Elizebeth Gonzalez

When my daughter first joined 4-H, I didn’t expect that I would still be involved 22 years later, long after she became an alumnus. When it was first suggested to me that my daughter join 4-H, I was hesitant since we weren’t involved with ranching or raising any animals, which is what I thought 4-H was all about. I was soon convinced that there were plenty of other programs to take part in and my daughter became a member. As I became more involved with helping plan larger functions such as the county fair, food fundraisers at the county races, etc., and other 4-H Activities, I found that it was just as easy to continue year after year. You become familiar with what needs to happen, how things can be improved, and look forward to working with the same people and meeting new ones. The more I became involved in 4-H, the easier it was to dispel the myth that I had once believed – that 4-H was only for people with animals. I also found that sometimes you just need to ask people to become involved, and they will be more than happy to help out. I realized that as important as it is for people to volunteer, it’s also important to show appreciation for people who have given up their afternoon to sell nachos or help set up the fair exhibits.
My goal has always been not to just help in providing programs and activities for kids to participate in, but to let them see the importance of volunteerism which may encourage them to become volunteers as they become older. In a community as small as ours, it is very important that as many people as possible take time out of their busy schedules and invest that time back into the community. 4-H is a great opportunity to do just that, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my years of volunteering.