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N.D. 4-H Clubs Practice Eating Smart, Playing Hard in 2013-14

Twenty-four clubs earn the Healthy North Dakota 4-H Club designation.

Twenty-four 4-H clubs were recognized for demonstrating their commitment to a healthy lifestyle and are designated as a Healthy North Dakota 4-H Club for 2013-14.

The 4-H clubs, with a total of 431 members, earned the special recognition for making “Eat Smart. Play Hard.” lessons part of their club meetings for the past year. Nine clubs also earned extra recognition for completing the “Family Mealtime Challenge.”

“Eat Smart. Play Hard. Together” is a statewide campaign that emphasizes the importance of making healthy food choices, getting regular exercise and families eating together. The North Dakota State University Extension Service and Bison Athletics teamed up to launch the initiative in 2005.

This was the sixth or seventh year some clubs were named a Healthy North Dakota 4-H Club. This year, each club member received a certificate of recognition and a small prize.

The clubs recognized this year are by county, number of members and number of years they have received the Healthy North Dakota 4-H Club recognition:

  • Barnes - Valley Friends, 20 members, five years
  • Burleigh - Caring Hands, five members, three years; Dakota Guys and Gals, seven members, four years; McKenzie Magnums, 15 members, five years; Northern Colors, eight members, two years; Silver Colts, 10 members, six years
  • Cass - Bennett 4-H, eight members, two years; Clover Friends, 15 members, one year; Dragonflies, 28 members, three years; Golden Clovers, 28 members, two years; Harwood Helpers, 20 members, four years; Kindred 4-H Friends, 17 members, seven years; Rainbow Kids, 18 members, six years; Uniters, three members, six years; Valley Adventures, 14 members, six years; Wheatland Pioneers, 14 members, seven years
  • Divide - Flickertails, nine members, seven years
  • Grant - City Slickers, 32 members, three years
  • Logan - Dakota Kids, 17 members, two years
  • McLean - Flickertail Farmers, 41 members, one year
  • Morton - Missouri Valley Bunch, 25 members, seven years
  • Pembina - Helping Hands, 14 members, two years
  • Ransom - Sheyenne Braves, 32 members, one year; Tri County Ag, 31 members, three years

“The clubs continue to impress us with their creative approaches to promoting good health among their members and the thoughtful, ongoing service activities they conduct in their communities,” says Julie Garden-Robinson, NDSU Extension food and nutrition specialist and Healthy North Dakota 4-H Clubs program coordinator. “For example, they learn about preparing healthful recipes through hands-on activities. Some clubs do food drives for a local food pantry, while others bake items and visit community members with a treat.

“These young people definitely are ‘learning by doing’ and we hope these lessons inspire them to maintain healthy habits throughout their life,” she adds.

Clubs are required to incorporate at least one nutrition or fitness activity into a minimum of six regular meetings during the year to be named a Healthy North Dakota 4-H Club.

4-H clubs interested in participating in the 2014-15 North Dakota Healthy 4-H Clubs program should contact their county Extension office or visit this website: http://tinyurl.com/healthy4-hclub.


NDSU Agriculture Communication - Sept. 16, 2014

Source:Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, julie.garden-robinson@ndsu.edu
Editor:Ellen Crawford, (701) 231-5391, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu
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