News Stories - Page 381

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, more than 6 million American adults volunteer an average of 52 hours per year. Volunteerism is very much a part of our culture and Georgia 4-H relies heavily on the work of volunteers every day.

For many Georgians, the words “4-H” bring to mind club meetings, public speaking and trips to Rock Eagle, the mountains or the beach for camp. But the nation's leading youth organization is much more, says a Georgia 4-H program expert.

As summer transitions into fall, students across Georgia return to their classrooms. Whether those classrooms are virtual, at home or in a brick-and-mortar school, learning can occur anywhere. The Georgia 4-H Environmental Education Program uses nature as a classroom for students across the Southeast.

4-H’ers are three times more likely to contribute to their communities than youths not participating in 4-H, according to a study by Tufts University.

While many teenagers play video games and hang out with their friends, 17-year-old Chelsie Restrepo spends her free time doing community service projects and helping the less fortunate.

Public elementary school students are being challenged by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle to get healthy. The Healthy Kids Georgia program invites all Georgia public elementary schools to participate in the BOOKMARK 4 HEALTH! contest, which is held in collaboration with Scholastic, Inc., Georgia 4-H and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Three Georgia elementary schools will win a 250-book collection of educational health and wellness books for the school library.

Have you ever found yourself holding an empty aluminum can or plastic bottle with no recycling container in sight? University of Georgia researchers have developed a mobile app for that.

Cotton and peanuts, two of Georgia's top row-crops, joined forces earlier this month for the University of Georgia Cotton and Peanut Research Field Day, spotlighting research projects funded by the Georgia Peanut Commission and Georgia Cotton Commission.

Outbreaks of listeria monocytogenes are commonly linked to deli meats, hot dogs and soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk. Recent deaths and illnesses in the U.S. have added fresh cantaloupes from Colorado to that list.