Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sibling similarities
Hiwasse sisters have both been 4-H state president
HIWASSE — Two sisters from Hiwasse have both had the honor of being elected to the position of Arkansas 4-H state president.
Faith Fritch was the 20192020 Arkansas 4-H state reporter and this year became the 2020-2021 Arkansas state president. She was following in the footsteps of her sister, Lane, who was a 20162017 Arkansas 4-H state officer-at-large and the 2017-2018 Arkansas 4-H state president.
Leadership is one of the 4-H projects in which both girls engage. Leadership begins at the club level in 4-H, then moves up to the county level. Few take it on to the state level but these girls have followed the steps that took them all the way to the top. At each level they had to run for a position, prepare a speech and stand before their peers to share why they were running and why they felt they were qualified for the position. Then they were elected by their fellow 4-Hers. They learned much from the election process.
The Fritch sisters embody the aims of 4-H, “to make the best better” and “encourage individual development.” They joined the Horsemanship Project club of Benton County when they were 12 and 9 years old.
After learning about all the other opportunities 4-H offered, they also joined the Logan 4-H Community Club. Jackie Griffin, the Logan 4-H leader, was a key player in Lane and Faith’s 4-H journey and established a foundation for the girls’ accomplishments. She talked to the sisters and supported them in their project areas, then encouraged them to try new things and develop new interests which then became new projects in which they participated.
Where many siblings don’t get along or like the same things, Lane and Faith are extremely close and usually enjoy the same activities. Their 4-H careers have basically taken them down the same paths. Their mother, Andra, says Lane is the more outgoing of the two. “She is the getup and get things done girl. Faith is the more quiet and reserved of the two. She prefers to take time to watch and listen, which many times allows her to catch details and facts that others do not.” Andra describes them as “sisters and best friends in green jackets.”
Once the girls started getting more involved in 4-H, they both changed their main projects to music. Lane sings and plays piano and Faith sings and plays the violin. They have competed in many 4-H music competitions, both vocal and instrumental, sometimes together and sometimes competing against each other.
In 2015 Lane received first place in instrumental in the 4-H state competition, State O’Rama. That year she was asked to perform at the State O’Rama opening ceremonies where she sang and played for more than 500 people. Faith placed second in the vocal competition at the 2020 Virtual State O’Rama.
Both Lane and Faith were honored by being chosen as performers at the 4-H National Congress in Atlanta, Georgia, Lane in 2016 and Faith in 2019. Arkansas 4-Hers who win with their state record books attend the National 4-H Congress, along with 4-Hers from across the nation and Puerto Rico, to participate in workshops, community service and some fun tours.
Winning your state’s record book and earning this trip is one of the highest honors in Arkansas 4-H. Another honor they shared was winning the vocal group category at the Arkansas State Fair in 2018. They also use their music to serve. They have sung and played at Benton County Farm Bureau meetings, Kiwanis Club meetings and EHC meetings. Lane even had the privilege in 2018 of singing the national anthem at the opening ceremonies of the Arkansas Farm Bureau state convention where Gov. Asa Hutchinson was the keynote speaker.
Lane and Faith both kept active with their horse project, and Faith even tried her hand at showing a heifer at the Benton County Fair in 2014 and 2018. In 2014 Faith joined the Ozark Youth Shooting Club and Lane joined in 2015. The girls’ shooting sports projects kept them very busy but taught them many valuable lessons. For Faith, it created a love for precision shooting which took her and her team to the National BB Competition several years and to Pennsylvania and New Mexico to the National Youth Hunter Education Challenge where her team placed third in rifle in 2016 and first in muzzleloader and second in rifle in 2017. Lane also enjoyed great success with her photography project.
“4-H teaches the importance of community service and it becomes part of a 4-Her’s heartbeat,” Andra Fritch says. “Many times you can pick out a 4-Her at an event. You do not even have to ask them to help, they just do it automatically.”
Lane and Faith participated in many community service events from weeding a garden to donating food to the local food bank, making chew toys for the animal shelter and making gift bags for local law enforcement officers.
“The community service that was near and dear to their heart was volunteering at Horses for Healing,” Andra related. “Neither girl could wait until they were old enough to serve. Volunteering at Horses for Healing gave them the opportunity to combine their love and knowledge of horses and their love of children.”
Andra says that, at one time, Lane was giving piano lessons to a fellow 4-Her, working at her church, working her regular job, taking dual credit college classes at Crowder Community College and still made time to serve at Horses for Healing because it meant so much to her.
Lane and Faith are both currently attending Henderson State University. Lane is a senior psychology major with a minor in communications. Faith is also majoring in psychology and minoring in music. After graduating, they both plan to get a master’s degree in psychology. Lane plans to get a master’s degree in clinical psychology or human resources. Faith is considering a field where she can counsel in the agriculture field.
When promoting 4-H, the most common question that Lane and Faith get is, “Isn’t 4-H all about showing animals and farming?” They just smile and respond, saying, “Though it is true that 4-H got its origins in agriculture, and a huge percentage of 4-Hers in Arkansas and across the nation do have livestock projects, 4-H has become so diverse that it has project areas which can appeal to almost anyone.”
Both Lane and Faith wanted to give back to Arkansas 4-Hers. They wanted to be approachable, make 4-Hers feel included, and be role models. These two sisters, “best friends in green jackets,” have certainly accomplished those goals very successfully.