Community center uses 4-H program as lesson in hope

ZANESVILLE – For Kay Miller, success can be measured in simple objects: a hand-printed T-shirt, a fresh tomato or a homemade craft.

The objects are the products of the work of 12 kids who graduated from Bethel Community Center’s first 4-H program, which began last March and ended in May. By teaching children in the Putnam neighborhood skills such as organized teamwork, sewing, gardening, cooking and design, Miller said she hopes the program will spur a positive change in an otherwise struggling community.

And now, with the aid of a $1,000 Muskingum County Community Foundation grant, the Bethel Community Center and its corresponding 4-H program are looking to expand their reach and jump-start a long-lasting educational program for area kids.

“Growing up, I had a lot of mentors in my life. People who told me I could go on and do whatever I set my mind to,” said Miller, the executive director of the center. “What so many of these children in this area need is someone to tell them the same thing: that they can lead, that they have value.”

Miller said the grant money will allow the center to empower children through the purchase of textbooks and MobyMax online math and language courses while also providing training programs to adults on how to rise out of poverty.

“Our main goal here is to provide kids and their parents with the resources they need to achieve their goals, whatever those may be,” Miller said.

Ozzylen Hartman, 15, president of the Bethel 4-H club, said she hopes to one day join the U.S. Air Force as a medic. And while much of what she learned through the 4-H program involved practical skills such as sewing and gardening, Hartman said her most valuable lesson was how to work with a team.

“Here one of the main things they teach us is leadership, working with others and how to succeed as a group,” Hartman said. “I feel like that is what will really help me succeed later in life, when it comes to being professional and know how to present yourself to make a difference.”

It is that combination of learning programs — the dirty work of planting vegetables in the center’s raised bed gardens, and the polished work of learning how to present oneself in a professional setting — that Miller said is pertinent to developing a well-rounded skill-set within the kids of the program.

“We’re always trying to reinforce basic skills while introducing new skills,” Miller said. “Our big focus is on project completion and following directions. If a child can learn how to listen and how to follow through with a goal, they will have a much better chance of success once they go out into the world.

“Most of these kids are living in the present,” Miller said. “What we want to do is teach them to hope for the future.”

epsmith@gannett.com

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Twitter: @evansmithreport

4-H applications

The Bethel Community Center is now accepting applications for its 4-H program, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 16. Adult learning classes will begin in August, although specific dates for classes have yet to be determined.

To find out more information or to make a donation to the center, visit zanesvillebethel.squarespace.com.