Anchorage

WELCOME TO ANCHORAGE 4-H!

Anchorage Pillow Patrol

Youth in Governance

The Anchorage District 4-H Program welcomes all youth grades K-12 to join a 4-H club that meets in your area, form a new club or jump in with 4-H sponsored camps and classes. Whether you like the great outdoors, biking, animals, or arts and crafts, it's easy and fun to get involved. Check out 4-H and find out what you stand for!

Kay Shoemaker-Howell
Anchorage 4-H Youth Development Agent
Contact: kwshoemaker@alaska.edu (907) 786-6345

Start something!

Form a 4-H club: the sky is the limit.

What do you like to do? 4-H is unique—you can form a club around anything or everything. Find some friends who think like you, get some interested parents or adults to be leaders and get started.

4-H clubs are year round clubs. Oct 1 - Sept 30 is the official 4-H year but don't let that stop you from starting something this summer!
You can be a part of something great:

Bike repair and riding
Hiking
Cooking and Fitness
Shooting Sports
Youth in Government
Sewing and Craft classes
...and more!

Please contact me at kwshoemaker@alaska.edu with any questions or ideas for 4-H in Anchorage.

4-H at the Harding Ice Field

Look what We've done in Anchorage 4H

Begich Middle School P.I.E. (Polycultural Indigenous Erudition) after school 4-H club members perform cultural dances for an assembly at their school. Under the leadership of 4-H program assistant, Kaneyo Hirata, the members performed across Anchorage at events, celebrations and cultural showcases during the school year. In addition to dancing, cultural history and community service and leadership were emphasized throughout the year.

2015 Youth in Governance navigate Juneau

There may be no better way to learn about the Alaskan legislative process than to experience it at the Capital.

Teens from across Alaska (Anchorage included!) were invited to Juneau for a week to immerse themselves in this year's proceedings. A mock legislative session allowed the teens to explore roles of lobbyists, committee chairs and constituents. Youth were also given the opportunity to meet Alaska's legislators and discuss experiences in both Juneau and their home districts. The Youth in Governance program demands much from its attendees, but that doesn't mean time isn't made for evening fun!

Information on the participant selection process can be viewed on the Youth in Governance webpage.

To learn more about this program (including scholarship opportunities) in the Anchorage District, contact Kay Shoemaker-Howell.

Click the image to enlarge

2015 Pillow Patrol

In Anchorage the Martin Luther King Day of Service event was the 10th annual 4-H Pillow Patrol. Over 175 pillowcases were made and donated or brought in during the four-hour event . Approximately 60 volunteers showed up for the challenge. The number seemed evenly divided between youth and adults, many children came with parents and grandparents and had a good time practicing their sewing techniques.

The completed pillowcases will be donated to the State Office of Children’s Services and other organizations that work with foster children and children in transition. The total count of pillowcases made and donated since the beginning event in 2006 is over 3500. This service project invites the whole community to attend, welcomes children and families and volunteers will be taught how to sew if necessary.

Many thanks to the Anchor Park United Methodist Church women for their generous donations to buy fabric, the Log Cabin Quilter’s Guild for new sewing machines and tools, and to Great Harvest for the delicious cookies.

rockets to the rescue!

National 4-H Science celebrated,
"Rockets to the Rescue!"

This event was open to all families and held at Valley of the Moon Park in Anchorage, on Friday, October 3.
They built rockets and shot them toward the sky!

4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD) is an exciting, interactive learning experience that engages thousands of youth across the country in conducting the National Science Experiment.

Students built and launched their own rockets and learned about rocket science and aerospace engineering.

Alaska lemonade day

The fourth annual Alaska Lemonade Day was a huge success!

Youth from pre-K through high school participated for free in this statewide event. With the help of a adult, kids learned the basics of operating a business. They budgeted and planned, sought willing investors, provided excellent customer service, and gave back to their community!

Each child kept all revenue earned from their business and are encouraged to "save a little, spend a little, and give a little to their favorite charity."

Check out Alaska's 2013 recap:

More than 3,200 kids participated
Over 184,000 glasses of lemonade were sold
Revenues of $419,000 were earned
Youth participants contributed more than $95,000 to local charities

Salmon in the Classroom

Every year, classrooms across Alaska participate in the Salmon in the Classroom program through Alaska 4-H and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

This innovative, science-based program allows schools to raise salmon from the egg to the fry stage in classroom incubators. Through participation in the project, students learn about the life cycle and biology of Pacific salmon species, their habitat requirements, responsible angling techniques for catching them and ways to protect Alaska’s valuable wild salmon stocks for future generations.

This year's salmon eggs (raised and packed for shipment at the William Jack Hernandez Fish Hatchery in Anchorage) took to the skies recently and journeyed to Alaskan communities near and far.

For more information (especially if you'd like to participate in 2017!), check out the Salmon in the Classroom 4-H webpage.

Interested in 4-h Scholarships?

Cordova 4-H Music Camp

Anchorage 4-H has received a generous donation that will be used to fund scholarships for 4-H members.

These funds must be used to attend a 4-H program (either for program fees or, in the case of travel away from our District, for travel costs).

Youth in the Anchorage community have used the funds to offset travel costs to Juneau for the Youth in Governance Program, Cordova for their annual music camp, and more!

Don't miss out! Click here to download the informational letter and application!