The Lincoln County 4-H Honor Club has conducted a service learning project each month. Their projects include the following:

• January: Made Valentine placecards for the residents at three assisted living centers
• February: Made and sent sympathy cards for three members whose grandfather passed away
• March: Assembled and delivered Easter baskets to all residents of the For-Mac Center, a residential home for indigent, mentally challenged adults
• April: Conducted and avaluated the 9th annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection, the 3rd annual Great American Cleanup, and the 2st Watershed Festival to rid Lincoln County of hazardous waste and roadside litter and to educate citizens about the importance of good water quality
• May: Taught other members how to make "Hose Heads" - a sock planted with grass seed to teach plant science skills

These projects taught the members things such as how to make crafts to brighten someone's day, to reach out to those in need, the needs of mentally challenged people, the importance of environmental stewardship, and how to lead a group in an educational activity.

Sigma Lambda Chi at Blount County's Heritage High School collected coke tabs to help pay medical bills for a man who needed a bone marrow transplant. The tabs were recycled and turned in for cash. They learned that sometimes you can't do things on your own and need friends and the community to help. They also learned teamwork skills.

This club also went to the Blount County Children's Home and spent time with the girls making hemp bracelets and oragami. The youth said it was "nice getting to 'chill out' with new people and work with them." They learned teamwork and communication skills. The young people plan to teach other girls how to make the bracelets and share materials with them.

The Lewis County Senior High 4-H Club selected books, purchased them, and brought them to their 4-H meetings. Then, they took the books to Head Start and Lewis County Ambulatory Care Center waiting room. They gave oral reports at meetings about their experience. They learned the importance of selecting quality books for children, educational and age level of books, and durability of books.

This club also held an end-of-the-year "special service" activity. Each participant completed an individual activity that was connected to the 4-H pledge. Activities ranged from helping a grandparent with gardening work to assisting with Special Olympics to mowing a sick neighbor's yard. Over 50 different activities were conducted. Each participant wrote a paragraph about his/her activity, connecting it to the 4-H pledge. They learned to become better and more responsible community members.

At Flintville Jr. High in Lincoln County, 4-H'ers in Mrs. Tunstill's 8th grade (4th period) club collected money to donate to the local fire department. They learned that even a small group can help those who have had a crisis in their lives.

Mrs. Tunstill's 9th grade (5th period) club also conducted a project to benefit the Volunteer Fire Department. They collected towels, stuffed animals, and blankets, which they placed in a Rubbermaid tub for the firement to carry to fires and accidents. They learned that firemen do more than put out fires; they also comfort people during their crises.

Just after the September 11th attacks, the 4-H'ers in the J. Lewis club at East Elementary in Madison County sent letters to children in New York. The letters :told them how sorry we are about the disaster . . . and that we are thinking of them."

This club also teamed up with 4-H'ers from the Krawcyzk club to raise money for the Humane Society. They raised $30 and learned that not only humans need help.

At Fayetteville City Junior High in Lincoln County, Mrs. Thompson's 8th grade 4-H'ers have been very active in service. Here are some of their projects:

1st Period Club: Donated personal hygiene items to a church that helps unfortunate boys
2nd Period Club: Visited a nursing home and passed out suckers they had made
4th Period Club: Donated personal care items and baby items to Hanna's House and pet food to the animal shelter
6th Period Club: Collected used clothing for the local Goodwill
7th Period Club: Collected cleaning products, baby supplies, and more for Hannah's House

The Cofer 9th grade (1st period) 4-H club at Central Junior High in Lincoln County washed cars to raise money for Hannah's House. They raised $378, which will go to help abused women and children. They learned to organize and run a car wash.

This club also raised money to build a monument to memorialize all the students who have attended their school. They spent two months on this project and raised $550. They learned to take pride in their school and to "look outside themelves."

8th grade 4-H'ers in Mr. Johnson's 6th period club collected money from fellow students and teachers to donate to the Veterans Administration hospital. They learned that it's sometimes "hard to get people involved" in a project, but they will "keep trying to do things."

Mr. Johnson's 3rd period club spent one month collecting money for the St. Jude's Children's Hospital. The project was in memory of Kelsey Wright. Although they felt that $46 was not a large amount of money, they realised that "every penny counts."

Henson's 4-H club at Malesus Elementary in Madison County collected eyeglasses to donate to the Anerican Eye Care Missions, a group that travels to Mexico annually to do surgery and fit glasses on the needy.

