4-H was once again part of the Three Lakes Academy’s Summer School Programming. Mackinac County 4-H Program Coordinator, Tracie Abram and volunteers Joe Smith, Lynn Kihm, and Ethel Wells helped make the program the success that it was.
The Erickson family graciously allowed Abram to use their fenced garden to plant vegetable and flowers that the Jake Duberville family donated for the youth to care for and harvest. The youth provided their fresh cut flower bouquets to the ambulance core members, the Portage Township offices, Erickson Center for the Arts, and to senior lunch on Tuesdays as part of their civic engagement programming.
The youth learn about local businesses and organizations where people can volunteer time. All the youth attending summer school enjoyed a field trip to Mary’s Garden — Jake Duberville family’s garden — and learned about the different flowers and vegetables they grow for the famers Market on Fridays and for the CSA orders (Communities Supporting Agriculture) that are sourced from their garden.
The 4-H garden produced green beans for the youth to harvest and take home to their families. 4-Hers will harvest their pumpkins, squash and carrots as part of the 4-H After School Program this Fall.
Another field trip the 4hers experienced was visiting the Portage Township Ambulance and Fire Department. Julie Burton and Eric Weigand provided a detailed hands-on experience about the role of a volunteer medic and firefighter.
Besides going on field trips and caring for their garden, the summer school 4-Hers painted bird houses for ECA’s Literature Trail, decorated wagons and participated in the Curtis 4th of July parade and made flowers from milk jugs for an exhibit at the Luce-West Mackinac Fair and hang on the fence at the 4-H Garden.
More garden art will be made during the 4-H After School Fall Program starting Thursday Sept 19th Registration fliers will be provided to all students K-6th grade at TLA and registration is open to the first 16 youth who register. Registration is based on volunteer to student ratio policy requirements.
If anyone is interested in volunteering to help with 4-H Programming, please contact Mackinac County 4-H Coordinator Tracie Abram at 906-235-2985 or Luce County 4-H Program Coordinator Ashley Freed at 906-322-6803.
