While other 4H clubs around the state have seen their numbers dwindle over the years due to lack of interest and eventually fold, the Napavine Go Getters have been going strong for more than four decades, and don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
There’s two obvious reasons for that – Jerry and Eileen Owens.
The husband and wife team have been with the club since its inception, and while heart is the second H in the club’s creed (head, heart, hands, health), it’s clear to see it’s been the driving factor in its longevity.
“We’ve been very, very successful with keeping it going. Fortunately we’ve had good youngsters in the group and we contribute that to the parents,” Jerry says. “The parents really make a difference and they get involved with their children and help them with their projects. Consequently, as a whole it makes our group really good and really successful.”
Yes, the parents play a large role in the club’s accomplishments, but also throw a lot of credit towards the Owens, whose passion and encouragement has resulted in a highly active and engaged club.
“We don’t just have parents drop them off. They come and stay for the meetings. We have two kids now whose parents were members. Their moms would come here and help when they were pregnant with them so we joke that the children have almost been at every meeting,” Eileen says. “We just want [the club members] to be really active. Some of the other clubs don’t even have meetings. We are one of the few clubs that has a monthly meeting every month except for May because of the youth fair. We always do parliamentary procedures at the meetings. That goes back to the guy who started the club.”
It was Jim Hopman, who organized everything in 1974, and recruited Jerry to be the Beef Leader. A year later, Eileen became involved, as well.
The club is available for children between the ages of 5 and 18 who live in Centralia, Chehalis, Toledo, Onalaska and, of course, Napavine.
Projects include beef, goats, poultry, sheep and swine and the club currently features 27 members, but has reached as high as 40.
“When the club started out we had seven or eight different leaders. We had one leader who only did sewing and another who did cooking. It was a huge club,” Eileen says, “but then, gradually, like everything else, kids would become more involved with sports.”
In the early 1980s, the Owens took over when Hopman moved to Onalaska. The Napavine Go Getters haven’t missed a beat since.
“It teaches youngsters a lot of responsibility. They learn time managed, financial management. They learn about working independently and working as a team.” Jerry says. “It’s not just about livestock. It helps them grow and become someone who is able to contribute to the community and to society.”
The club accepts new enrollees in October and November with the year centering on the Southwest Washington Fair.
For those interested in joining, the Owens recommend potential new Go Getters survey the fair and learn as much as possible before enrolling.
“It’s really great to have a new kid go over to the fair and see if they would like to do it,” Eileen adds. “Sometimes it will not work out, but normally when they enroll they are interested in something and stick around.”
It was at last year’s Southwest Washington Fair that sisters Gracie, Olivia and Sophia Wiley, current members of the Napavine Go Getters, did exactly what the Owens suggested and did their homework before joining.
“We actually went there a lot,” says 12-year-old Olivia. “We ended up talking with a lot of people and just decided to do it.”
“We’ve been looking at it for about the last year,” Gracie, 14, says. “It’s been great. I’ve never done anything like it before. It’s really interesting to learn about other things than just school.”
The Southwest Fair, which will be August 16-21, will be the acumination of the near year-long work for the sisters.
“We did the spring youth fair. It was really good and different from what I thought it would be. It was nice to finally show (the sheep) after all the work we put in,” Olivia said. “I never knew how 4H club worked before we joined so this is definitely all really new for me. It’s very structured and orderly. Every single person has a part in the club. It’s a community where everyone is contributing.”
Its experiences like that which makes it easy for the Owens to return year after year.
“We will be out in the yard sometimes and someone will just pull into the driveway,” Eileen says. “It will be someone we had in 4H years ago and they are just dropping by to say hi and thank us. It’s those connections that makes us want to continue to do this.”
