4-H has been integral to the Johnson family of Skillman. Growing up in Griggstown, Debbie Johnson participated in 4-H, and all three children – Luke, Kristen, and Kara – have taken part in 4-H activities. On August 11, Kara was recognized by Congressman Leonard Lance at the Somerset County 4-H Fair in Bridgewater for her participation in 4-H and in Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) – a 4-H program for teens teaching citizenship and leadership.
Kara, a sophomore at Montgomery High School (MHS), raises sheep at her family’s farm and participates in 4-H’s Sheepfold Club. In July, her family hosted a 4-H member from Wisconsin for a week as part of 4-H’s Exchange Club. She is also part of 4-H’s Branchburg Beef and Livestock and Chaps n’ Spurs Horse Clubs. Debbie adds that as part of 4-H’s Market Lamb program, “She will be auctioning off her market lamb.”
In July, Kara spent a week in Washington, D.C. at 4-H’s CWF program. She and teens from 11 other states met members of Congress and participated in workshops designed to foster citizenship and leadership.
“We learned about different bills and we debated about several current controversial topics including hydraulic fracturing, GMO labeling, cell phone data encryption regulation and campaign finance reform,” she Z. says.
Kara also toured many sites in the area. She enjoyed having lunch with many members of Congress in Capital Hill’s cafeteria. She was struck by the beauty of George Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon, and the National Cathedral. And after seeing Arlington National Cemetery, she said, “It is very humbling walking through the cemetery because these are the lives that were lost for the freedom of our country.”
The rest of the Johnson has a 4-H legacy too. Luke was in the Go-Karts, Branchburg Beef and Livestock, and Exchange Clubs. He graduated from MHS in 2011 and now works with his father Craig on the family Christmas tree farm. Kristen, a 2013 MHS graduate who is attending Rutgers University, participated in 4-H during her teens. This summer, Kristen worked for Somerset County 4-H as an intern. She is also in the 4-H Association. And their mother Debbie participated in 4-H’s Chaps n’ Spurs Club as a child.
“All my children benefited from the opportunities that 4-H has offered,” Debbie says, reflecting on what 4-H has brought to her family. “Collectively, they have visited 28 states and Russia with the several different 4-H clubs they have been involved in. Time management, public speaking, and social interaction are just a few traits that being involved in 4-H has provided. Our son Luke even testified before the New Jersey State Legislature on behalf of 4-1-1 when he was 14 years old and Governor Corzine was trying to eliminate the Department of Agriculture.”
With six million participants, 4-H is the largest youth development organization in the country. It facilitates hands-on learning for urban, suburban, and rural young people from kindergarteners to high school graduates in many areas of science, healthy living, and citizenship. 4-14 is administered by the cooperative extension services of 100 land-grant public universities throughout the United States. In New Jersey, Rutgers University’s Cooperative Extension Service oversees county 4-H programs, including the Somerset County program based in Bridgewater.
Somerset County 4-H offers many clubs in raising everything from bees to beef cattle and Seeing Eye dogs to sheep. In addition to clubs focused on animals, there are also groups for archery, Chinese culture, cooking, model trains, robotics, and much more.
What are the 4 Hs in 4-H? “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world,” as the organization’s pledge explains.
Somerset County 4-H is located at 310 Milltown Rd. in Bridgewater. For more information about their programs, call 908-526-6644 or visit somerset.njaes.rutgers.edu/4h.