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Published on 06/19/07

Georgia 4-H sets 2007 Legacy Ball Aug. 11 in Atlanta

By Janet Rodekohr
University of Georgia

Alumni and supporters of Georgia 4-H will celebrate the state’s largest youth program with an evening of fun, funds, friends and fine dining at the 2007 Georgia 4-H Legacy Ball Aug. 11 in Atlanta.

Walter Reeves, host of “Gardening in Georgia” on Georgia Public Broadcasting and a former 4-H’er and county University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent, will host the special evening. The nationally acclaimed 4-H performing arts group, Clovers & Co., will provide entertainment.

The evening will feature one of the staunchest longtime friends of Georgia 4-H with the presentation of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to former Georgia Commissioner of Transportation Wayne Shackelford. As a 4-H alumnus, his extraordinary influence has benefitted 4-H for half a century.

“4-H started out teaching farm kids how to raise crops and livestock and how to prepare nutritious meals,” said Bo Ryles, state 4-H program leader with the UGA Extension.

“Today, Georgia’s 183,000 4-H’ers come from all areas of Georgia, urban and rural,” Ryles said. “They concentrate on building life skills such as leadership, character and citizenship. Today’s 4-H program is a dynamic youth program for today’s youths.”

A social time precedes the program and offers a time to support the 4-H program through the silent auction, which will offer exciting, unique items donated to the 2007 Legacy Ball.

The funds raised from the Legacy Ball will be placed into an endowed fund that will supplement support for 4-H project achievement. A cornerstone of 4-H youth development, project achievement helps 4-H’ers develop strong skills in both effective communication and specific areas of interest.

Tickets for the gala are $125. They’re available through the Georgia 4-H Foundation at (706) 542-8914 or online at www.georgia4hfoundation.org/legacyball. Corporate sponsors can support the foundation by reserving a table at platinum, gold, silver or bronze sponsorship levels.

To learn more about the gala or 4-H in Georgia or your county, visit the Georgia 4-H Web site at www.georgia4h.org.

Janet Rodekohr is a retired news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.