4-H News
Anna Burgess
County Extension Agent

Happy Halloween!! I love this time of year, the weather is great!

Well, it's good to be back in Millen. Last week, 1300 Agents from all over the world gathered in Atlanta to participate in the National Association of Extension 4- H Agents annual convention. Georgia was very proud to be the host this year. Throughout the week, we heard from several rather famous people who grew up in Georgia 4-H and the impact it had on their lives.

We opened the week with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland performing with Clovers and Company, the Georgia 4-H Performing Arts group. Jennifer spoke on her time as a counselor, and how it felt to finally Master. She also stated that it was Clovers and Company which paved her path to stardom.

Later we heard from Governor Sonny Perdue and why he was such a strong supporter of 4-H. To wrap up the week, Nancy Grace gave an amazing speech on 4-H and becoming a hero. She attributes her ability to speak in public under scrutiny to her time in 4-H. She began her 4-H career in the 5th grade and continued all the way through high school. She too was a camp counselor at Rock Eagle. During her presentation, she recalled memories of practicing her speech for her mom, her agents, and trying her hardest to Master. During the event, she gave sort of a testimony of her life. Little did I know, Nancy Grace has not had a glorious past. Yet somehow, she pulled herself through and committed her life to seeking justice. If there was one event I could wrap up and play for you here in Millen, it would be Nancy's talk. She is such an encourager to 4-H'ers to continue and pursue their dream and to parents to be supporters and listeners. She spoke about some of her fondest memories of rehearsing her 4-H demonstration speech with her mom. This made me wonder how many of us take the time to listen to our kids' speeches and encourage them.

I had never really been a huge fan of Nancy Grace. After listening to that speech, she won over the whole crowd, mainly, because of her genuineness.

Not only did we get to hear amazing testimonies from amazing people, we also got to show off the better parts of Atlanta; meet agents from all over the world with whom to compare notes; attend conference sessions aimed at increasing our knowledge of young people and how to reach them. Needless to say, it was a long, eventful week. But boy am I glad to be back in Millen, Georgia. I got my full share of Atlanta by Wednesday!

In local news… I hope everyone saw the pumpkins at the Harvest of Fun festival that our 4-H'ers decorated. Thank you to all who participated. The Halloween dance for 5th & 6th grades is this Friday night from 7 to 9. Please sign up at the 4-H Office now! Jr's & Sr's: It's time to complete your portfolios!! We need to get started TODAY!