Macy Hynek, the 4-H Youth Development Agent for the River Valley District, shared with us her favorite parts of 4H and how it has changed since she began working for the organization. The River Valley District consists of Clay, Cloud, and Washington counties.
“4-H is an amazing organization. It equips youth with skills to lead for a lifetime,” Hynek said. “We offer 47 projects, where youth can find their spark – from fishing to robotics, to sewing to entomology.” She noted that this organization is the only place where youth from 5 to eighteen years old are working together.
She also shared that 4-H allows youth to grow as individuals, gain public speaking skills, and become leaders. There is also a huge focus on giving back to the community. “The best part of it all, there is something for everyone here!”
Her favorite part of 4-H is the kids. She loves watching youth find their spark or have that ah-ha moment, which she says is priceless. She enjoys getting to hear about what’s going on in their lives as well as what’s going on with their 4-H projects. “Kids are just fun in general; you never know what they may say and looking at the world through the eyes of a child is pretty cool.”
Hynek is now entering her fourth year of fairs. She started working for River Valley in 2020. During those four years, quite a few changes have taken place. Most of those changes came from the pandemic. “Starting during COVID and navigating through fair preparations during that time was interesting. It’s nice to see everything getting back to ‘normal.”
The Cloud County Fair will take place July 18th-23rd at the Cloud County Fairgrounds. The 4-H members have been working very hard on preparations for the fair, so make sure to stop by and check out their projects at your local county fair.
