By LEONARD GRAY

Managing Editor

EDGARD — Melanie Burl lives and breathes 4-H in St. John the Baptist Parish. Each year, she directs the program from her tiny office behind the courthouse in Edgard – hundreds of children from across the parish.

Now, she wants more. More children, that is, in this year’s recruitment drive.

This week, she is at the 4-H Summer Camp, held each year in Pollock, La. There, the 9-12 year-old campers participate in everything from archery contests to canoeing, all-terrain vehicle riding lessons to arts and crafts.

During the school year, though, is when she really cranks up the energy, with programs going on in almost every public and private school in the parish, working with young people age 9-19, grades 4-12, including home-schooled students.

But isn’t 4-H all about raising cattle and pigs? It started out years ago as primarily an organization to help educate young farmers and livestock owners. However, it has grown and evolved, with subjects including leadership training, shooting sports, nutrition, environment, computers, aerospace, theatre arts, forestry and much more.

And even as St. John Parish becomes less rural and more urban, there are still those raising horses and pigs here.

Each October, 4-H Club members also participate in a bike-a-thon, raising money for St. Jude Hospital. And the school year ends with a 4-H Achievement Day, recognizing the hard work done by club members in their chosen projects.

Best of all, nearly all program activities are free – helped with United Way funds and volunteers.

Fourth-grade 4-H members focus on teamwork and cooperation. In fifth grade, the focus is on commitment and goal-setting. Sixth-graders focus on problem solving and decision-making.

The 4-H program is also considered co-curricula, working as an adjunct to classroom activities and welcome in nearly every school. It also works with improving LEAP scores in schools.

&#8220It’s very beneficial and very low cost,” Burl said.

The 4-H program is also the largest children’s organization in the United States, with more than 85,000 members. Last year, St. John Parish had 633 members, from every school in the parish.

One program many older 4-H members enjoy is the 4-H Shooting Sports program, for members age 10-19, learning archery, shotgun, muzzle-loaders, rifle and hunting courses. The goals are to teach safe and responsible use of firearms and archery equipment, promote the highest standards of safety, sportsmanship and ethical behavior, and to develop an understanding of the principles of wildlife management, among others.

The 4-H program developed out of the Boys Corn Clubs and Girls Canning Clubs, which existed in the late 19th century to improve and carry on farming practices. In 1914, the Cooperative Extension Service was created to coordinate this activity and expand upon it.

The national symbol of a four-leaf clover for 4-H stands for Head, Heart, Hands and Health. Now in its 92nd year, 4-H continues to teach under those guidelines.

In Louisiana, the program is operated from the LSU Ag Center office. In Edgard, call Burl for more information on 4-H at 497-3261.