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N.C. 4-H camp learning center nearing completion

Media Contacts: Justin Moore, 919.515.1371 or justin_moore@ncsu.edu, and Dave Herpy, 919.515.8483 or dave_herpy@ncsu.edu

ELLERBE, N.C. – Officials will hold a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for a new $1.5 million multi-purpose facility at Millstone 4-H Camp on April 10. NC State University administrators and 4-H alumni will join donors and community leaders at the Ellerbe, N.C., camp to officially open the State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) 4-H Learning Center, The Cole Foundation Auditorium and the N.C. 4-H Hall of Leadership.

As part of the N.C. 4-H History and Learning Center Complex at Millstone, the new facilities will add about 3,500 square feet of conditioned space for retreats, conferences, workshops and educational programs for K-12 youth as well as adults. The space will include an auditorium seating more than 150 people, a 4-H archive and conference room, and a hall of leadership with professional exhibits that illustrate 4-H’s history while honoring former state 4-H program leaders.

The learning center was nearly complete when this picture was taken.
The learning center was nearly complete when this picture was taken.

Dr. Mike Yoder, state 4-H program leader at NC State, expects the additions to have an immediate and lasting impact. “We believe that the key to positive youth development is learning by doing,” said Yoder. “This building will enhance the resources and opportunities we have to educate campers through new and exciting hands-on experiences.”

In addition to SECU and The Cole Foundation, which contributed $750,000 and $250,000 respectively, private donors collectively added another $500,000 to help fund the building. Hobbs Architects of Pittsboro designed the facilities.

Event Details
News media are invited to attend the event, which is not open to the public.
 What: Millstone 4-H Camp Ribbon Cutting & Dedication
 When: Sunday, April 10, 2016, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (View the agenda.)
 Where: Millstone 4-H Camp in Ellerbe, N.C. (Directions: 4-H Camp Millstone website)
This event is co-hosted by the N.C. Agricultural Foundation Inc. and N.C. 4-H Development Fund.

Dr. Richard Bonanno, director of NC State’s Cooperative Extension Service, which conducts N.C. 4-H along with N.C. A&T State University, added that the new Millstone facilities directly support Extension’s broader mission to solve challenges and create prosperity for communities across North Carolina.

“The 4-H youth development program is one of our three core focus areas, each of which involves helping people transform knowledge into solutions that serve the greater good,” said Bonanno. “There’s no better place to start than assisting our youth to become confident, contributing members of society.”

In addition to existing features like the N.C. 4-H Museum, affectionately referred to by 4-H’ers as “the house that 4-H peanuts built,” and the Hudson Courtyard and Gardens, the complex is also the future home of the N.C. Farm Bureau Farm Shop.

Millstone 4-H Camp offers programs ranging from boating and horsemanship to shooting sports and traditional 4-H camp starting June 12 through Aug. 2. One of three N.C. 4-H camping centers operated by NC State, the 320-acre Millstone 4-H Camp was constructed in 1938 and opened the following year. The other camps are Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center in Reidsville and the Eastern 4-H Center in Columbia.

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA 4-H
4-H is the largest youth development organization in North Carolina, with more than 239,000 participants and 20,500 youth and adult volunteers. As the only youth organization based at land-grant universities, 4-H provides the first experience many youth have with higher education. 4-H is Cooperative Extension’s youth development program; NC State University partners with N.C. A&T State University to conduct 4-H programming through their respective Extension organizations. To learn more or to find out how to get involved, visit http://www.nc4h.org.

ABOUT THE N.C. COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
The Extension Service is the local and statewide outreach conduit of North Carolina’s preeminent research enterprise, NC State University. Extension delivers research-based agricultural, food and youth programs that create economic, societal and intellectual prosperity for all North Carolinians. NC State’s Extension Service partners with N.C. A&T State University, along with federal, state and local governments, to form N.C. Cooperative Extension. Extension operates 101 local centers that serve every county and the Eastern Band of Cherokee. Discover more at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu.

ABOUT THE N.C. AGRICULTURAL FOUNDATION INC.
The N.C. Agricultural Foundation Inc. is a non-profit, charitable and educational corporation that supports research, extension and teaching activities in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. Find out more at http://harvest.cals.ncsu.edu/advancement/foundations/

-J. Moore