Activities change, but 4-H still develops leadership.(Neighbor) - Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)

Byline: Sammi King Daily Herald Correspondent

On June 20, 1958, 50 kids from the Bald Mound Busy Bees and the Batavia Boys 4-H Club won first place in the Kane County Share the Fun Festival. On stage, before an audience of 500, were 25 lively cornstalks, 4 milkmaids, 2 'cows' and a little brown maverick with a big winking eye.

Four years later the Batavia Tireless Teens would be the Share the Fun winner. The group went off to the Illinois State Fair with its act 'That Wonderful Year-1926.'

Thirty-seven years later, there is still a talent competition for Kane County 4-H members. The sets aren't as elaborate, the audience not as large, but the energy and excitement of the kids remains the same.

This year the acts ranged from single soloists to full productions. In one act, the Kane County Kidz Company performed choreographed signing to the song, 'For Such A Time As This.'

The talent contest is now called the Performance Showcase and all blue ribbon acts are eligible to go to state fair. They just have to submit a videotape and hope that they get picked.

The 4-H program has changed considerably through the years.

The first 4-H club was organized in 1899 when W.B. Ortwell, secretary of the Macoupin County, Ill., Farm Institute, furnished packages of seed corn to 500 boys. They were instructed to plant the corn and prepare an exhibit for the next meeting of the Farmers' Institute. Five years later, 8,000 Illinois farmboys contributed to the corn exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904.

The early 4-H emblem featured an ear of corn in the center and an H on each of the three leaves, signifying head, heart and hands. The current emblem, adopted in 1911, features a cloverleaf with an H on each leaf symbolizing head, heart, hands and health.

The Smith Lever Act in 1914 opened the doors for a national program. Congress appropriated money for employing extension workers from the Department of Agriculture to set up official clubs across the country. The first official Illinois Club was the Union Pig Club of Macoupin County, organized in 1915.

Girls started to join in 1917 after the Department of Agriculture hired Gertrude Warren to organize programs to teach canning. By 1917 there were 15,000 4-Hers in Illinois The interest included not only corn and pigs but also canning, sewing, garden, strawberry and calf clubs.

The first national event, the National 4-H Club Congress, was held in Chicago in 1922. The interest in 4-H declined during World War II but skyrocketed immediately after the war. Clubs were set up around the world and expanded into urban areas through urban\ rural exchange programs.

The 4-H program enjoyed record enrollments during the '50s and '60. Mildred Borg of Geneva served as the extension adviser for DuPage County from 1930 to 1936 and Kane County from 1957 to 1966.

'There were quite a few youngsters involved in 4-H during that time,' she said. 'And the number of them who went to state each year was very impressive. The '50s and '60s saw an increase in the number of members who lived in towns especially. It was no longer centered around young people from strictly rural areas.'

What was the most important part of the 4-H program?

'The motto was 'Learn by Doing' but I think the most important part of the program was the development of leadership skills,' Borg said.

Leadership skills are still important today with 4-H offering four projects for leadership development.

Youngsters can learn about a variety of subjects, including traditional home economics, agricultural projects, computers and aerospace. There are 185 projects offered to youth enrolled in Illinois 4-H today. A record 230,000 boys and girls are enrolled in 4-H throughout the state. More than 20,000 youth and adults volunteer in leadership roles.

According to Janice Seitz, director of Illinois 4-H Youth Development, 'The youth enrolled in 4-H today learn to become productive citizens. They also acquire life skills, decision-making and individual accountability, responsibility and leadership development. As members choose from a myriad of career-related projects, they have the opportunity to develop new skills and formulate future career goals.'

The 4-H program continues to grow, not just in Illinois but around the world. On this 100th anniversary it has become the world's largest youth-serving organization, providing opportunities to young people, ages 5-18, in all 50 states and 80 countries.