This club also collected much-needed supplies for the Jackson Humane Society. They chose to spend money on the animals instead of buying Christmas presents to exchange with each other. They learned how much the Humane Society does for animals and how they can help.

These 4-H'ers also collected coke tabs for St. Jude's Ronald McDonald House. For every tabl collected a donation of money is given to the Ronald McDonald House. They learned that you can help others even in "little ways."

The McHaffey 4-H Club at Malesus in Madison County conducted monthly service learning projects. Their projects included the following:

• August: Picked up trash around the school.
• September: Collected eyeglasses to send to Mexico.
• October: Collected canned soup for Carl Perkins Child Abuse Center.
• November: Made fruit baskets for PIE Partners.
• December: Brought gifts for residents of a local nursing home.
• January: Donated stuffed animals to a shelter for homeless women and children.
• February: Collected dog and cat food for the Humane Society.
• February: Participated in Hat Day for Chase Coltraine (paid $1 to wear a hat at school for a day).
• March: Collected Coke tabs to donate. They were worth $.01 each.
• April: Collected snack food for the ICU waiting room at the hospital.

The 4-H'ers were very excited about helping people and animals in need. They will continue to help others and will encourage other people to help, too.

Mrs. Corley's 4-H'ers at Andrew Jackson School in Madison County have been very busy! Their first service learning project was to write letters to honor the service people in the Jackson community. They wrote letters to honor the police, fire department workers, doctors, nurses, and more. The letters were hung in the Jackson mall.

Their next project was to send "get well" and "feeling better" cards to three people. They learned how to make the sick feel better and lift their spirits. They also learned to uplift "people with sick ones in their family."

In February, the club presented a program for Black History Month. They contacted members of the Freed-Hardeman community to participate in the program, which was designed to promote unity. A guest speaker talked about making a difference and becoming future heroes. The 4-H'ers learned that there were a lot of African-American heroes and that February is the month to celebrate them.

In March, the class planted a tree at the school, which taught them to keep the school grounds clean and pretty. They also made cards for a lady who goes to Panama to cook for a medical mission team. This taught them to help others feel as if their services are wanted.

The Lincoln County Homeschool 4-H Club planted a Liberty Garden in the planter box of a local church. The planter box is at a key intersection in the community. The garden is planted with red, white, and blue flowers and has American flags at each corner in remembrance of September 11, 2001. The garden is "an island of color in a sea of pavement," but it also gave the 4-H'ers the chance to build a visual reminder of the heroes and victims of September 11th. The group reports, "We may be far away from New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, but we are all Americans and the events of that day were wounds to the nation." Many of the group members decided to take the planting and weeding skills they gained to plant their own Liberty Gardens at home.

This club also participated in CLEAN AMERICA by picking up roadside litter at the ball park softball fields, throughout the community, and at roadside areas near their homes. They learned that people "throw a lot of strange things into ditches" and to never throw trash into improper places.

In April the club collected Band-aids and Ora-gel for a team going to Belize on a medical mission trip. The supplies will go into first-aid kits the team will hand out. The 4-H'ers learned where Belize is, what a mission team does, and that there are things they can do to help even if they won't be there to see the results of their service.

Ms. Rust's 4th grade 4-H'ers at White House Elementary in Robertson County made posters about the rainforests and hung them up in school. Their goal was to help people understand why the rainforests are important. They learned to conserve trees.

Mrs. Cobb's 4-H'ers at Pope Elementary in Madison County (Western District) took up money and bougt food to put in a Thanksgiving basket for a needy family. They bought a turkey and also corn, green beans, stuffing, potatoes, green peas, cookies, cake mix, and icing. It was enough food for at least two good meals. The group held a discussion on how they made the family feel and how the 4-H'ers felt after helping the family. The service gave the young people "a much better concept of the importance of helping others."

This club also collected pennies to give to the Red Cross. The value of their service was over $800.00! They will share the outcome of their project with fellow students and set up for another project.

Mrs. Knight's 4-H club at Arlington Elementary in Madison County had a goal of raising $50 to donate in honor of a child who lost a parent in the September 11th attack. On every Tuesday of October and November (until Veterans Day), the class wore the American colors to signify unity in their class and their support of the country. The held a penny drive, sold candy, and sold die-cut white stars for $.50. The created a replica of the country's flag from the purchase of the paper stars. By the end of the project, they had raised $90, which they donated to the American Red Cross.

This club also supported the KinderCare Creation Dance Studio's production of The Nutcracker by purchasing an advertisement to help pay for overhead costs. They learned about supporting the fine arts and how to donate to help others.

