County’s plan to cut 4-H funding unfair

Being a member of the Roadrunners 4-H Club of Fulton County for the past eight years, I am fully against the $129,000 budget cut that the Fulton County Board of Supervisors wants to do affecting the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Not only is 4-H a good social and fun experience for youth, but it is also a great academic experience. Many colleges today look for activities and clubs such as 4-H that some children are active in during their elementary and high school careers, when they are passing out scholarships.

Students who are active in 4-H are able to prepare themselves for the different things that life shows them. Also, they learn the fundamentals of respect, honesty, health, sharing, teaching, learning and much more. Just like what the four Hs stand for — head, heart, hands and health — this is what 4-H can do for the youth of today.

But that’s not all. 4-H is also involved in making projects, along with learning about agriculture and showing and participating in many activities at the Fonda Fair.

Then, after an excellent 4-H year, the members will all gather for an evening of recognition for all of the success and hard work for the year.

As a member myself, I have been recognized for many activities and projects, from my most outstanding accomplishments, including Outstanding Fulton County Junior 4-H Member in 2008, to my most recent accomplishment this year, when I was awarded a Capital Days trip, which will allow me to spend a day at the New York state Capitol with important people such as the state senators and the governor and many more dignitaries. Winning the trip has been a goal that I have set for myself in the past several years, and finally what I have long waited for came true. But it all may be taken away from me with the cut of a budget.

At a recent county meeting, Gloversville 4-H member Dayna Peck showed off her wonderful public-speaking ability, something that she learned from her many years of 4-H presentations, by voicing her opinion about the cutting of 4-H funds. She was able to show everyone present that thanks to 4-H she had no fear of speaking in front of the very crowded room full of people.

“Why would you take 4-H away?” asked Sierra Berger, 12, a member of the Roadrunners 4-H Club in Gloversville. “Do you know how it feels to be a child wanting that one special Christmas or birthday gift? Well, that’s how I feel about 4-H and that’s why I want it in my life.”  

First-year Cloverbud member Elia Hanna-Rulison, 7, attempted to voice her opinion about her love for 4-H, but her shyness got the best of her. I believe everyone knew how she felt, and all were impressed at her bravery to try to speak in front of the room full of people, who gave a round of applause.

The cutting of the budget for Cornell Cooperative Extension will mean that some wonderful people may lose their jobs, youth of all ages will lose an amazing experience when they will no longer be able to attend 4-H meetings, show off their hard work at the Fonda Fair or just have the opportunity to make new friends.

It’s not as if the Fulton County supervisors want to just give Cooperative Extension a small cut in its budget — they want to ax us completely. How is this fair to any of the 7,000 youth involved in 4-H today, or the many leaders, Cooperative Extension workers or volunteers?  

Alicia Anich, a ninth-grader at Gloversville High School, is a regular contributor to Teen Vox.