More than 10,000 young Tennesseans graduate from the University of Tennessee Extension's 4-H program each year. That adds up to having 4-H alumni statewide also numbering in the thousands, past 4-Hers of all ages. Now here's more on adults reliving good times from their youth. Hello, I'm Charles Denny.
This is Agcast, brought to you by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. I wish my best career thinking, my heart's great loyalty, my hands to heart and service, and my health's early. Head, heart, hands and health, and maybe a fifth-age. What about heritage?
There's lots of nostalgia and green at the Wilson County Ag Expo in Lebanon on a Saturday morning, a gathering of the Tennessee 4-H alumni and friends. Adults once in 4-H in their younger days came together to reminisce and catch up. Mark Lowe enjoyed seeing old friends. He was an active 4-Her growing up in Robertson County.
These folks are kind of special because you spend time off the grid with them. We travel together with the judging team activities. So together with this group of folks, it's a unique experience. I think it's a great experience to be a 4-H.
Certainly I think it benefited all of us in so many ways. It doesn't seem so long ago to reminisce about 4-H because 4-H is something that's once you get started with it, it's kind of with you forever. So it's great to get together with folks that you traveled with, that you showed cattle with, that you participated in activities. Tennessee has the largest club-based 4-H enrollment in the nation, 186,000 youth.
4-H teachers, citizenship, leadership and service, but it also offers a lot of just plain kid fun. 4-H is Tennessee's largest youth organization, but it also relies on thousands of adult leaders. And they're still very active with 4-H by giving their time. Ryan Hinsley is with the Tennessee 4-H Foundation.
So part of what 4-H offers is opportunity to give back. We have thousands of volunteers each year. Parents are involved. And part of what this organization's going to do is to keep them included in what's going on, create a connection with them.
So the Tennessee 4-H alumni friends' organization formed about 2015, and 2015 beginning 2016. And really the idea was to reconnect people with old friends, keep former 4-Hers, and really anybody who loves 4-H. And to what's going on in the program. And so one of the ideas that came out of that was to have this reunion event.
So I guess we're on our fifth year now, and we have over 100 folks each year come and join us at the alumni reunion. It's a chance to reconnect, celebrate 4-H, and have a good time. Jerry Lane-Darken from Nashville was also at the reunion. She's a former 4-Her and 4-H agent for UT Extension, and says she enjoys paying 4-H back for all the organization did for her.
Well, we need to give back. A lot of people gave to me when I was a 4-Her, and I can give back now as a sponsor, as a judge. I don't do much club work anymore, but I guess I could. Well, I think there's a lot of reminiscing, and I think it adds validity to the fact that 4-H is really a good organization for the long haul.
That I joined in 1960, so this has been a lot of years that I've been involved with it. As a 4-H member, a camp staff person, a 4-H agent, and now just a 4-H volunteer, so I'm really glad to be here. At the reunion, there are also current 4-Hers helping with the event. It creates an opportunity for generations to mingle, and that's something keynote speaker, Redonna Rose of the Farm Bureau, likes to see.
Sharing those relationships and conversations with them, it energizes them that can learn from us, and it energizes us. It makes us feel young again and realize that we've still got a kid inside of us somewhere. Rose says this event is a great way to honor 4-H, to celebrate the kind of impact it can have on someone's life. Yes, it is.
It's very cool. I would have never dreamed when I was in fourth grade starting in the 4-H program that they would ever ask me to be a keynote speaker, but I'm excited about it, and already seeing some old friends since I walked in the door that I've known for a long time. I've really kind of been part of 4-H since before I was born, because my mother was an extension agent at 4-H leader, and met my father through that. And so from very early, she was encouraging all of us that we were going to be involved in 4-H.
Oh, absolutely. And I think one of the really big things is relationships, and that's what I'm going to talk about today, of getting to know folks and forming relationships with folks, and how that if you've got good friendships, that it helps you not only be happier in life, but it helps you be healthier in life, and just overall do better in life if you've got good friendships. And that's a big part of what 4-H teaches? The C4H Foundation gave its alumni award this year to Governor Bill Lee, who was active in the organization Growing Up in Middle Tennessee.
This was the fifth year for the reunion, and there are hopes of expanding the 4-H alumni group. It's a continuing chance to support the mission behind the Clover. Perhaps another fifth-H could be personal history. Thanks for listening.
I'm Charles Denny. For more real-life solutions provided by the UT Institute of Agriculture, go to our website at ag.fantasy.edu.