Jefferson County 4-H Camp is a traditional summer program, which is held at the Lake Cumberland 4-H campgrounds. Campers go away for a week to develop life skills, project skills and also have many opportunities for fun. Agents Chanda Hall, Kelly Smith, and Lawrence Caudle worked with a camp committee to plan, promote and ensure that the week was a success. 

Camp is only successful with the commitment from volunteers. There were 62 volunteers that dedicated over 120 hours each, totaling close to 4,000 hours given to the 4-H camping program. The volunteers ranged from class teachers to cabin leaders. They truly enjoyed helping our youth learn and have fun. There was 284 youth enrolled for summer camp. Based on the value of volunteer time ($21.36/hr), this is a contribution worth $116,540 to Jefferson County. 

Jefferson County 4-H utilized the new blender bike. The interactive bike provides a physical demonstration linking eating and exercise. It created a fun way for youth to physically use their own body to produce a healthy drink. Since this year camp theme was space, the smoothie the youth created looked like a galaxy. With the use of Greek yogurt, blueberries, bananas, mangos, and strawberries.

Participants learn about the smoothie ingredients and received hands-on experience pedaling the blender bike to make a smoothie. The instructions also help the facilitator make the most of the time available by suggesting ways to incorporate three learning activities, including making smoothies, into one session. Participants learned about the variety of healthy foods they should eat each day, having a balanced diet, making healthy food choices, drink more water and the need to increase physical activity. 

The participants really enjoyed the activity and learning about fruits and vegetables. Several participants called the office after camp wanting the recipe used in the smoothie. Jefferson County 4-H is looking into possible grant money for the future purchase of a blender bike.