Leavenworth County 4-H Youth Leaders spent a day camp with guest speakers from the community speaking to the youths about their career experiences and what paths they took to their respective careers.

A bird conservation group from Eudora, West Point graduates, a Kansas State Trooper and representatives from Tonganoxie Fire Department spoke to youths. The group also heard about horticulture, clean eating and natural medicines.

“We want to open the kids’ minds up to many different occupational opportunities when they become adults that they may not already know about and what it takes in planning to become anything they may wish to be,” said Shannon Reischman, adult leader. “Also, we stress the importance of education, responsibility, integrity, compassion and hard work to benefit their lives and those around them.”

The Leavenworth County 4-H Youth Leaders are countywide and come from various local clubs.

For instance, Reischman and fellow adult leader Gretchen Manus are members of the Reno Bobwhites 4-H Club.

“Our mission is to help in the community, similar to all 4-H groups, but what makes this club different is that our goal is to help children know that they can set goals and reach them,” Reischman said. “We try to set them up for a promising future and teach the importance of being a leader and productive citizen.”

The leaders have been known in the past for collecting canned foods during the Leavenworth County Fair. Scheduling conflicts are preventing the group from doing that particular project at the fair, but the group does several other projects.

The Youth Leaders also decorate doors at the nursing homes for Christmas and bake more than 1,300 cookies each December to be included in meals that the Good Shepherd Thrift Shop and Food Bank distributes to families in need each holiday season.

Members of the Youth Leaders must be members of area 4-H clubs.

One of the group’s next projects will be to gather fresh and non-perishable food items to give to those in need at Thanksgiving so they can make home-cooked meals during the holiday.