The Clover Leaf Schuylkill County
April 2020
1202 Ag Center Drive, Pottsville, PA 17901 • (570) 622-4225 • http://extension.psu.edu/schuylkill Dear 4-H Families: I pray that you are safe and healthy during this difficult time. I know this isn’t how we planned 2020 and our 4-H program year to go. This year will be different, met with many ups and downs. But in the end, we will persevere and celebrate our health and sense of community when this is all over.
I know many of you have questions that have gone unanswered. Please know that I’m doing my best to navigate this situation as well as answer you all openly and honestly when the answers you seek come my way. What I can tell you is this, as of April 1, 2020, Paul Kennedy, fair president communicated that fair is still on at this point in time. I need you to know that this is not 4-H or Penn State but a separate entity event. I can not speak about the 4-H program, animal projects or general 4-H projects for fair at this time. 4-H and Penn State are monitoring the situation and assessing how projects might be affected, but until we have more information, it's premature to say anything about that, given how fluid the situation is. We'll communicate with our 4-H community as soon as we're able to provide some guidance on that. At this point in time, all 4-H face to face events and activities, including face to face club meetings, are canceled until May 15th. Your leaders may choose to hold virtual meetings, but that information will come from them directly. Please know, I recognize your uncertainty, stress and frustration over whether or not to begin a 4-H project. Please know, I’ll do what I can to make this program year a success. Know that 4-H, no matter the outcome, is a wonderful program for youth to learn, grow, and prosper. This year will be different with a different path than what we all thought we’d travel. You as a family need to make the best decision for your family. These are unprecedented times and there are a lot of unknown. Enclosed in this newsletter are summer programming plans that, again, as of now, are still a go for participation and registration. Also enclosed are activities you can do with your family while at home or virtually with other 4-H’ers from around the state. I encourage you to participate in the activities that are being planned. It’ll be a way to connect with others in 4-H. It’ll also be a way to complete your 4-H Clover Award applications and to receive recognition at our annual 4-H Achievement Night Banquet in November. If you have internet access, I recommend you joining the Pennsylvania 4-H and the Schuylkill County 4-H Facebook pages. These pages are being updated daily with current information as well as activities for you to participate in. If you have further questions, reach out to me via email at bls259@psu.edu or leave a message at the Extension Office at 570-622-4225. Our office checks messages weekly as we are working remotely from home. Again, I pray you all stay safe and well.
Briana L. Luckenbill Extension Educator 4-H Youth Development