Craig County Junior 4-H Camp was recently held at the W. E. Skelton 4-H Educational & Conference Center at Smith Mountain Lake during the week of July 3 -7. A total of 54 Craig 4-H’ers attended camp and enjoyed sharing the week with campers from Botetourt and Rockbridge Counties.
Participants attended classes, met new friends and learned new skills. Campers were able to enjoy new classes such as Design Challenge, Hair Affair, Lacrosse, Mad Scientist, Paint Night and Skateboarding in addition to old favorites like Archery, Cake Decorating, Canoeing, Climbing, Kayaking, Outdoor Adventures, Riflery and Swimming. There was something for everyone at 4-H Camp. Three special evening events – “Hawaiian Night,” “Nick at Night,” and “Magic Night” – added to the overall experience.
Amber Robinson, 4-H Youth Extension Agent, provided leadership for our camp this summer. She accepted a new position starting July 10, 2017 on the Virginia Tech campus. We will miss her and know she will succeed wherever she goes!
We were very fortunate to have a wonderful group of Craig teens – Morgan Beane, Jenna Bostic, Alexxa Forrester, Haleigh Smith, Kalina Spence, August White, Gabriel Devinney, Chase Huffman and Trevor Smith. Each teen did a wonderful job working with their assigned campers and making sure our camp ran smoothly. Craig Counselors-In-Training (Jessie Reed, Valerie Worrell, Ashley Hunter, John Bunnell, Dylan Crawford, Dalton Henderson, Mason Huffman, Christopher Lafon, Clayton Owens, Cameron Shell and Channing Smith) were a nice addition to our group.
Emily Ross and Austin Matthews provided training and adult supervision to help run camp and teach classes. They were a welcome addition to our group as well and helped ensure that camp ran effortlessly.
The majority of the 4-H’ers at camp were able to attend because of the generosity of the following individuals and businesses to the Junior 4-H Camp Scholarship Fund. Craig County Extension staff and Craig 4-H’ers want to thank all these companies and individuals for making Junior 4-H Camp a reality for our local youth. Your support is very much appreciated. Donors included:
- Adams Construction Co.
- Mr. & Mrs. Ron Baker
- Mr. & Mrs. George Canode
- Charlton Associates
- Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative
- Craig County Farm Bureau
- Craig County Farm Bureau Women
- Craig County Health & Dental Center
- Craig Healing Springs Christian Church
- Mr. John M. Crawford
- Crossroads Christian Church
- Farmers & Merchants Bank of Craig County
- Mr. & Mrs. Carter Fleming
- Forever Green Lawn Care
- Mr. & Mrs. Lanier Frantz
- Mrs. Betty Hughes
- Mrs. Erica Jones
- Market Street Pharmacy
- Maywood Garden Club
- New Castle Christian Church
- Mrs. Sharon Oliver
- Paitsel Funeral Home
- Red Rock Farm
- Roanoke Moose Lodge #284
- Mrs. Debbie Snead
- St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
- Tickle Oil & Propane
- Mr. Harold Wingate
- Women of the Moose, Chapter #1022
- Zimmerman’s Equipment
- Nadine C. Allen Excellence Fund
- Arthur Taubman Scholarship Fund
- Frist Foundation
- Virginia Tech Foundation (Thurman Fund)
- Ned and Rosalyn Lester Youth Leadership Development Endowment
We would be unable to have such a successful camping experience for our youth without the generosity of Craig County School Board for allowing the use of two school buses. Mrs. Kirstann Edwards and Mrs. Suzanne Lowman drove the kids to and from camp. The Farmers & Merchants Bank of Craig County paid the fees of the bus drivers. Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to each of these supporters of our camping program.
-Submitted by Andy Allen, Agriculture Extension Agent
