The Kelvington 4-H Beef Club has already had a busy start to the 2015-2016 4-H year.
“To kick the year off, we cooked and served hamburgers at Maple Farm Equipment in Preeceville on July 16 for a combine clinic,” said Crystal Elmy.
During the summer, the club participated in the Tire Recycling Program with the RMs of Kelvington, Sasman and Hazel Dell. On the first day, the club collected 1,900 tires and on the last day, the grand total reported was 5,817 tires. This was a one-time opportunity offered to each RM and in what was described as a great way to help out the environment by getting rid of unwanted tires.
“In November, we had a re-organizational meeting and welcomed a new member – Amber Spray of Hazel Dell and a guest, Kendra Ewen. Other club members are: Kelsey and Bradley Elmy, John Ake, Nathan Niezgoda, Dustin Spray, Dana Balaski, Shen and Hannah Perron with leaders, Brent Elmy and Mindy Niezgoda,” she said. Club members are from the Hazel Dell, Lintlaw and Kelvington areas.
In November, Kelsey Elmy and Nathan Niezgoda were selected to attend the 4-H National Members Forum in Regina (during the week of Agribition). Eighty-four members from across Canada had the opportunity to attend this conference.
Krystal Spray attended a two-day Leaderama Conference in Regina on December 5 and 6. The main focus was “Leading Smart and from the Heart” and how to enable others to create an environment of shared leadership and positive youth development.
At the November meeting, the club decided to donate a portion of the fund-raised money back into the community. The club presented a $1,000 cheque to the Kelvington and District Health Care Facility. This donation will be put towards the purchase of a natural gas barbecue for the residents.
On December 30, members of the club travelled to Saskatoon to tour the STARS (helicopter ambulance) base. A personal tour was given by Rod and Carole Gantefour, former residents of the Kelvington area. He is the executive director and she is the stewardship co-ordinator for Saskatchewan STARS.
“We had the opportunity to see both helicopters and meet the staff that were on duty. It was a real eye opener for all members, along with parents,” said Elmy. After the tour, the club donated a $1,000 cheque to STARS.
The club held its second meeting January 9 at the Kelvington Curling Rink. The evening included pizza, the meeting and having fun curling. On January 12, a few members got together at the curling rink to teach a number of juniors some of the finer skills in curling. On January 16, the junior team participated in Kelvington’s Family Fun Bonspiel.
