4-H has come along way since it began as a Boys and Girls Swine Club in Olds, Alta., 90 years ago.
The agricultural youth organization that began as a pig club in 1917 has expanded to 400 clubs across the province with 32 project possibilities ranging from photography to cooking to cattle, said Vanessa Goodman, a 4-H specialist in Edmonton.
Much has changed over the years including a switch from a rural based program to include members in urban areas, said Goodman.
The Alberta 4-H program has 406 clubs, 6,500 members and 2,500 leaders. In its peak during the 1970s, membership reached more than 8,000 across the province.
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This year Alberta 4-H is throwing a party to celebrate its 90th birthday. The organization wants to raise $90,000 for its Legacy Fund by asking for donations with a campaign entitled $90 for 90 years.
The Legacy Fund helps local 4-H club members and leaders travel, go to workshops or on exchanges to other clubs.
Part of the money will also be used to promote 4-H this summer at fairs and events in an effort to increase membership.
“We haven’t been marketing the program as much as we needed to,” she said.
Goodman said as part of the celebration 4-H wants to collect stories from the past nine decades. Former members and leaders are asked to submit anecdotes from events like the annual highway clean-up or other projects.