Throughout December, the club collected canned goods and non-perishable items for the cafeteria and custodial staff. They also used some of the excess candy money left from the advertisement project to purchase some food products. They plan to continue to "help the school helpers because they help us students by keeping the building clean and cooking good nutritional meals."

The club responded to the President's plea to help the Afghanistan children during the war. They raised $33 by selling candy. They also wrote letters to the President expressing their concerns about his efforts. They reflected on this project with essays and group discussions. They learned that "others across the ocean are less fortunate than themselves."

Mrs. Love's 4-H'ers at Malesus in Madison County made Valentine's Day cards for a local nursing home. They learned to express themselves to others with certain handmade materials.

This club also collected eye glasses for the needy.

4-H'ers from Fort Loudon Middle School in Loudon County (Smoky Mtn. District) planned and organized a nutritious reading party for children at an elementary school. Each 4-H'er read a story about vegetables and then served a healthy snack. The 4-H'ers learned public speaking skills and healthy snacking.

This 4-H club also sponsored Easter activities with Kindergarten and first grade students. The 4-H'ers made Easter baskets for 165 children and filled 495 eggs with candy. At the party they read an Easter story and helped the younger kids decorate their baskets and find eggs. The 4-H'ers learned patience in working with students that age and also reading skills. Many of the group learned a lesson in fairness as they watched seventh graders from a nearby school steal candy out of the eggs.

6th grade 4-H'ers at Columbia Academy in Maury County (Central District) donated money to purchase colorful fleece fabric, from which an adult cut patterns for hats and scarves. The youth measured and fringed all the scarves and fringed the tops of the hats. Then they measured and sewed the hems and side seams to create hats with matching scarves. They donated the items to the local Family Center to assist needy families. The 4-H'ers learned that they can create useful items at much lower cost than retail, which allowed them to give more. They were proud to be helping others, and they liked the hats and scarves so much that many of them made some for their own families.

This club also participated in Read Across America. They wore Dr. Seuss hats and walked to a local preschool to read to kids during afternoon story time. They discussed the importance of reading. When they learned that many Head Start students do not have books at home, they began a book drive so they could give every child a book to take home.

Mr. Nichols's 5th grade 4-H'ers at Pigeon Forge Middle School in Sevier County collected money for the March of Dimes. Their donation will help premature babies that are "born too small, too soon." They hope that, by their efforts, they can make a difference.

The club also donated animal food to their "furry friends at Sevier County Animal Shelter."

The 4-H'ers are learning to help others and how to help care for pets.

4-H'ers in Ms. McCollum's 6th grade class at Pigeon Forge Middle in Sevier County are collecting cell phones for SafeSpace, a safe haven for families in crisis. They are recycling the phones and also providing a lifeline for someone on danger. So far, they have collected 24 cell phones.

The Coffee County Honor Club hosted a Christmas celebration for the elderly residents of Kingwood Arms Apartments. The 4-H'ers donated foods such as canned juice, cookies, fruit, and candy. They assembled 105 food bags and delived 100 of them to the senior citizens. This project served as the stepping stone to giving, and the teens "will remember this experience and be more mindful of the less fortunate."

At Sevierville Intermediate School in Sevier County, Mrs. Loveday's 4th grade received a donation of almost 750 Christmas cards. They distributed them to each child in the school. The children wrote a short message to a sailor aboard the USS La Salle, which is anchored off the coast of Afghanistan. The 4-H'ers discussed what the sailors might be experiencing and feeling in being away from home during the holidays, and they wanted to bring some happiness to the sailors.

The 4-H'ers also created, edited, and copied a class newspaper to be sold at school. The money was donated to the principal to purchase a bird feeder to be used near the front entrance of the school. The money from their February issue went to the animal shelter. They plan to continue to publish a monthly newspaper and donate the money to charitable causes.

Mrs. Kent's class at Seymour Intermediate School in Sevier County collected canned goods for three weeks. They donated the food to the Fish Pantry at one of the local churches. They learned "about the work of Fish Pantries and how good it is to help people who are in need."

The 4-H'ers also washed all the windows around their school courtyard on the inside and outside. They enjoyed helping their school. They report, "We will be mindful about what others do to help us that we are often not aware of and we will be more careful about messing up the windows ourselves."

At Sevierville Middle School in Sevier County, Ms. Thornton's class brought clothse for needy children. They learned to "be glad that they have clothes."

Delegates to the 2001 Smoky Mountain District Fall Youth Leadership Conference donated and assmebled boxes of Christmas gifts for dozens of children overseas.