Success Stories - Porter County
Annual Gardening Show Receives 2009 R.O.S.E. Award as Festival of the Year
The Porter County Convention,
Recreation and Visitor Commission presented its 2009 R.O.S.E. Award for Festival
of the Year to the Annual Gardening Show.
2008 LaPorte-Porter 4-H Camp Counselor Training
4-H Youth Development Extension Educators from LaPorte and Porter Counties planned and facilitated four camp counselor training sessions (a total of 14 hours of programming) to enable and empower 19 4-H Junior Leaders to plan and direct 4-H Camp activities. As a result of their participation in the 4-H Camp Counselor experience, participating youth indicated that the experience helped them develop many life skills, such as responsibility, teamwork, communication, and leadership. One counselor noted, "Being a camp counselor has helped me get more actively involved in school and not feel humiliated if I do something stupid in front of kids." Another counselor shared, "It helped me improve my leadership skills by being responsible for the campers for the duration of camp."
2008 LaPorte-Porter 4-H Camp
The 2008 Camp provided 97 young people from LaPorte and Porter Counties the opportunity to practice acceptable social behaviors independent from their parents while they made new friends, learned new skills, and had fun. Porter County campers expressed that the three-day experience was fun and they enjoyed meeting 4-Hers from both counties.
2008 Porter County Ag Days
Many school districts in Porter County are comprised of children without ties to agriculture. Ag Days give students the opportunity to increase their knowledge of agriculture and increase their understanding of how the agricultural industry plays a role in their everyday lives. More than 1200 fourth grade students rotated through multiple animal science topic stations where they had the opportunity to increase their knowledge of animal sciences and agriculture. Teachers have indicated that Ag Day is valuable to their educational efforts, and that is why they continue to bring their classes to Ag Days year after year.
The Wild Turkey: From Field to Table...and More!
In answer to the popularity and newness of the sport of turkey hunting in northern Indiana, a team of Purdue University Extension Service Educators planned, presented, and evaluated "field to table" workshops in two northern-tier counties, to help both budding and seasoned turkey hunters better prepare for how they will safely and responsibly utilize their harvested wild turkey. A total of 49 participants completed the post-program evaluation. As a result of the program, participants indicated an increased knowledge and understanding of several topics, including: wild turkeys, proper care of the harvested wild turkey, and appropriate food safety practices. Further, a post-post evaluation conducted following spring turkey season indicated that participation in the program positively impacted participants' hunting-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
