Our History

History of Collier County 4-H Association

In 1978, the Collier County 4-H Foundation was created to help fund the activities of Collier County 4-H and to fund local outreach coordinators. As part of a national reorganization of 4-H in 2012, the Foundation became the Collier County 4-H Association. The goal of the organization did not change. Our role is still to provide financial support and guidance to help Collier County 4-H offer a wide variety of educational and leadership opportunities to thousands of young people in our community each year.

All local 4-H programs are run by Collier County 4-H.

About 4-H

With its beginnings in after-school agricultural clubs in the early 1900s, 4-H is still deeply connected to agriculture. But throughout its history, the organization has always worked to meet the ever-changing needs of youth.

According to 4-h.org, “Today, 4‑H serves youth in rural, urban, and suburban communities in every state across the nation. 4‑H’ers are tackling the nation’s top issues, from global food security, climate change and sustainable energy to childhood obesity and food safety.  4‑H out-of-school programming, in-school enrichment programs, clubs and camps also offer a wide variety of STEM opportunities – from agricultural and animal sciences to rocketry, robotics, environmental protection and computer science – to improve the nation’s ability to compete in key scientific fields and take on the leading challenges of the 21st century.”