I don’t know about you, but one of the things I always look forward to each summer is
the White County 4-H Fair. I love to wander through the exhibitors’ buildings, the livestock
barns, the commercial tents, and down the boardwalk where I always run into people I haven’t seen in a long time.
This year, due to COVID-19, our county fair will look very different. Those feel-good,
community experiences won’t get to happen the way they have for decades upon decades.
That doesn’t mean, however, that 4-H isn’t alive and well!
Kudos and cheers to the Ag Association board members and White County Purdue
Extension staff who have had to make some very difficult decisions while still trying to provide a creative and valuable learning opportunity for hundreds of dedicated 4-H participants and volunteers.
If you love 4-H, you have an on-going opportunity to help it thrive and grow.
Did you know that there is a White County 4-H Fund at your Community Foundation?
In 2001, a White County couple (who met at the fairgrounds!) stepped forward to
establish the “White County 4-H Fund” within our Community Foundation. They established
the Fund to provide perpetual support to the White County Agricultural Association, the legal entity for the White County 4-H program.
Through this endowment, their love of 4-H and the White County Fair will be alive 10,
25, and 50 years from now. This couple’s initial contribution, along with others that 4-H’ers and others have made along the way, will continue to positively impact our White County’s 4-H program and our county fair.
How can you contribute? If you’re proud of your 4-H’er, make a donation in his or her
honor! 4-H’ers who sell livestock can donate a portion of their proceeds to the 4-H fund. 4-H
clubs might consider an annual gift to the Fund. Memorial gifts are a very special way to
remember someone who has made a difference in our community, particularly if they were
involved with agriculture, 4-H, or the fair in any way.
If a little part of your heart is tied to our White County 4-H Fair, you can make a
difference in its future. A donation of any size can be added to the White County 4-H Fund (or to any other Fund within the Foundation). All checks should be made out to the Community Foundation of White County, noting 4-H Fund in the memo line.
Congratulations – and thanks – to all 4-H’ers and Fair volunteers! Together with those
whose vision supports the 4-H Fund, you are making a real difference in our community.
For more information about your Community Foundation, contact Director Leslie Goss at 574-583-6911.