I guess this week you can refer to me as the 4-H Club beat reporter.

As of Wednesday, I have covered Hertford County’s 4-H Club centennial celebration and on Saturday I’ll be in Jackson covering Northampton County’s 4-H centennial celebration.

Ah, yes, it’s a time for celebration and rightly so.

The 4-H Club’s roots are steeped in agricultural heritage, something the Roanoke-Chowan area knows well. And the town of Ahoskie was where the seed was planted for something great that would eventually grow across the state.

In 1909, the Corn Club was created giving the youth in the area something productive to do and, most importantly, to celebrate and continue on that agricultural heritage.

As we all know since that time the Corn Club has grown into a state recognized organization called the 4-H Club that serves and teaches youth valuable lessons. From leadership and respect to confidence and general life skills, the 4-H Club has taught millions of youth that there is nothing like good old fashioned hard work in order to achieve your goals. The program has and still is instilling moral fiber and character that will carry these young people a long way through out their lifetimes.

One of the best aspects to come of all of this is that the organization is breaking down barriers. Today the 4-H Club is reaching across socio-economic, racial, cultural and regional lines and binding those groups together under one common effort.

More than 6 million young people around the globe are involved with a program based on 4-H principles. Of that number, 239,000 of those young people are from North Carolina.

This organization, along with other vital community-based programs, is the backbone of what our international society relies on…strong leaders to carry us through the storms.

One hundred years ago Ahoskie had a hand in creating something special and securing the future for its young people. Today this town, along with other programs through out the state, nation and globe continues that tradition for all children and teens.

We owe a big thank you to our 4-H Club leaders and pioneers for giving our youth a chance and providing them with the skills they need to live and lead a productive life.

Amanda VanDerBroek is a Staff Writer for the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald. For comments and column suggestions email: amanda.vanderbroek@r-cnews.com or call (252) 332-7209.