4-H

I give my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country and my world.  

This isn't your Grandmother's 4-H any more! 

You will not believe what this organization has to offer.  Check out what they have available and then scroll down to get phone numbers, links, and website info to get started.

The Roanoke Valley 4-H program involves over 3,000 youth in the Roanoke Valley.  Children between the ages of 5 and 19 participate in 4-H through a variety of programs.  

The in-school 4-H enrichment opportunities include: 

In addition, the traditional community clubs and 4-H project clubs still serve a valuable role in teaching parliamentary procedure and leadership skills. 

Youth in these clubs are involved in over 20 different projects, that include: animal science, archery, horsemanship, communications, career exploration, performing arts, wildlife, leadership, community service, science, and technology. 

Volunteers and Campers at the 2023 W.E. Skelton 4-H Center at Smith Mountain Lake 

The highlight for many of the Roanoke and Salem teens involved in 4-H is our annual camping experience at the W.E. Skelton 4-H Center at Smith Mountain Lake.  The Roanoke Valley week brings the most campers and teens, with a total of 300 youth during the Roanoke Valley week.  Seventy teens went through 24 hours of training in 2023, in order to be selected as teen leaders for these camping opportunities.  Many of these teens also give leadership to their community clubs, other camping opportunities, valley wide 4-H programs and workshops.  Roanoke has the highest number of teens that go on to be paid summer staff members at the camp, after they age out of 4-H.

 

The clubs, camps and other 4-H programs are not possible without the time and talents of a very large group of wonderful, dedicated volunteers.  Many of these volunteers were 4-Hers here in the valley and have come back to continue the mission of 4-H.  All the volunteers this summer at camp were former 4-Hers or spouses of those 4-H members.  The commitment of our volunteers reflects the important role that 4-H plays in their lives. 4-Hers are taught the importance of giving back to your community, and it shows in the way this program continues to grow. 

All of these opportunities with the exception of the annual camping at Smith Mountain Lake are FREE to all children from 5-19 years of age.  Don't miss out on these valuable life changing experiences!  

To enroll in the 4-H program, please call or email Leslie Prillaman to find out more about the community or project clubs that your child might be interested in joining. Some clubs focus on one project (like horse or archery) and some clubs have age restrictions (like the Cloverbud club is for younger children who are 5-8 years old and the teen club is for teens who are 13-18).

 

To find out more about 4-H in Virginia please visit:

 https://ext.vt.edu/4h-youth.html.  Our local website is: https://roanoke.ext.vt.edu/

 

To enroll in 4-H in Roanoke City, Roanoke County or Salem: https://v2.4honline.com

 

 

Leslie Prillaman, Senior Extension Agent, 4-H Youth, Unit Coordinator

Contact information: (540)772-7524 or lesliep@vt.edu.