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| Louisiana 4-H Club Congress delegates pose for a group photo after the Banquet. |
Five Pointe Coupee Parish 4-H’ers were selected to attend National 4-H Congress held in Atlanta, Georgia, November 23-27 due to 4-H U Contests and Summer State Records. Alanna Williams, Ciara Collins, Taylor Frey, Katherine Robillard, and Andre’ St. Romain made their way to Atlanta by bus along with 25 other teenagers from across Louisiana. While in Atlanta, some 3000 4-H youth stayed at the Hyatt Regency Hotel where they had the chance to listen to both amazing motivational and inspirational speakers.
Dan Thurman and LTG Russell L. Honore were just a couple of the speakers that inspired youth to accept the challenge, which was this year’s theme for Congress. Dan Thurman impacted the lives of many as he ran out on stage flip-flopping into a round off and finishing with a back flip. His message was about how accepting the challenge is more than just trying it out. He said it was about completing it. General Honore, a Pointe Coupee native, spoke about how the youth are the future of our nation. He told the group how he grew up in a small town and was raised on a farm, but he accepted the challenge to make a difference in the world.
For the past few years, everyone who has attended National 4-H Congress has been donating money to help build a Habitat for Humanity House in Atlanta. Last November, the house was completed. This year’s event kicked off the collection for a new one. Over $13,000 was raised for a new Habitat home. Congress was not just about sitting in a conference room listening to speakers. There were service projects, classes, and an international dinner. While at National Congress, 4-H’ers also had the chance to engage in community services such as going to schools, cleaning up parks, writing letters to soldiers, helping decorate community Christmas trees, and much more. Small classes were held at the hotel each with its own message and fun game. A couple of favorites of Pointe Coupee 4-H’ers included: Speed Meeting and Cooking. In Speed Meeting, the 4-H’ers sat at tables rotating to meet new people and working on communication skills. The Cooking Workshop was with a hotel chef. Alanna Williams had the opportunity to show off her cooking skills with the chef in front of the group. At the end of the workshop, everyone was allowed to try some of the delicious dishes prepared.
Perhaps one of the highlights of the trip came with the international dinner. Here, 4-H’ers had a chance to taste food from around the world and see what different cultures are like. Many 4-H’ers enjoyed hearing from Miss America, not to mention getting photographs with her.