Activity: Presenting live nativity
Group: Hoofbeats 4-H Club — Rusk County
Date of Activity: December 2013
Number of people: 2 youth; 2 adults
Number of hours: 5 hours per person
The Hoofbeats 4-H club brought animals to the park as part of a live nativity. Members helped groom animals and load them into trailers at the farm. They brought them to the park, and the members dressed as shepherds and “tended” to their animals and let people touch and interact with them. Children and adults from around the community got to interact with the animals.
Participants learned:
- Responsibility — taking care of animals
- Safety — watching out for children around the animals
- Courtesy to others
- Interacting with the public
- The importance of being knowledgeable and informative when addressed with questions
Activity: Christmas caroling at a nursing home
Group: Hoofbeats 4-H Club — Rusk County
Date of Activity: December 2013
Number of people: 9 youth; 4 adults
Number of hours: 1 1/2 hours per person
The Hoofbeats 4-H Club brought holiday cheer to a local nursing home by singing carols for residents. The residents enjoyed both the music and visiting with the 4-H’ers. Youth learned a lot about the residents’ needs and how much the interaction is appreciated around the holidays.
Activity: Making “reindeer” bags for Meals on Wheels 
recipients
Group: Hoofbeats 4-H Club — Rusk County
Date of Activity: October-December 2013
Number of people: 15 youth; 15 adults
Number of hours: 13 hours per person
We made “reindeer” bags filled with fruit, candy and a Christmas ornament for all 150 Meals on Wheels recipients in our county. This project takes many days to complete. We first decided on Christmas ornaments to make in October and where to get donations of fruit and candy. The youth apply at different businesses for donations. We met again in November to make ornaments and bags and get updates on donations — this meeting was 5 hours. We then got donations of fruit from Kwik Trip and Gordy’s County Market and a giftcard we used for candy at Wal-Mart. All supplies for ornaments were donated by parents and leaders. Bags were donated by the Rusk County Farm Supply. We again met in December to assemble each bag, which took 2 hours. The Meals on Wheels drivers then deliver them the next day with meals. This is the third year we have done this service project.
We have gotten many calls and thank-you cards from the recipients and from the Aging and Disabilities office. We were told that this time of year is hard for the home-bound and the surprise “gift” really means a lot to them.
Participants in the service project learned:
- What the Meals on Wheels program is about
- The impact of kindness on others
- About home-bound residents in our communities
- Organization and planning skills — using donated money for the maximum benefit
- How to fill out forms and politely talk to businesses for donations
- How to work together for a common goal
