2004 Year in Review

Cottonwood 4-H Club invites all to new year meeting

Cottonwood takes pets to the nursing home.

Members donated two new tricycles to Morrison Day Care.

Alpacas at the Workman farm

Cottonwood donated money to WHOA.

Clubs are made up of city kids & farms kids combined. 4-H is about learning, leadership, helping others and most important having fun! 4-H is family organization where many of the activities involve the whole family.

In the 2003-04 year Cottonwood club focused on animals. They cleaned cages and raised money for Happy Tails Animal Shelter and also donated to WHOA Therapeutic Stables. They toured an Alpaca and miniature horse farm and WHOA. A highlight for the nursing home residents every year is when members bring their pets to visit. Also at Christmas the whole club carols at Resthave for the residents.

Members also assembled and donated two tricycles to Morrison Day Care. They helped raise money for the local program by donating their time at the 4-H Food stand during the 4-H Fair and Whiteside County Fair. As part of their service they handed out water at two “Runs” this year and planned the Halloween Parade in downtown Morrison.

For fun and to promote 4-H in Morrison Cottonwood had a Homecoming Float and a Christmas Walk Float. During National 4-H Week members decorated a downtown window to promote “4-H is Fun”.

Almost all members of the club showed projects at the County 4-H Show and 13 members advanced their projects to the Illinois State Fair. Kenny Benson won 3rd at State in Beef, Heather Dykstra received a 2nd, two 5ths, and a 6th place also in beef and Kayla Venhuizen placed 3rd in Dog Obedience. Kenny also received a Superior in his Animal Science Project.

Volunteering & Projects are just part of what 4-H is about. There are plenty of fun activities too. The Club Officers arranged a family potluck supper for achievement night in November and handed out fun awards to every member, had a Christmas party and exchanged gifts in December, and in March planned a family fun night where everyone went Cosmic Bowling. Kay Brandau taught a flower arranging class that everyone enjoyed and the Morrison Gun Club taught gun safety, riflery, and shot gun use. You should watch a ten-year-old girl hit clay pigeons with a shotgun! In June the Junior members set up activities at Rockwood for an evening family potluck and campout. Other fun activities included a hayrack ride.

During the months of June & July Cottonwood fields a slow pitch softball team. Co-ed teams from all over Whiteside County meet in Lyndon for old-fashioned fun softball games, no skills required.

To finish off the year the members and parent volunteers trek to Rockford for a fun filled day at Magic Waters.

Cottonwood meets once per month on the second Saturday of the month in the basement of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. Anyone from 8-19 (before September 1) is invited to “Share the Fun” in 2004-2005. They begin their 4-H year on September 11 at 9:00 a.m. For more information call Barb Benson 772-7506.

by Barb Benson, theCity1.com
September 4, 2004