POLLOCK – The LSU AgCenter’s 4-H Youth Resident Summer Camp combines an educational program with a week’s worth of fun.

Each summer, approximately 4,000 youth in fourth through sixth grades from all 64 parishes attend the week-long camp. The benefits of the experience are life-enhancing and ultimately lead to better communities statewide, said Mark Tassin, head of the LSU AgCenter 4-H Youth Development Department.

4-H Camp has a rich history of helping young people develop their full potential. Today, the Grant Walker center continues to build a legacy of developing caring, community-minded citizens who offer vibrant, strong leadership for the future, Tassin said.

Statistics show that 100 percent of campers learned to do their share when working with others while 98 percent met new people they want to stay in touch with and want return next year. And 93 percent learned to complete jobs they were responsible for and the importance of being on time, Tassin said.

With an established scholarship program, all 64 parishes in Louisiana can send 4-H youth to camp regardless of their ability to pay. Registration information is available at www.lsuagcenter

.com/stjohn or by calling 985-497-3260.

During their stay, campers participate in an activity track of their choice.

One activity this year includes growing a vegetable garden, said camp director Kim Landry. Campers will plant vegetables to eat and to share with military personnel at National Guard Camp H.B. Cook and Camp Beauregard.

4-H’ers who choose this track will learn about vegetables, soil, compost, plant structures, photosynthesis and other cycles related to plant development and growth, Landry said. A variety of activities will include art and garden projects and associated games.

Campers will be equipped and challenged to create a community garden project in their hometown, Landry said.

Other tracks are:

• Dramatic Arts, where campers explore the basics of theater, learn to use movement, voice and improvisation to create believable characters, and make silent films and commercials.

• Outdoor Adventures will include learning proper techniques to shoot a bow, ATV safety, how to use a compass and fishing in the new pond.

• Food and Fitness features eating healthfully, getting up and moving, and setting healthy goals and working as a team to meet them.

• Science, Engineering and Technology will let campers explore the worlds of chemistry, computers, construction, digital photography and rockets.

• Explore Louisiana: Wetlands, Wildlife will introduce campers to what wetlands are, what they do and why Louisiana needs them.

• Hunter’s Safety Certification will be open to participants who are at least 10 years old and wish to become certified hunters. Top shooters will have a chance to return to camp to test their archery and rifle skills against other top marksmen.

Grant Walker is also gearing up for long-term improvements to its facilities. In addition to summer camp, the rest of the year the facility hosts many other programs for youth.

“The Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center is 87 years old, and when 4-H summer camp is at full capacity, there is not a building on site that can hold everyone at one time,” said Eric Eskew, director of the Louisiana 4-H Foundation.

“This has become a major issue, especially during inclement weather,” Eskew said. “Our fundraising efforts for a multi-purpose building at 4-H camp – a building that thousands of youth will use each year – are important for future generations of Louisiana youth. The best part about 4-H Camp is that any improvement impacts the entire state.”

The LSU AgCenter is developing plans to build a multi-purpose assembly building that can accommodate all campers. With the help of the Louisiana 4-H Foundation and the LSU Foundation, fundraising efforts are in the works, he said.

 “At Grant Walker, we have a critical need for a facility large enough to hold 500 campers,” said Landry. “A new multi-purpose facility will shelter campers from rain and extreme heat and cold in one central location – something we currently don’t have the capability of doing.”

More information about the building project is available on line www.la4hfoundation.org or by contacting the Louisiana 4-H Foundation Office at 225-578-2972.