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BELLEFONTE -- The Centre County Commissioners have proclaimed March 17-23, 2024 as Pennsylvania 4-H Week in the county.
Brittany Helm, the Centre County Educator for 4-H, gave the commissioners a rundown of what has been going on since she began her job last year.
Last year, Helm noted that Centre County had 108 active adult volunteers who run the clubs and teach students, with 384 active members -- the numbers are similar this year.
According to Helm, they're still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, but are on an upward track.
"We have about 20 clubs that we run. Anywhere from expressive arts, to STEM, to robotics, to agriculture, to livestock -- we have it all here," said Helm.
4-H is America's largest youth development organization, empowering young people with skills to lead for a lifetime by leading hands-on projects in areas like science, health, agriculture and civic engagement.
According to the 4-H website, nearly six million kids and teens have taken on critical societal issues through 4-H, addressing community health inequities, engaging in civil discourse and advocating for equality and inclusion for all.
Two students were in attendance at the meeting to discuss their achievements with 4-H.
Hannah Trigg, who also attended the meeting last year, spoke about how she achieved the highest award you can get through the clover awards: the Diamond Clover Award.
"Through that, I created a clothing closet... I was able to hold the event and collect clothes from the community and store them. It really helped the community out," said Trigg.
According to Trigg, there were two horse trailers worth of clothing and shoes donated to her cause. Trigg received a Diamond Clover Pin from Commissioner Mark Higgins.
The other student was Jaylene Everhart who is a member and officer of multiple 4-H clubs in the county.
"I recently had the opportunity to go to the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Ga., where I was able to learn a variety of skills from leadership and networking to healthy habits. I was then able to use those skills to go to a National Young Farmer Education Association event called Agriculture Promise Forum in Washington, D.C.," said Everhart.
She noted that through 4-H she has gained confidence in her public speaking, leadership and teamwork skills.
The commissioners also highlighted the newest program for the Centre County HOPE Initiative regarding the increased availability of free Naloxone and other harm reduction tools in the county.
The Centre County HOPE Initiative has been working since its inception in 2016 to eliminate substance abuse, drug overdoses and drug overdose deaths in Centre County.
AppleGate Recovery, located at 915 Benner Pike, State College, is dedicated to helping those struggling with opioid addiction and offers individualized care. It is a recognized entity by the Pennsylvania Overdose Prevention Program (POPP).
Katelyn Buchiet, Treatment Center Director at AppleGate Recover, spoke with the commissioners about the importance of having overdose prevention supplies available.
"We have Naloxone, which is commonly known as Narcan, and we also have Kloxxado which is a higher dose of the Naloxone product," said Buchiet.
She stressed the fact that individuals do not need to be affiliated with any organization, or personally know someone who has a substance use disorder to obtain these products.
"These drugs are really important for overdose prevention. It's something that can be hard to talk about, but it's super important that we have this available for the community. ... This is a life saving drug and seconds count when it is an emergency," said Buchiet.
She also noted that if someone is having a medical emergency you suspect is an overdose, administering naloxone will not harm them if it turns out that is not the case.
For more information, please contact AppleGate Recovery at 814-869-7187 or visit www.applegaterecovery.com and select the State College location to see local resources. For more information on the Centre County HOPE Initiative visit www.centrecountypa.gov/HOPE.
In other news:
-- The commissioners have passed a resolution designating John Franek Jr. as Centre County's Language Access Coordinator. This is for Community Development Block Grant regulation compliance. If anyone has access issues for meetings due to language, they should contact Franek.