Remembering
the Past
It began
as a dream in the late 1940's. The setting was a campfire
circle at an Extension staff training session where
a Mr. Hopkins, Meredith Corporation representative,
asked the group to make a wish for 4-H. The group wished
for a camping facility in central Iowa. Hopkins then
lifted a dollar out of his pocket and said, "I'll
contribute the first dollar toward the formation of
a state 4-H camp."
The campfire session sparked
a statewide fund-raising drive with a goal of raising
$500,000. Nearly seventy-five percent of the funds came
from farm families and 4-H members. Ray Oelkers, retired
county extension director, remembers how he helped raise
the money for the camp.
"I
took my Hiawatha bicycle and started pedaling from farm
to farm in my neighborhood, asking for a dollar donation
to help 4-H kids get a 4-H camp. I don't remember being
turned down at any place. I think I collected 9 or 10
dollars at the time."
Other lead gifts to the 4-H Camping
Center included the first business gift from the E.T.
Meredith Foundation; the first memorial from Mr. and
Mrs. Clifford Bell, Sr. of Pulaski; and the first personal
contribution of $1,000 from John Coverdale of Waterloo.
Additional corporate support came from Iowa Grain and
Feed Association, Iowa Banker's Association, Grinnell
Mutual Reinsurance Company, FS Corporation, and
Iowa Rural Electric Cooperatives.
The first tract of land for
the camping center was purchased in 1950, and the dream
came true in the summer of 1952 when the first group
of 4-H members camped at the site.
The Iowa 4-H Foundation still
carries the spirit that ignited a small group of individuals
to dream big. Today, the dream has stretched far beyond
the campfire circle.
Visit
the Iowa 4-H Center for facility and camp registration
information. |
