Why I am a Champion for this Cause

For 35 years, the aim of the 4-H Urban Outreach Program has been to offer hands-on youth development programming, to strengthen families, and to build community in downtown Ithaca neighborhoods. Our program keeps children safe and involved during a high-risk time of day after school. Youth participants receive academic and literacy support, life skill-focused activities, and become actively engaged in the community.

Daily offerings include physical activity/healthy lifestyles, field trips, community projects, citizenship, multicultural cooking and arts/crafts, teambuilding games, science/technology, entrepreneurship, foreign languages, discussion topics, and guest presenters. Screened and trained work-study students, staff, and volunteers provide ongoing mentoring and activities, leading to positive youth development.

Extreme funding cuts have put 4-H Urban Outreach at risk, and our team sincerely hopes to continue programming for our students. Recent outpouring of support confirms just how much our program means to the community.

The “cloverbuds” are the students ranging from 6-9 years of age in the 4-H Program, and they are the focus of our reading challenge.

Through our Reading Challenge, we hope that we can continue to help the 4-H students with their reading skills, since reading at a young age is important for academic success.

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