This photo was taken at the Lee County Library during the Lee County Youth Council's project Reading Buddies.
Lee County Activity Day - The Kickoff for Public Speaking Competition
Summer Youth Workshop
Enroll and register under the events tab
Lee County 4-H & Lee County Library STEAM Program
Each 4th Tuesday | 6:00-7:00 | Sanford Branch of the Lee County Library NEW LOCATION
Lee County Youth Council
Reading Buddies suspended until new library opens.
We want a 4-H Cooking Club
Still wanted: two adult volunteers to support a monthly 4-H cooking club. We would supply the club with expertise. Volunteers would charter the club, keep up with attendance, family contact, scheduling, and the business portion of each meeting. Email pkerley@ncsu.edu if you are interested in learning more. Members of this club could compete in the 8-10 and 11-13 age categories for teams at the Dinah Gore Healthy Food Challenge. 14+ members would be eligible to try out for the Flavor Fighters Cooking Team and take this county to Texas! ~ Pam Kerley & Ashley Szilvay
Extension News: 4-H Edition
March 2026 Extension News Article: Good Manners are Not Old Fashioned
February 2026 Extension News Article: Still Focusing on What is Strong as Opposed to What Is Wrong
January 2026 Extension News Article: Set Goals to Make the Best Better
November 2025 Extension News Article: ZZZs and Teens: A Study of Adolescent Sleep
October 2025 Extension News Article: Substance Use in Adolescents
September 2025 Extension News Article: Internet Validation and Youth Well-being
July 2025 Extension News Article: Breaking the Scroll: Helping our Kids Escape the Doom Loop
June 2025 Extension News Article: Raising Gritty Kids in a Soft World
What would you like to learn more about?
Club News
Horsin' Around 4-H Club Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on our upcoming locations. Horsin' Around website>>
Magetsi 4-H Club teaches young people historic Latin American dances in authentic Latin American costumes. They meet each Friday to practice. They accept invitations to share their project with the community. In February, they danced at the International Night Festival. ~ Myrna and team
Silver Spurs 4-H Club Rosemary Sheppard, Rick McEvoy, Candice Hentzell
Brick City Clovers 4-H This club is still accepting members ages 11 and up. They are at capacity for Cloverbuds (5-7yo) ~ Laura Gremore (Cloverbud Leader), Kathryn Gardner, and Annica Hulstedt
Other Opportunities/Needs
**Partnership for Children and Families wants you to know that you have access to a free, high-quality Pre-K program in Lee County for children who turn 4 by August 31, 2025. Applications are open year-round, as spots become available. Priority is given to Lee County residents. Apply>>
**Scholarship opportunity from the Sanford Lions Club if you helped out with one of our Lee Regional Fairs. Email Susan Condlin at scondlin@charter.net for more information
**Betsy-Jeff Penn is looking for a couple more folks to join the team for our spring field-trip season, with opportunities available for our summer camp program as well. Applicants should be 18+ and interested in Youth Development. Pay is $425-$450/week, plus a private room in the staff house and some delicious dining hall meals! A brief job description and application.
Protecting our children. Since 1998, NCMEC has operated the CyberTipline, a place where the public and electronic service providers can report suspected online and offline child sexual exploitation. The millions of reports made each year uniquely situate NCMEC to identify trends and create prevention resources to address the evolving needs of kids and teens online. NetSmartz is NCMEC's online safety education program. It provides age-appropriate videos and activities to help children be safer online, with the goal of increasing their awareness of potential online risks and empowering them to help prevent victimization by making safer choices on and offline. https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/home
Take it Down, https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/
Report Exploitation, https://report.cybertip.org/
**Reach Out Pregnancy Center. Our pregnancy center is joyfully celebrating a wave of moms who are completing their incentive programs and preparing to welcome their little ones very soon. As they approach delivery, we love being able to place essential baby care items directly into their hands. These items are tangible reminders that they are supported, seen, and not walking this journey alone. Right now, our shelves are running low on several much-needed items. If you’re able, we would be so grateful for donations of: Scent‑free baby wash and shampoo, 4 oz baby bottles, Scent‑free baby lotion, Diaper cream, 0–3 month newborn pacifiers, Bottle brushes, Baby comb & brush sets. These simple items mean the world to our mommas as they prepare for their babies’ arrival. You may drop items off at 315 N Horner Blvd (during normal business hours) or click on the button below to be directed to our website's donate page and have items shipped. Thank You!!
