Donate auction items to help 4-H program

The annual 4-H Radio Auction is fast approaching. Let’s all get behind this annual event that is essential to the well-being of our county’s 4-H program.

The community can get behind the auction in two ways — donate items to be sold or commit to helping 4-H by buying items that have been donated.

Each year the auction offers a splendid array of goods and services that people can bid on. Everything from gravel and hay to overnight accommodations and professional services provide an opportunity for people to donate to 4-H and get something in return.

This year, with the economy in the shape that it is, having more items to auction is absolutely essential. Bids could be lower. A lot of people are out of work and others are simply guarding their money. Having more items to bid on would help overcome the possibility of having lower bids.

Our community needs its 4-H program. The OSU Extension Service oversees the program and does a wonderful job. But state resources, too, will be stretched thinner this year. Ensuring the quality of our local program will depend even more on the support of the local

4-H Leaders Association.

4-H is one of those programs that local communities need. It offers youths a chance to learn a variety of skills — skills that make them more complete individuals.

So, even in these very difficult times, those of us who can need to get behind fundraisers like the annual 4-H Radio Auction. We should look for ways to help in whatever way we can.

Anyone who would like to donate items to the auction, or to find out more information, call 963-1010.

The auction items will be listed in a special supplement in The Observer that will be published March 5.

Times are tough, but there are programs we can’t let slip. 4-H is one of those.