4-H Youth Present Hero Packs to Children of Deployed Soldiers

Yankton County 4-H youth presented backpacks to the children of National Guard troop members at the Yankton activation. The backpacks were secured by the South Dakota 4-H Foundation through a partnership between National 4-H and the Department of Defense. The term Hero Pack is being used to signify that each soldier is truly a hero and we are grateful to the children for sharing their parent. Each backpack includes a disposable camera, a 4-H Bear, stationary and other materials.

Son of a National Guard

Member receives a HERO pack

Partnership with Collegiate 4-H

“The Foundation values the partnership with the Collegiate 4-H which began in 1993. Each year the Collegiate 4-H members help people understand what 4-H is currently doing. In turn, the SD 4-H Foundation helps Collegiate 4-H by providing funds for their club activities, service projects and leadership programs. It is their way of giving something back to 4-H” said LaNell Quam, Development Associate of the SD 4-H Foundation.

4-H Foundation with 4-H Council on Hurricane Katrina Projects

4-H Council Ambassadors helped local 4-H clubs fill backpacks with winter clothes and letters to be sent to the children of Hurricane Katrina. The backpacks were delivered to five Avera sites (Aberdeen, Brookings, Mitchell, Sioux Falls and Yankton), packed in boxes and the Avera sites paid the postage to send them off. A total of 151 backpacks were sent from South Dakota Families to families in Mississippi.

4-H youth at Avera sites

pack the Katrina backpacks

4-H After School

A pilot project in Sioux Falls is bringing science-based 4-H curriculum to 300 kids in first through sixth grades. Many of these youth are from low income, multicultural neighborhoods with limited opportunities to participate in academic-based after school activities. Their teachers will be older youth participation in the 4-H Teens as Teachers program.

Science Project