Threats to U of I Extension put 4-H in peril

Kids could lose out on programs

A batch of oatmeal muffins, a green glass bead necklace and a shiny white princess dress hold something in common for Nicole Szczurek.

They are all projects the Naperville 16-year-old has completed through her 4-H club. While farm animals and produce are often associated with the 100-year-old children's club, Nicole knows firsthand that the club offers much more.

"Most people think 4-H is livestock and vegetables," said Nicole, who has focused on interior decorating, sewing, cooking and dog training. "There's tons of projects and it took a lot of time to decide."

Nicole and her two sisters, Stephanie and Grace, both 12, have entered projects in the DuPage County Fair ever since they were old enough to join 4-H. Along with 20 other home-schooled students, the girls attend club meetings once a month where they show their projects, plan fundraisers and just hang out with other members.

About 350 kids ages 8-19 belong to 18 other 4-H groups in DuPage County. Run by University of Illinois extensions throughout Illinois, the club has 1,830 groups statewide, according to Extension Assistant Donna Butler.

Extension staff heaved a collective sigh of relief Tuesday when Gov. Rod Blagojevich withdrew a threat made earlier this month to withhold $18 million from extensions throughout the state - including $99,000 from the DuPage extension.

The prospect of losing half the extension's funding had DuPage Director Barb Linek contemplating steep layoffs to her staff of 10 - half of whom serve 4-H clubs in the county. She and other extension directors had been planning on receiving those funds in February, which were promised to fund the fiscal year that began in July.

Losing funding means cutting staff and would impair the activities of 4-H kids throughout Illinois. Every August, members choose about nine projects from 43 project areas that range from camping to computers to citizenship. They work on the projects throughout the year and often enter them in county and state fairs the following summer.

Laura Younglove's youngest daughter, Hillary, has served as treasurer and vice president of one of the largest clubs in the county - dubbed "Just Say Nay" by its members.

"We would not be able to operate without (the staff)," said Younglove, of Carol Stream, whose other two children also are dedicated 4-H members. "The extension people are the ones who make sure things run smoothly and in an orderly fashion."

Hillary, 16, is a horse lover who says she has found most her friends in the club, which focuses on horses and rabbits.

4-H also offers a chance to learn about where food is grown. As DuPage becomes more urbanized, fewer students know farmers, said Curtis Miller, agriculture literacy coordinator for the DuPage County Farm Bureau.

"If you went to a classroom or school in DuPage County today and asked how many kids have someone in their family directly related to production or agriculture, you'd have to go back at least three generations," Miller said. "And that's not just northern Illinois ... that's all over the nation."

But Miller says that agricultural knowledge is still crucial for students, who need to understand prominent issues such as renewable fuels and food prices.

"Even though they might not work in the industry, they're all still consumers and they (will) all still go into the voting booth," he said.

Even though funds are coming in this year, extension officials know they're not home-free. Gary Beaumont, communications specialist for the extension, said staffers are holding back on making plans for 2009, as strife and indecision continue to mark budget negotiations in Springfield.

"This means we haven't been deficit spending throughout 2008," Beaumont said. "We're proceeding cautiously from this point on, and until we know what our (2009) budget is, we're going to proceed cautiously."