South Central Volunteer Association on Facebook
The teen retreat was a fun event that took place on March 28th, with 12 on the Lee County Delegation team traveling to Stanly County. We are proud of our district officer, Addison Tunnard, who was on the team responsible for this fun event.
District Activity Day (Public speaking and talent) will be June 17th, 2026
2026 Dog Artistic Expression Contest
Deadline to register entries will be May 1, 2026. Entries must be received by May 15, 2026, at one of three locations (linked below). Youth in North Carolina are invited to participate in the fourth annual 4-H Dog Artistic Expression Contest. Entries are due to the Burke County Extension Center, the Guilford County Extension Center, or the Duplin County Extension Center by May 1, 2026. Contact your local 4-H Agent to possibly coordinate item drop-off with their own deadline. All items must be at Burke, Guilford, or Duplin County Centers by the deadline, so your county deadline will be sooner. Winners will be announced at the N.C. 4-H State Presentation Finals in Raleigh on the advertised date. There are lots of prizes being handed out. Register in 4HO
2026 NC Youth Institute
We are delighted to announce the start of the 2026 North Carolina Youth Institute. This program provides a platform for high school youth to research grand challenges in global food security, agriculture, and sustainability, and develop innovative solutions that combat hunger worldwide. Registrations is open for a fall cohort of youth to participate in our NCYI Research Mentoring Program - we will place youth in a cohort of 3-6 peers and partner them with an NCSU CALS graduate student who will serve as their research coach. We will have 4 Zoom sessions to walk through the research process, and the youth will end up with a research paper and poster that they will present at the Plant Sciences Building at NC State on April 16-17, 2026. This crosses all program areas - animal science, plant science, health and nutrition, agricultural policy, engineering, forestry..... Learn more>>
Youth STEM Symposium
Saturday, March 14, 2026 | 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
The Engineering Place is partnering with Sigma Gamma Rho for their annual Youth Symposium. This year's exciting theme is "Sun Science!" Join us for hands-on engineering activities focused on the sun. The event will be held at the Raleigh Girls Club of Wake County, located at 701 N. Raleigh Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27610, and is open to youth ages 6–15. learn more>>
Building Engineers Annual Conference Registration is Now OPEN
May 4, 2026 @ The McKimmon Center on NC State Campus
Youth STEAM Summit Raises Awareness of Career Opportunities and Tools for Success
The conference is held to better acquaint young people in grades 9th – 12th with science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and math, including career opportunities in these fields. The event is free; however, pre-registration is required. The STEM-focused conference also provides students with the opportunity to experience mobile labs such as the University of Mount Olive Soil Lab and the Be Proud career simulation lab, and a variety of other relevant workshops. Youth can network with professionals that include forestry companies, the Center for Energy Education and state and federal farming and natural resource agencies and colleges and universities. Keynote speaker Dr. Kenston J. Griffin, the chief executive officer of Dream Builders Communication, Inc. located in Huntersville NC. He will return to motive youth to learn the best practices for “leading rather than following.” Breakfast, lunch and snacks are provided along with door prizes and access to the arcades and ropes course at the end of the program. The conference is hosted by Roanoke Cooperative’s nonprofit Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project (SFLRP). Sponsorships: CoBank, Enviva, Southern Bank, NC Electric Cooperatives, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Roanoke Cooperative and Sustainable Forest Land Retention Program. www.recforestry.org. learn more>>
Clovernews Photo taken by Pam Kerley at the Regional Dinah Gore Healthy Cooking Competition. This is the Lee County 4-H Flavor Fighers team winning gold!