teach me. Impact isn't...

On Purpose. With Purpose. There is a difference. Many of us do great things with purpose. We are amazing employees. We conquer difficult tasks. We study with purpose, work with purpose, live with purpose, but how much of what we do with purpose is on purpose...

Peter and Isaac didn't know each other before arriving at 4-H Memorial Camp, but two days in, each has found his new best friend. There's something about fresh air, campfires, starry nights, and lake water that brings out the best in humanity. Isaac and Peter run to the beachfront and hold up each...

For kids in need in Boone and Winnebago counties, kindness is wrapped in a warm sleeping bag. For four years, 15-year-old 4-H member Serenity Brockman has used her allowance and birthday money to buy child-themed sleeping bags for children in need. This year, Serenity enlisted the help of her...

Sometimes we take for granted the simple, everyday, every-year things which make our lives complete. Take birthdays. We all have them, but 4-H members learned that many of their peers don't get to enjoy birthdays in the same way the 4-H youth do. Food pantries often lack the simple ingredients for...

Carl Schmidgall knows how to take a bad situation and make it better. His sister, Korri, wrecked her Jeep when she hit a patch of black ice coming home from basketball practice. She was fine, but the Jeep was totaled. It sat in the machine shed at home for two years before Carl decided to rebuild...

We have a holiday tradition in our home. No, it has nothing to do with putting up decorations or cooking our favorite holiday recipe. Ever since the children were old enough to understand, we always try to do one thing. Give. Every time we go in a store to shop, we drop something in the kettle....

We asked 4-H members and leaders the things for which they were thankful. Their answers make us smile during this time of Thanksgiving. 1. Life Skills Take your pick which skill you most attribute to your 4-H experience. Public speaking. Organization. Time Management. Teamwork....

When your survival depends on feeding a growing world population, who better to call than a 4-H alum who has spent his professional career working to maximize crop outputs on every acre. Sam Eathington's connection to agriculture started young growing up on a grain and livestock farm in west-...

October 1 starts the biggest week in 4-H, National 4-H Week. 4-H membership is 6 million strong across the country, with more than 25 million alumni. Last year, more than 25,000 youth were 4-H club members in Illinois; another 170,000 youth were involved in 4-H through camps, after school programs...