—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 1,1977 104 Thirty year leader still involved with 4-H by KENDACE BORRY MOUNT JOY - Has 4-H changed in the past thirty years? What’s it like to be a 4-H leader? Are the youth that go into 4-H different today than those that en tered the clubs years ago ? - Lancaster Farming went to a 30 year veteran leader of 4- H to find the answers. Mrs. Ruth Nissley, Mount Joy, R 3, was a member of the Lampeter Strasburg Sewing 4-H Club 30 years ago when she became a junior leader. From that, it was just a small step to becoming a local leader, and she has remamed involved as a leader of 4-H ever since. She has worked with sewing and cooking clubs and was in volved in organizing a photography club. For the past twelve years she has been involved with the Mount Joy Home Ec Club, which has a mem bership of approximately 150 4-H’ers. Her favorite activity of the club is the sewing, and she added that she likes to see the youths leam to sew, and see that at the end of the project they have something they can use, having learned from the process. According to Mrs. Nissley, basically 4H’ers are the same today as they were when she first became a leader - all are willing and eager to learn. Concerning sewing projects, the biggest changes m 4-H are that years ago, the 4-H’ers were in structed to do all sewing work by hand up to the second year of work, and now the youth use the sewing machine much earlier in training and learn more machine knowledge sooner. The club Mrs. Nissley is involved in has many projects including crocheting, cake decoratmg, and wild flowers. Wild flowers is a relatively new project added to the club, which is hoped will become stronger and more active next year. Other projects mclude cooking, macrame, and foods of international flavor. The club meets mainly over the summer months, and Mrs. Nissley’s biggest complaint is that the sum mer goes too fast. The leaders try not to rush the girls, but hopefully at the end of the summer, each girl has something to show in the individual project’s roun dup As part of the organization of the club, the leaders meet in November to discuss strategies and plans, and during March the final organizing of the club gets underway. Besides being a 4-H leader, Mrs Nissley is also active in church work at the Bethel Mennomte Church in Lan caster, listing that she serves as a church hostess, member of the Church Board and Christian Education Board and helps with the Women’s Missionary Society. In her spare time, she also hkes to crochet. Living on a 165 acre farm with her husband John Nissley, and four children- Darwin, Trudy, Bernard, and Rosemary, she men tioned that everyone helps > Vi V * : as* f 1% & *5 Mrs. Ruth Nissley, involved with 4-H for 30 years, proudly shows a crocheted quilt she has made in her free time. leader, Mrs. Nissley had this claimed, she lea advice. Try being a leader, something new, and bei The 4-H’ers need the help, leader is a great w« and as a leader, one can meet and know the y learn along with the youth. w h° will be the adult Every year, Mrs. Nissley tomorrow.
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