As Christmas was fast approaching, all the 4H kids were getting excited about their Christmas lists. But more importantly, the Giddy Up 4H Club wanted to provide a community service project to make the holidays joyful for others. We usually start the holidays by decorating a Christmas tree for the Annual Calvert Hospice Festival of trees. Additionally, our 4H club donates baked goods for the Freedom Hill Horse Rescue holiday open house. Since my family has supported the June Brandy Foundation for years at many equine events, I contacted them to see what we could do to help during the holidays. They informed us of a family we could sponsor for the holidays. I told the Club about the family in need and we voted unanimously to make their Christmas a little brighter too.
The June Brandy Foundation (JBF) is a nonprofit organization that assists families with children who are suffering with a life altering disease, disability, or other serious health conditions such as childhood leukemia, other cancers or developmental disabilities. The founder of the JBF personally witnessed the financial burden of having a child that is chronically ill and the struggles these parents have in maintaining a job and keeping all the medical appointments. It is emotionally hard to see your child with a serious illness, then you also have to worry if you can pay your bills. The JBF helps families from all over the United States and Canada, and has also partnered with 13 hospitals across the United States to help pediatric patients in need.
Once we adopted the family through the JBF we received their Christmas list and divided it between the club members. Everyone was excited to go and purchase gifts for this family. The Giddy Up 4H Club enjoys every opportunity that we get to apply the 4H pledge to make the world a better place. The 4H pledge states, “I pledge my head to greater thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world.” Helping a family in need was perfect for the club. We used our heads to think about the gifts. Our hearts were filled with love for the family. Our hands were used in carrying gifts and earning money to purchase them. We were grateful to have good health to physically do this project.
After the gifts were purchased we had a gift wrapping party to get the gifts ready to be shipped to the JBF Christmas family. Along with purchasing the gifts, each 4H member did a scrapbook page explaining what they do in 4H. Even some of the younger members of the club, who really admired the toys, were happy to wrap them for another child. We were so excited to fill up the huge box to send to a family in need.
We sealed that big box with lots of love and Christmas cheer. The family loved opening the gifts and enjoyed not only the toys but other needed items like gift cards, a prayer shawl, sheets and clothes. The family posted a note for us and called us “angels”, we were happy to make their dreams come true. We are grateful that the JBF let us be part of their magical Christmas season of giving.
On the same night of the gift wrapping, we also gathered homemade baked goods to be used at a bake sale for a local horse rescue, Freedom Hill Horse Rescue. The rescue is located in Owings, Maryland and their mission is to help horses that have been subject to abuse, abandonment, and slaughter, as well as helping horse owners in need of assistance in finding their horses a new home. One of our 4H members volunteers at the rescue and found out about the bake sale at the holiday open house. It is a wonderful cause and our club was more than happy to bake cookies for them.
On Black Friday, when everyone is out early shopping, the Giddy Up 4H Club was at the Festival of Trees decorating a Christmas tree to benefit Calvert Hospice. Earlier this year we made wine-cork pony ornaments. The tree decorations involved the whole 4H family. One Grandmother crocheted a garland for the tree and another quilted a tree skirt. Another 4H family found tiny plastic horse shoes that we attached to the garland. It was fun for all the kids to decorate the tree.
So what does Christmas mean to the Giddy Up 4H Club? Christmas is about giving not getting. We gave with our head, heart, hands, and health to help people and animals during the Christmas season.
4-H is the oldest continually operating youth development program in the US. Through 4-H and other Extension programs, opportunities are offered for all citizens to expand their life skills. Using a variety of project areas, combined with the talents of adults willing to be positive role models and to share their life experiences with youngsters, 4-H has something for everyone, from gardening to horses and robotics to rabbits. To learn more about 4-H, contact the University of MD Extension-Calvert County 4-H Office at 410-535-3662 or 301-855-1150, or email 4-H Educator, Elaine Long Bailey at elbailey@umd.edu or Ari Strahl, 4-H Program Assistant at astrahl@umd.edu.