Five days at 4-H camp have lifelong impact

For Ellie Gunter, Virginia 4-H camp was a week of firsts. It was the first time the 10-year-old from Henry County had been to a sleepaway camp, her first time paddling a canoe, her first time attending a dance, and her first time making new friends from other schools. 

“At first I really didn’t want to go,” she said. “But Mr. Hairston came to our school and I said I’d give it a try. Now I don’t want to leave. It’s like a big sleepover with friends.”

That’s exactly what “Mr. Hairston” likes to hear. A Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-H youth development agent for the Henry County/Martinsville area, Brian Hairston has been a fixture in the region’s 15 elementary and middle schools for more than two decades.

Hairston visits the schools weekly to introduce children to 4-H programs such as Character Counts, public speaking, and hands-on STEM activities, helping them gain valuable life skills that will serve them far beyond the classroom. He also works to ensure that every child who wants to attend 4-H camp has the opportunity. Each year, he brings the largest group of kids in the state – approximately 400 campers – to the W.E. Skelton 4-H Educational and Conference Center at Smith Mountain Lake. 

“For a lot of these kids, this is the only vacation they’ve ever had in their lives,” Hairston said. “It’s the first time many have been outside their hometown or county. It’s the first time some have had three square meals a day or slept in a bed. Getting them to 4-H camp changes their life and lights a spark in them.”

4-H is the largest youth development organization in the nation, providing caring and supportive mentoring for more than 6 million participants. In Virginia, more than 15,000 children attend a 4-H camp each year at one of Virginia’s six nationally accredited 4-H Educational Centers. For many campers, the experience can be transformative – simply by showing them that a world of opportunities awaits outside their everyday home and school lives.

“When I see these children back in school in the fall, the transformation is amazing,” Hairston said. “They are more engaged in class learning and peer relationships. Kids who were shy become outgoing. They get more involved in leadership roles. The impact is immeasurable.”

In 2017, the American Camp Association set out to measure it. The results of their five-year study illustrate that camp experiences of any duration help kids develop their sense of belonging, connections with nature, willingness to try new things, social awareness, grit, independence, and relationships with peers and adults. 

No one knows that better than Cody Lopez, who first came to 4-H camp with Hairston back in 2007. In the 17 years since, he’s never stopped coming, though his roles have evolved from camper to counselor-in-training, to counselor, to staff member, to adult volunteer.

“A lot of my personality was born in this place,” Lopez said, gesturing at the camp’s 120 acres of lakefront property as kids chattered and laughed nearby. “As long as they’ll have me, I’ll be here every summer. If I hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t be half of what I am today.”

Through 4-H, Lopez was introduced to Virginia Tech, which he attended from 2012-16, and where he served as president of the 4-H Collegiate Club and founded Virginia Tech College Mentors for Kids, which pairs kids with college mentors who introduce them to higher education and community service.

Now a director of revenue at an Indiana-based technology company, Lopez persuaded his employer, Secured Tech Solutions, to sponsor six children for 4-H camp. 

“I was fortunate to have these experiences growing up,” Lopez said. “Now that I have the means to do it, I want to ensure these kids have the same chance to get away and come into themselves like I did.”

Hairston challenges each of his 4-H alumni to sponsor at least one camper every year. The donations are always received gladly. In Virginia, nearly 60 percent of children are eligible for free or reduced school meals. In Henry County, 100 percent are eligible for assistance. 

Those numbers closely reflect the percentage of children who need scholarship assistance to attend camp, said State 4-H Leader Jeremy Johnson.

“Because of the generosity of donors who provide financial assistance and numerous volunteers who dedicate their time, Virginia 4-H is able to offer transformative youth camp experiences to thousands of children each year,” Johnson said. 

Tracey Craddock, a working mother of three from Chesterfield County, said scholarships enabling her sons to attend 4-H camp at the Jamestown 4-H Educational Center were life-altering for the whole family.

“Without the scholarships, I don’t know who it would have hurt more – them or me,” she said. “4-H camp has been a milestone in their lives. I’ve watched them grow leaps and bounds with their involvement. It’s hard to put into words how much 4-H camp means to each of their developments and their mental health. I wish everyone got to experience it – for the activities, the camaraderie, the songs they learn and sing all year, and the friends they keep for a lifetime.”

Back at Smith Mountain Lake, camp counselor Jesus Soto helped a girl dismount a horse she had ridden for the first time in the camp’s horsemanship class.

Soto, a rising senior at Magna Vista High School, got a late start in 4-H and first attended camp last year as a teen counselor at Hairston’s urging.

“I come from an immigrant family, so it was harder to find my way,” he said. “As a kid, I would hear about 4-H in fourth grade class programs, but I never dreamed of coming to camp because I didn’t know there were scholarships.”

Soto said he was “not into school” until he began coming to 4-H programs with his girlfriend. 

“I never realized how big of an impact 4-H would have on me,” he said.  “It’s like a family. Now I’m planning on attending college. I introduced my little sister to 4-H early so she knows about all the opportunities. I want her to have a good base in life and that’s 4-H.”

Please help create more opportunities for 4-H campers and programs by visiting the Virginia 4-H Foundation and making your gift today.