DAMASCUS TOWNSHIP, PA — With the end of September comes the close of one 4-H year, and a new one beginning on October 1. For me, this year is also a farewell to my 12-year 4-H career.

Throughout those 12 years I served my club at some point as a treasurer, news reporter and secretary. 

4-H comes with a bunch of lifelong friendships made, lessons that will serve me well through my adult life, and feelings of sadness, happiness and accomplishment, among others. 

Any 4-H member who is aging out of the program knows what I am talking about. It really hits you when you sell your last 4-H livestock projects at the auction and think “This is it—this is what all 4-H alumni before me talked about.”

When deciding what I should write about for my last article, I thought it would be great to end with a focus on accomplishments—not for me, but my club. This year has been a busy one; let’s take a look!

Our new 4-H year began on October 1, 2025. In October, we did our fall Adopt-A-Highway cleanup, Unity Grange Hall cleanup and the Damascus Community Center Trunk or Treat. We stained the parking lot steps at the Damascus Manor United Methodist Church.

October was also National 4-H Week, and we put a display and scrapbook in at the Dime Bank in Damascus. 

And just like that, it was November. The holiday season is always a great time to look around and see where 4-H clubs can help the community. In November, we donated two Thanksgiving baskets to grieving families and a turkey to a family in need, donated food to the Wayne County Food Pantry, donated raffle baskets for several area benefits, stained the ramp access at the Lookout Fire Hall, and donated two filled boxes to the Red Bird Mission. Members also attended the county 4-H Achievement Night—a night set aside to honor members and clubs who excelled this past year. 

December was also a busy month. We donated food and hygiene items to the Damascus Food Pantry, sent holiday greeting cards to area nursing homes and Veteran centers, collected winter coats for our club’s Coats 4-H Kids Project, donated a dinner basket to a family in need, made decorations for area nursing homes, bought and wrapped gifts for the Angel Family Project, and celebrated our members past year with a Club Awards Night. 

We took January off to enjoy the PA Farm Show and have a winter break. 

In February, our club sponsored a table at the Wayne County Ag Day, providing activities for children as well as information on our county 4-H program. 

March was PA 4-H Week, and we celebrated by displaying posters all about 4-H at area businesses. 

In April, we planned our spring community service and really got to work on the upcoming fair. We also collected almost 100 items for the Ronald McDonald House in Scranton. 

May was when the weather turned to spring; we did our Adopt-A-Highway cleanup, donated school items to Mission Central, cleaned up at the Lookout Fire Hall, and started collecting items for the Penny Social fundraiser at the Unity Grange Hall. 

All year long, we collected can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. 

June, July and August saw our members preparing for the Wayne County Fair—something every 4-Her looks forward to each year! We worked together to make our award-winning club display titled “Follow the Green Brick Road with the Wizard of Ag,” in memory of Ed Pruss, who was a cornerstone in the 4-H program. We also made our club scrapbook and club project display. Members worked on their own individual projects and record books as well. 

August finally came and we all basically lived at the fair. We hope you were able to catch a show or two to see how amazing 4-Hers are. A smaller version of our display will be made and used for the upcoming National 4-H Week and the 2027 PA Farm Show, where our scrapbook will also be exhibited.

You may be wondering what else we did besides community service and the fair. Well, we also completed all of the requirements from the county for the club, including two club-level learning experience meetings, a health and safety meeting, an ethics meeting and STEM meeting plus what seems like a hundred other things, all while going to school, doing extracurricular activities, raising animals (many of us live on active farms), preparing our projects both living and nonliving for the roundups and fairs, attending workshops and training, Jack Pot Shows and being a kid!

Looking at this list and knowing there are so many other things we did, I know 4-H helps create individuals who are responsible, well-rounded and ready to take on the world. What isn’t always obvious are the lessons one learns along the way—relating well to others, learning to budget money, record-keeping skills, running meetings and the election process, stewardship of the land, respect for living things, knowing that every decision one makes has a consequence (both positive and negative), etc.

So now, as I sign off from writing my last news report, I want to ask one thing. If you are reading this and thinking this is something you want in your life, please consider the 4-H program. Screened adult volunteers are always needed and new members are always welcome in the program. Enrollment and re-enrollment starts soon. Contact the Penn State Extension Office at 570/616-0880.