Enhancement Grants

The Oklahoma 4-H organization relies on enthusiastic and prepared volunteers, and it is vital for them to receive training and support to implement high quality programs for 4-H members.

Many premiere volunteer development opportunities can come at a high price. Jessica Nickels, Garfield County 4-H educator, took advantage of enhancement grant opportunities through the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation to send one of her volunteers to the largest 4-H volunteer conference in the country.

Nickels and Earla Haggard, 4-H volunteer, attended the 4-H Volunteer Conference of Southern States to participate in educational workshops for enhanced club programming.

Conference workshops focused on introducing new activities into 4-H club work, including STEM, food science and leadership.

“Learning new ideas for workshops, building club membership and retaining volunteers was very helpful,” Nickels said.

Nickels and Haggard both agreed a highlight of the conference was networking with volunteers from other states. These new connections has created a support system lasting well beyond the end of the conference.

“Attending this conference made me realize how diversified 4-H is and the volunteers who make this great program even better,” Haggard said. “Visiting with volunteers from other areas of the country and hearing the things they are focused on to improve the lives of youth was a valuable experience for me.”

Dog agility is a favorite activity for many members of the Ottawa County 4-H Dog Club. For 15 years, 4-H members and their furry friends have enjoyed practicing techniques and learning how to conquer different agility course equipment.

In 2005, the club received an enhancement grant to purchase the initial agility equipment the club still uses today. In need of some TLC, the club’s equipment was brought back to life thanks to a 2019 grant from the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation.

Kathy Enyart, Ottawa County 4-H educator, said funds were used to repair and add a fresh coat of paint to existing equipment, and the 4-H members played an active role in making the necessary updates.

Additionally, Enyart said the club used the grant to purchase supplies to build a new agility obstacle — a sway bridge.

“This new equipment requires some advanced training for both the 4-H member and the dog to learn,” she said. “The 4-H members were so excited to get to try it out and learn how to properly train their dogs to use it.”

The 4-H members have benefited from the updated equipment as they prepared for the dog show during the 2019 Ottawa County Fair. The 4-H members met weekly for three months to practice running the agility course, commands and showmanship.

Enyart said not only has the improved agility course helped the club members learn new skills, but it also has piqued the interest of other 4-H members to get involved in the dog project.

“This funding allowed us to make our equipment safe and more appealing to use,” she said. “We were able to gain new 4-H members to the project area.”

Pottawatomie County Extension educators Katie Miller and Carla Smith used an Oklahoma 4-H Foundation enhancement grant to plant the seeds for a new gardening project for 4-H’ers.

In the project, 4-H members were tasked to plant and maintain their own vegetable garden at home. Before they began, the participants were informed of guidelines to successfully complete the project. Grant funds were used to supply participants with plants, seeds and notebooks, and to cover the cost of soil testing at Oklahoma State University’s soil testing lab.

Through their participation, many members became familiar with various aspects of gardening, including planting techniques, pest control and visual appeal of the gardens. The educators provided guidance each step of the way, making regular visits to the 4-H members’ gardens to evaluate progress, answer questions and provide recommendations.

In addition to the 4-H members’ responsibility to maintain their gardens, they were tasked with recording their experiences in the provided notebooks.

“Along with recording their manual labor in the garden, members also recorded their progress, successes and failures through journal entries and photos,” Miller said.

At the conclusion of the project, the gardens were evaluated by local Master Gardener volunteers. The top-ranking participants were awarded prizes and each 4-H member was recognized for their hard work and perseverance during the Pottawatomie County 4-H Achievement Banquet.

Miller said this project gave members a chance to explore a new area of 4-H programming as well as gain experiences to share with others through public speaking and fair exhibits.

Teamwork, organization, communication and a dash of creativity are the key ingredients in the Pontotoc County 4-H How Sweet It Is baking workshop.

With assistance from an enhancement grant, Pontotoc County 4-H educator Becky Walker said she hosted the one-day workshop in summer 2019 to teach youth the basics of baking and emphasize the fun and creativity baking can offer. Funds were used to purchase all ingredients and supplies for the workshop.

The 22 participants began the day by learning proper measuring techniques, how to read recipes and the variety of ingredients they were to use in their baking. The 4-H members were grouped into teams before heading into the kitchen.

Each team prepared one of four recipes — chocolate chip cookie bars, salted caramel cupcakes, lemon bars and shortbread cookies. From start to finish, the youth were fully engaged in the made-from-scratch baking process, Walker said.

“While recipes were baking or while waiting for the next step, members learned about different types of icing and decorating techniques,” Walker said.

Putting their new knowledge into action, each 4-H member had a chance to decorate two cupcakes, learning what makes an attractive product to gift to someone or sell at a bake sale.

With the enticing aroma of freshly baked goods in the air, many of the participants were eager to take home their treats and share them with their families.

“The items we purchased with the enhancement grant will be used for years to come,” Walker said. “It’s an investment in life skills and program support.”