NORWICH – Honoring the usefulness of connecting area youth to the Chenango County community, October was dubbed “Cooperative Extension and 4-H Month” in Chenango by the county Board of Supervisors last week.

For 100 years, the Cornell Cooperative Extension has served local communities through partnerships that combine the experience and research at Cornell with the needs of those communities. Nearly 500 Cornell Extension educators and 65,000 volunteers assist approximately 6 million people and businesses in New York State every year.

In Chenango County, Extension educators, alongside more than 200 volunteers, give their time, talent and leadership to promote agriculture and sustainability, natural resources education, youth development and family resources development.

The 4-H program falls under the umbrella of Cornell Cooperative Extension and has always been a major part of its mission, said Chenango County 4-H Educator Janet Pfromm. The program serves one out of eight youth in New York State, and roughly 300 youth ages 5-19 are currently enrolled in a 4-H Club Program.

“With your support, we were able to get out and do a wider array of more complex, more interesting programming,” Pfromm told the Board of Supervisors upon receiving a proclamation that recognizes the organization for its efforts. “Our youth are competing at the regional, state, and even national level 4-H programming, thanks to you and your support. We’ve been able to get grants to do different things to increase the complexity and learning of our youth, and we really appreciate your support.”