Column: Freeborn County 4-H, by Amy Wadding

Freeborn County 4-H is not known for doing a lot of fundraising throughout the year. We do have our staple fundraisers that we do year after year though. We have done our meat and miscellaneous ticket sales, the Dad’s Belgian waffle breakfast, and the livestock auction at the county fair.

Freeborn County 4-H operates under guidelines set forth by the University of Minnesota. It is the role of the program coordinators to see that those guidelines, rules, procedures, etc. are followed so that Freeborn County 4-H is in compliance with the University of Minnesota.

With recent changes in stewardship, one of the 4-H fundraisers that Freeborn County 4-H has done for over 30+ years can no longer take place. With this change, it has caused a huge problem for the 4-H program as the executive council budgeted back in October for the income off of the meat and miscellaneous ticket fundraiser to offer scholarships to events that happen toward the end of the 4-H year. Our huge scholarship expense that happens at the end of the 4-H year is the state fair. We have more than 100 youth attend the state fair and giving them a scholarship to attend puts a major deficit in our budget.

The meat and miscellaneous ticket fundraiser will be replaced with a pasta dinner fundraiser. We will host this pasta dinner at the Cloverstand (the 4-H Food Stand) at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds from 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 11. Tickets are available from Freeborn County 4-H’ers, the Extension Office and at the door. The cost is $6 per ticket. There will be pasta, sauce, meatballs, salad, bread, cookie and milk available for the meal.

We have a great number of youth who attend 4-H events throughout the state. We want to continue to offer scholarships so that youth do not have to have the financial burden attached when attending great leadership events. When we do our 2013-14 budget planning in October of this year for the new 4-H year, we will re-evaluate our financial situation and determine our best plan for assisting youth in attending 4-H events.

If you have questions about 4-H, the pasta dinner, or our fundraiser, please give our office a call at 507-377-5660. We appreciate your support of the Freeborn County 4-H Program.

 

Amy Wadding works in the Freeborn County Extension Office.