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• Elvis, Sinatra make appearance at Senior Follies in Lodi

• Heard it Through the Grapevine

• Meeting on new truck regulations this week

• Public Meetings

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• President Obama's first year (67)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (60)
• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future (58)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (49)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (39)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (32)
• We need to conduct respectful conversations (30)
• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam (25)

ADVERTISEMENT

Volunteer keeps Galt's 4-H program alive and well

Sacramento County's 4-H program is about a lot more than raising and showing animals. That's what local leader Chris DeZelle wants the public to know.

DeZelle, who lives in Galt and organizes activites for the city's youngest participants, recently visited the local schools to educate parents about the opportunities this organization affords. She has been heralded as one of the most successful recruiters in Sacramento County. There are 20 different 4-H clubs there, each overseen by the University of California system.

When many people think of 4-H, what likely comes to mind is raising and selling farm animals. What else is the organization all about?

The 4-H organization is more about teaching skills for living life than just about animals. This comes from a little understanding about how 4-H came about.

It was originally started by a federal land grant university system created by the Morrill Act of 1862. This served as a way for the United States Department of Agriculture to educate youths on the latest research and put that research into practical use on the farm. In 1914, the Smith-Lever Act was passed, which established the Cooperative Extension Offices that, staffed by county agents, partnered with local volunteers and youths to put research from the Department of Agriculture into practical hands-on projects.

Through its history the 4-H program has focused on youth development through hands-on experiential education, leadership development, citizenship, agricultural advances and preservation of our natural resources. Many of the home economics-type projects had their founding in teaching proper food handling techniques, proper nutrition and generally how to use what was produced in the best possible way.

So yes, 4-H is not just about raising animals. It is much more, including foods and nutrition, sewing and textiles, woodworking, crafts, photography, recordkeeping, leadership, community service, citizenship and yes, of course, animals.

You mentioned that you teach things children can't always learn in school, like self-esteem and public speaking. How do you do this?

In the 4-H program, youths learn through experience. Our programs are generally set up so that the youths have the best opportunity to learn possible. This includes allowing them to make mistakes without judging them or giving them a grade as they would get in school.

As far as public speaking, youths are asked to give reports on what they did at their project meetings each month in front of the rest of their peers. They are encouraged to do these "reports," are never graded, and receive recognition in their record books for completing them.

How can you help fill the gaps created by public school budget cuts?

Our program is run solely by volunteer leaders. When we have someone volunteer to lead a project, then we have a project in that area. For the most part, our volunteers usually volunteer for things the kids are no longer doing in school. Many of the extra things that used to be electives are no longer offered or are offered on a very limited basis. Something such as sewing or cooking, we do each month for eight or nine months and bring it to a completed status, where it seems that school just touches on these skills.

What kind of attempts have you made locally to bring in Galt's Spanish-speaking community?

I have not been very successful at all in bringing in the Spanish-speaking community. I am open to suggestions or assistance in providing our program to this very valuable part of our community. It would take one volunteer, a good project to fit their culture, and someone with patience to educate me on what is needed and wanted. I can obtain some 4-H materials in Spanish, but I am not fluent enough to communicate effectively with the right person.

How many years have you been a part of the local organization?

This is my 14th year as a 4-H leader. I was a project leader in Herald for about eight years, and I have been the Galt leader for six years.

Galt's former leaders had assumed positions in their careers where they could no longer run the club, although they are still active. They were going to disband the club and when I heard this I decided to take it on and build it back up. Through some very supportive parents, volunteers and a lot of back-to-school recruiting, we now have about 45 active members.

What's the No. 1 thing parents should know before enrolling their children in your organization?

It requires a commitment — a commitment from parents to get their child to meetings, to support local events and to encourage their child to meet the commitment they have made. The child has to make a commitment to try their best, take care of their animals, follow leaders' instructions and most of all, to have fun doing all this.

Contact reporter Jennifer Bonnett at jenniferb@lodinews.com.