4-H Club Gives Back to the Community

SHERMAN, NEW YORK (November 6, 2023) -- The Sherman Kountry Kids 4-H Club knows the importance of giving back to the community. Throughout the year, the youth in this Chautauqua County 4-H club participated in various community service projects. Their favorite project thus far, took place last spring, when the youth of Sherman Kountry Kids 4-H Club decided to build two wooden benches as a Woodworking project to display at the Chautauqua County Fair. They then decided when the fair was over that they would donate these benches to the Minerva Free Library in Sherman, New York.

The benches they built are known as Leopold Benches. Aldo Leopold was an internationally recognized conservationist known for his work in wildlife conservation and land stewardship. He produced this comfortable bench design because it was perfect for observing birds, forest, and wildlife all around him. Not only can you sit back and enjoy the view facing forward, but you could also turn around on the bench facing backwards and use the backrest to prop your elbows up to view the wildlife through binoculars or take pictures with your camera.

All the materials to build these benches were donated by a local Sherman business, Terra Firma Systems, owned and operated by Morgan Reading. The Sherman Kountry Kids presented the benches to the Minerva Free Library on October 24th, 2023. Cindy Sears, the Director of the library, gratefully accepted the benches by saying “Thank you so much for giving us these beautiful benches for our outdoor learning patio. We are so thankful for our community and their love for Minerva.” The youth of the 4-H club took great pride in making these benches, knowing that they would come to good use within the community.

The Sherman Kountry Kids 4-H Club consists of youth, 5 to 18 years of age from various townships throughout Chautauqua County. 4-H is a great way for youth to develop many life skills such as leadership, citizenship, and responsibility, as well as hands on learning. To learn more about Chautauqua County’s 4-H program, visit https://chautauqua.cce.cornell.edu/4-h-youth or call the local 4-H office at (716) 664-9502.

The 4-H Youth Development Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a community based educational organization, affiliated with Cornell University, Chautauqua County Government, the NYS SUNY system, and the federal government through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Last updated November 6, 2023