In the News - March 2010
4-H's symbolic four-leaf clover steeped in history, service
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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The four-leaf clover has many meanings, and for youth in Arkansas and across the nation, it symbolizes the mission of 4-H, said Sara Waller, Garland County extension agent with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
According to Celtic legend, the four leaves represent hope, faith, love and luck.
In 1620, Sir John Melton wrote: "If a man walking in the fields finds any four-leaved grass, he shall, in a small while after, find some good thing." His statement is an example of the four-leaf clover's cherished status as a good-luck charm, said Waller.
It's quite lucky even to find one, in fact. "The odds of finding a four-leaf clover are calculated at 10,000 to 1," she said.
Through 4-H, which uses the four-leaf clover as its symbol, youth discover their own �good things' through positive personal growth. They make their own luck.
4-H adopted the four-leaf clover as its symbol in 1911. The official 4-H four-leaf clover emblem is green with white H's. The white represents purity. The green represents nature's most common color and is emblematic of youth, life and growth.
O.H. Benson, superintendent of schools in Wright County, Iowa, designed a three-leaf clover, emblem in 1907 or 1908. In 1911, Benson suggested a fourth H, that would stand for "hustle." Another club worker, O.B. Martin, a club director in the South, suggested that "health" replace "hustle."
With these in mind, the 4-H pledge is recited before every meeting: "I pledge my Head to clearer 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."
Every day, Arkansas 4-H youth use these four H's, in school and in life.
"They've learned to use their heads to think and analyze and to make right decisions," said Waller. She emphasized that a hearty sense of loyalty and responsibility are part and parcel of being a 4-H'er. These go hand-in-hand with community service.
"Whether it's visiting elderly in the nursing home, writing letters of encouragement to U.S. soldiers or adopting Angel Tree children at Christmastime, 4-H'ers are using their hands to make a difference in the lives of others," she said.
These strong-minded individuals also work to maintain a healthy body. Members and volunteers strive to keep themselves healthy and influence friends and family members to do the same. "This improves the overall health of the community," she said.
4-H has more than 9,000 volunteers statewide and engages m sore than 130,000 Arkansas youth with informal education, leadership development and life skills. The motto, "To make the best better," is heard in all 75 counties across the state.
Arkansas 4-H provides opportunities for youth to "learn by doing" and become self-directing, productive and contributing members of society.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
March 26, 2010
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.eduRelated Links
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