Local 4-H members begin year volunteering
Rivers Alive
On Monday, October 3, Gordon County 4- H, along with three Calhoun High School Environmental Science classes and the Sonoraville High School Interact Club, participated in its annual Rivers Alive volunteer waterway clean- up. The mission of Rivers Alive is to create awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia’s water resources. Rivers Alive is held annually each fall and is a program of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division Outreach Program. Twenty- one 4- H youth and adults, 13 Interact Club members, and 67 Calhoun High School students picked up trash and cleaned alongside waterways to keep them safe and healthy. The youth went to three locations; the boat ramp on 136 past the National Guard armory, the boat ramp on 156 past Calhoun Utilities, and the Calhoun City Recreation Department. Unusual trash items found included a flat screen TV, a laptop, tires, and a plastic barrel. The most frequently found item was cigarette butts, with youth finding hundreds of them.
Seven Youth Trained as Certified Teen Leaders
In order to serve as a teen leader for out of county or overnight 4- H events, youth must be trained in the Georgia 4- H Teen Leader training curriculum. The training lasts three and a half hours and covers topics such as setting an example, teamwork, conflict management, communication, activities and games, characteristics of younger children, and leadership.
Seven Gordon County 4- H’ers took this training on October 3 and are now certified teen leaders. Those 4- H’ers are:
Joshua Carr – Red Bud Middle
Bethany Champion – Red Bud Middle
Holli Kile Ashworth Middle
Breana Manning – Red Bud Middle
Hannah McElrath – Sonoraville High
Bryson Smith Calhoun Middle
Caleb Taylor Gordon Central High – – –