By JANE BANGLEY

By JANE BANGLEY

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“We are an educational group, and 4-H believes in the total development of a child,” said Florence Vickers, Rappahannock County 4-H Extension Agent/Home Economics and Youth.

Vickers was describing what 4-H is as the organisation observed National 4-H Week. “The week is an annual observance throughout the nation, and it is always the first full week in October,” Vickers said. “The theme is the same as last year, and is ‘4-H: Building on Experience.”*

4-H operates through the cooperation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, state land-grant universities, volunteer leaders, parents and family, and business and government leaders. ‘The land-grant universities in Virginia are Virginia Tech and Virginia State University,” Vickers said.

The organization was founded in 1907, and it “Has grown and developed over the years,” said Vickers. “4-H has never left the agricultural background that it started with, but it is for urban as well as country youth.”

4-H is open to youth from age nine to 19. “We believe in four-fold development for the youth, or the four h’s; the head, heart, hand and health,” Vickers said. “The head symbolizes knowledge, the heart means caring, the hand is helping others, and health is a sound body.”

Youth can participate in 4-H through a variety of programs. There are organized 4-H dubs, 4-H spsdal interest or short-term groups, 4-H school enrichment programs, 4-H instructional TV, 4-H camping or the youth can participate as individual 4-H members.

In Rappahannock, there is a 4-H Community Club in Sperryville and in Amis8ville. There is also a Livestock Chib, and a school enrichment program at the elementary school.

The Sperryville dub meets every third Monday of the month from seven to 8:30 p.m. at the fire hall. Barbara