Georgia Magazine - March 2022 - 18

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Once he started doing shows, Smith and Lady Mae attracted
regional and national attention.
" His awards ranking allowed him to participate in the
National Cattle Show in Louisville, Ky., last fall. Jace was the
youngest person in the ring at age 12, and his Lady Mae was
named Supreme Grand Champion, the highest national honor
for the breed, " says his mom, Lauren Smith. " Jace competed
against about 30 youths and adults with a lot more experience
than he has. When the judges announced he'd won the big prize
and beat out all those other cows, we all started crying and
hugging each other. "
State leadership
When Dodge County 4-H agent Keshia Jones spoke to
Katie Beth Brewer's fourth grade class, the then-10-year-old
knew 4-H was for her.
" I thought you had to be a farmer to be in 4-H, " says Katie
Beth's mom, Jodi Brewer. " But that's not correct; 4-H is for any
youth. Her father, Ash, and I have been thrilled to see how much
she's learned and grown because of 4-H. "
Katie Beth Brewer chose
performing arts/singing as her
focus and soon became part of
the Clovers and Co. performance
group of about 50 fourth through
12th graders.
In 2020, she was elected to
the Southeast District board and
the following year was voted state
president, beginning her one-year
term last July. The 17-year-old's
role takes her across the state
and the region to represent
Georgia 4-H.
In addition to her 4-H activiKatie
Beth Brewer sings and
dances with Clovers and Co.,
a performance group of 4-H
members.
ties, Brewer is dual-enrolled in
Veritas Classical Schools and
Middle Georgia State University,
both in Macon. She has been accepted
for early admission to the
University of Georgia in Athens.
" As much as I enjoy music, I
want to be a doctor, " she says.
" I know it will be a long journey, but I'm prepared. However,
music will always be part of my life. "
Second generation of 4-H
As the daughter of a 4-H alumna, Janey Miller has 4-H in
her blood, particularly because her mother, Melinda Miller,
is the program development coordinator for Georgia 4-H's
Southwest District.
" I used to go to meetings with my mom before I was old
enough to be in 4-H, " says the 16-year-old junior at Lowndes
High School in Valdosta. " So I joined the Clover Buds, a
4-H program for kindergartners to third graders; my first project
was cat care. "
18 Georgia Magazine March 2022
Janey Miller, center, was one of nine 4-H'ers recently elected to the
4-H Southwest District senior board of directors.
When she joined the Lowndes High School Georgia
Bridgemen's color guard, she found her passion.
" Once I entered high school I turned to dance as my project
and placed first in the state for my choreography, performing
with sabers, rifles and flags, " she says.
Last year, Miller was selected to participate in the 4-H
National Congress, a convention that includes presentations by
leadership professionals and motivational speakers from across
the country.
" Because of my state achievements, I had the chance to
go to National Congress in Atlanta last year, " she says. " It was a
chance to meet 4-H'ers from other places and find out how their
4-H is different [from]-and the same as-ours. "
Parents and adult leaders praise 4-H's influence on youths.
" Once these students become involved with 4-H and find
their interests, they can really excel, " says Lori Purcell Bledsoe,
4-H development coordinator for Northwest Georgia. " They
learn teamwork, civic responsibility and how to be confident,
self-assured citizens. All it takes is finding that spark. "
Pamela A. Keene is a freelance writer living in Flowery
Branch.
The roots of 4-H
The origins of 4-H go back to youth
agricultural programs that sprang up nationwide
more than 100 years ago, connecting formal
education with country-life skills outside of school. In 1914,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension
System was created in partnership with land-grant
universities nationwide. The Extension embraced the
existing youth clubs, and today's 4-H was born.
The four H's in 4-H refer to head, heart, hands and health,
and the organization's founding tenets are straightforward:
to provide positive youth development; to help youths learn
skills and succeed; to encourage youths to become responsible,
engaged citizens through service and leadership; and
to sustain lifelong learning for youths and volunteers.
For more information, visit georgia4h.org.
DEBORAH PRIEST
MELINDA MILLER
http://www.georgia4h.org
Georgia Magazine - March 2022

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