Research has shown youth gain multiple benefits from 4-H camp experiences in the areas of leadership, character development, self-esteem, decision-making skills, independent living skills, and citizenship. Shelby County 4-H has a long tradition of 4-H Camping.  As a result, long waiting lists were generated each year with campers that wanted to attend but could not be accommodated.   For the 2019 camp season, Shelby County 4-H had an opportunity to increase the number of youth that could be taken to camp.  To take advantage of the extra availability, more resources were needed.

The 4-H Agent and staff developed a plan to handle the logistics of loading and unloading additional buses and the increase in paperwork and supplies.  However, the biggest challenge was to secure the additional volunteer adults and teens to make the camp successful.  Recruiting strategies were developed and implemented to get enough volunteers to have a proper supervision ratio in each cabin.  Efforts were successful and 15 additional teens and adults were identified and trained to attend 4-H Camp.  As a result, an additional 67 individuals were able to attend 4-H camp in 2019, a 46% increase from the previous year.  This was a record for camp attendance for Shelby County.  More importantly, no youth were left on the waiting list and all were able to reap the many benefits of attending 4-H Camp.