By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The Wood County 4-H program proved the adage that “many hands make light work” during the 2nd Annual Hands to Larger Service Day on Sunday at the Wood County Fairgrounds.
During a three-hour time span, more than 500 people came together to package 20,000 meals for people experiencing food insecurity, decorate cards and write messages to 350 Honor Flight veterans and nearly 100 cancer patients, prepare headboards and rails for 50 beds for area youths, and make nearly 300 dog toys and dog treats for shelter dogs.
New this year, they also braided T-shirts to make jmore than 100 ump ropes to tuck into Bags of Love for people in need, finished 50 fleece blankets for the Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Center and crafted almost 150 buckeye keychains for the camp store at 4-H Camp Palmer.
Every last stitch of the 275 hospice pillows, every handful of dirt that surrounds the 150 plants going to area nursing homes, and every set of googly eyes added to a fun critter for the 4-H Senior Smiles project was done with love and intention.
Erin Halloran and her daughter Claire, of Lake Harvesters 4-H Club, helped braid T-shirts into jump ropes for Bags of Love.
“Community service is part of the 4-H pledge,” Erin said. “We use the Hands to Larger Service Day as an incentive for our members to get points for being involved in community service.”
Adalida Culp and her mother, Ashley, of Duke’s Mixture 4-H Club, stopped in to work on a fleece blanket and a couple of the critters for Senior Smiles before they had to make it in time for a sibling’s soccer game.
“Community service is important,” Adalida said. “Like the pledge says, ‘I pledge my hands to larger service for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”
In addition to 4-H members and their families participating in making the items for the different organizations, an entire crew of young 4-H leaders gave of their time as volunteers at the various stations.
Trever Shaffer, a Wood County Junior Fair Board member and a youth representative on the Wood County 4-H Committee, helped at the Honor Flight station, where cards and greetings were designed and created for 350 military veterans.
“I like helping and giving back to the community,” he said. At last year’s event, he was stationed at the Senior Smiles tables.
The biggest service project of the day is completing 20,000 packaged meals for Kids Coalition Against Hunger, which is double the number from last year.
“With an even greater need with the economy and USAID suspended, it becomes even more imperative” to do this work, said Michael Burwell, executive director of the Kids Coalition Against Hunger that provides humanitarian food relief. “But what’s happening here is that people step up. They have bigger hearts than what is sometimes reported.”
He appreciates the organizations that are repeat donors to the cause. “It’s great to be able to partner again with Wood County 4-H and the Clover Legacy Foundation,” he said. “It’s good to have partners that keep coming back because they see the value in it.”
One-third of the meals stay local, one-third are used for to disaster relief and the final third are sent globally, he explained.
“The hearts that want to do service and the hands that want to help are what makes this work,” Burwell said.
While the majority of the volunteers represented Wood County 4-H, several community members also pitched in.
Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson signed up to participate in the community service event. He was in high gear, helping to gather the packed meals for Kids Coalition Against Hunger.
“I usually go to events around the county, but am often just sitting. This was an opportunity to do something for others. It’s fast-paced, but it feels good to be doing something for others and for the community,” he said.
Simple beginnings
The Hands to Larger Service Day is a team effort of the staff of the Ohio State University Extension Service 4-H program in Wood County, the Wood County 4-H Committee and the Wood County Clover Legacy Foundation. But the day of service was the dream of Karen Kotula, a 4-H advisor and Ohio 4-H Hall of Fame inductee, whose heart is all about community service.
“I’m really passionate about this project,” she said at the end of the day. Kotula grew up in a family that was always doing for others. So, the idea came naturally.
A local family, who chooses to remain anonymous, heard her idea and wanted to contribute. Donating $10,000 for each of the past two years, they became the primary donor and helped ensure two of the bigger projects could be completed—the Kids Coalition Against Hunger’s packaged meals and the bed frames for Let’s Build Beds.
Lots of individuals, families and organizations also contribute to the event’s success, Kotula said.
State award and plans to go bigger
Hands to Larger Service was one of three projects in the state to win an Ohio 4-H Community Service Award in March at the Ohio 4-H Conference in March. The award recognizes adults and youth 4-H volunteers who have collaborated with community groups, or undertaken them with their own club, unit or activities.
“It was a big deal,” Kotula said about receiving the award in Columbus last month. “It’s wonderful for this group to be recognized for doing service. It’s not me, because you can’t do this by yourself. It was just a thought that started organically.”
“Hands to Larger Service Day shows how we as an organization want to help others in their journey of community service,” said Jennifer Morlock, 4-H program assistant. “The award showcases to our youth that we can do great things and inspire others to do the same.”
The goal is to take the idea statewide. “We planted a seed with our state office,” Morlock said. “We’ll see where that goes.”
They had the opportunity to share about the event before they knew about the state award. They had applied for and gotten accepted to talk about Hands to Larger Service Day as one of the Ohio 4-H Conference presentations. They shared the information with about 35 other 4-H leaders and volunteers who were interested in the idea.
“I feel better and get way more gratitude and joy from giving,” Kotula said about the event.
This year’s event was a first for Amy Michaels, Wood County 4-H Educator, who joined the staff last summer.
“This was amazing. It’s a really powerful, community program that they have done and started from the beginning,” Michaels said. “This is a two-fold initiative. We can help the community, but it’s also important for the kids to see us helping the community.”
Megan Arnold, a Wood County 4-H alumna and the newly appointed co-director of operations for OSU Extension, was on hand to help and see the success of the day.
“I think that’s a great example of giving back, impact and really trying to live the 4-H pledge,” she said. “We focus on ‘the hands’ part of the pledge, but we talk about our club, our community, our country, and our world. And I think this project specifically gives us the opportunity to really put that pledge into action. It’s an incredible day. We’re so grateful for all of the donors and volunteers that make it possible.”
