July 2017 Club of the Month
This month we would like to congratulate the Middle Loup 4-H Club for being awarded the Nebraska 4-H Club of the Month for July 2017. This Club from Sargent, NE, in Custer County, has truly made a difference in its community. The club is dedicated to building strong citizenship and teamwork through various activities.
The Middle Loup 4-H Club is very active in almost every area of 4-H. Its current membership is one-third of the local school system. At many meetings, the club tries to visit a business in the area. Members have visited a cattle feedlot, a club member’s swine operation, the school greenhouse, and a dairy farm.
The Middle Loup 4-H Club sold the most premium book ads in Custer County this year with a total of 71 ads with 17 of them being new ads. To thank their sponsors, the club has always given them a plate of cookies. This year, in order to raise money for the Custer County Fairgrounds, the club voted to have a pancake feed with an auction to follow. Premium book sponsors were each given tickets to get in free. The rest of the community was invited and were asked to give a free will donation to eat. The auction items were provided by generous donors from businesses in Custer County. The event was a huge success, and the club raised over $4,500 for the fairgrounds.
Another project that was started to help with the fairgrounds is aluminum can recycling. Donated cans can be left in a horse trailer parked in town. 4-H families take turns hauling the cans to be traded in for money. Around $200 dollars was collected to add to the fairground donation and this will be an ongoing fundraising opportunity.
The club gives back to the community in several ways. In the spring, businesses have the opportunity to purchase planters made especially for them by club members. Members learn about picking out plants, plant care, and plant arrangement. At the Chokecherry Fair in the summer, the club has a food booth allowing them to encourage people to come to the park to eat and visit with others. The club is also able to raise the money needed to keep club activities going. One of the most educational items the club was able to buy is an archery target with a resealable screen and a software program that gives members a chance to shoot at wildlife and different sizes of targets. The funds they have raised have also made it possible for us to give a donation for shrubs to be put around a Veteran’s Memorial project being completed in downtown Sargent.
The Nebraska 4-H Foundation provides the 4-H Club of the Month program to all Nebraska 4-H clubs throughout the state. Clubs can nominate themselves by telling why their club should be chosen as Club of the Month. A different club will be chosen each month and will be awarded with a certificate and $50 cash card. For more information go to the Nebraska 4-H Foundation website at https://ne4hfoundation.org/recognition or e-mail ne4hclubofthemonth@gmail.com. For more information contact the Lincoln County Extension office at (308) 532-2683 or e-mail lincoln-county@unl.edu.
