Members

I am very sad that one of our member families has lost their home in the Cameron Peak Fire. They live on Otter Road above Masonville where there was a spot fire. Fortunately, they are all safe and their animals are safe. I found out yesterday and spoke to them.

Right now they are not sure what they need. They are staying in a hotel with the aid of the Red Cross. They hope to get to the property today. We are a great club and I told them that whatever they needed, 4-H would be there for them. If your family would like to send a card, I think that would be so appreciated. And if you are able a gift card for a meal, groceries, or animal supplies I know that would be appreciated as well. This is the Ramirez Family and Aria was a first-year member and she showed market and breeding goats. Kim (mom) promised to let me know what their needs are as soon as they get things figured out. The kids have clothes and winter coats and boots.

The Ramirez Family
PO Box 271152
Fort Collins, CO 80527-1152

Kim’s email: rapidevaporation@gmail.com

Perseverance. It is something we all need to get through life. Perseverance is what keeps us going even when the times get rough and tough. It is easy to quit anything, but we all know how the adage goes: quitters never win, and winners never quit. It sounds easy just to quit at something and be on with our life but if all we do is quit, does it really teach us anything or make life easier? No, it does not. All quitting does is teach us how NOT to deal with the problems and issues we face in our lives on a day-to-day basis. Quitting teaches us that we do not actually have to own up to the tough parts of our lives, we can just get out of it. Quitting does not make life easier, if anything, it makes life harder. This is a year where it is easy just to quit and take the easy way out of a hard year.

The 4-H Extension was understandably lenient on the completion of some record books this year, but does that mean that we shouldn’t do it because we don’t have to? No, it doesn’t. Not doing them is the easy thing to do but not the right thing. We were all taught the saying, do what is right even when no one is looking. Doing the record book is exactly that. It may seem distant in the future for some to even worry about, but this same saying is what will get you promotions and recognition in one’s future jobs. What may not be a big deal now is a big deal in the future. 4-H teaches these values to do what is right at a young age.

Most people who participated in 4-H did not fully understand how much these values and skills benefited them in their future lives. It would be a true shame to miss out on these opportunities just because it is easy just to quit in the moment. “5 things no one tells you about 4-H” was recently posted on our club website and everything it says is true. It tells you that 4-H is a time commitment and will test your perseverance, and it will make you choose what you want to do. In the 4-H program, you do your best to make the best better. Making the best better does not involve quitting or traveling the easy road. You work at this to do your absolute best in what you can do. The only thing that you can truly control is your own decisions. Do not make quitting one of those decisions.

If you do not like your current project, branch out and try another. 4-H offers a huge variety of interest areas to youth across the nation, and if 4-H does not offer it properly, they have what is called a Self-Determined project. With this you can do just about anything that could come to mind as a project. A very common mistake is that 4-H is not just agriculture and animal projects anymore, we have scientific projects, baking projects, shooting sports projects, mechanical projects, home economics projects, livestock projects, and a variety of knowledge-testing projects. These are just the tip of the iceberg. It is guaranteed that you can find some project that you will enjoy in the 4-H program.

We will face challenges every day of our lives and how we handle those challenges is what matters. This year could very well be described as the perfect storm, but along with the calm before the storm, there is the calm after the storm. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. We can use this time at home to dive deeper into our interests and maybe find new things we would like to try. 4-H is what you make of it. It could be the root of the most fun you will ever have if you want it to be. If you say the only reason that you participate in 4-H is because your parents make you or anything along that road, rethink what you want to do in 4-H. A good friend once told me, even if you don’t enjoy it, find joy in it. Find your joy in 4-H, for those who do not enjoy it keep working hard at it even when the times get tough. Do not let this perfect storm be the end of your 4-H experience. Keep your head high and keep working hard to make the best better.