Jefferson County 4-H Club awarded Pioneer Seed Grant

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach 4-H Youth Development prepares Iowa's youth to be successful, contributing members of society. Meeting the needs of the community through service-learning projects is just one way that 4-H members build these skills.

Pioneer recognizes the importance of service-learning and provides up to $5,000 in grants, ranging from $50 to $500, to selected Iowa 4-H clubs each year. The objective is to stimulate local 4-H clubs to plan and carry out community improvement activities by providing 'seed money” needed to make the projects successful. This year, a local Jefferson County 4-H Club was among the list of recipients.

The Ceniteers 4-H Club, led by Marvin Larson, Samantha Lange and Stephen Pumphrey, has over 30 members in 4th-12th grade. Together, they identified a need to improve a section of the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. The club members worked together to plan the project and apply to the Pioneer Seed Grant program in mid-January. Their project to clean and repaint the bleachers in the show arena was recently announced to be awarded $400.

'With our project, it allows the Ceniteers 4-H members the opportunity to give back to the community,” commented Sophia Mineart, Ceniteers 4-H Club President and nine-year 4-H member. She continued to say that it also 'gives us the chance to help improve our fairgrounds for everyone to enjoy.”

The Ceniteers 4-H Club plans to complete the project this summer. For more information about this initiative or the Jefferson County 4-H program, please email jefferson4h@iastate.edu or call (641) 472-4166.