Posted on August 19, 2019 at 1:16 PM by Global Reach
Participation in 4-H influenced Barb Goff’s career choice of becoming a home economics educator. She had some practice in her junior leader project in rural Missouri 4-H by leading clothing and foods projects. Her 4-H experience lead her to major in Home Economics Education at the University of Missouri.
When Barb’s family moved to Iowa in August of 1976 with newborn Jason, she called the extension office and asked if there was a club that needed a leader. In September Barb, and Jason, attended their first 4-H leader meeting with extension home economist, Jean Hood. Barb was assigned to the East Lucas Cloverettes club. When Jason later joined the club the name was changed to East Lucas Clovers, which was more generic and appropriate for both boy and girl members. For many years the membership was limited to 18 so we could fit into a member’s home living room. Later under the organizational leadership of Cynthia Gillham, the club membership grew close to 50 members.
Barb’s most important role over the years was to work one on one with members in clothing construction in her home. Barb also led bread making workshops. There were many home schooled members; therefore working with the school schedule wasn’t always important. One of the club’s unique projects was to hold a family dinner for the club members’ parents and siblings. The foods committee would prepare a menu, shop and prepare a meal from ‘scratch’ while the decoration committee would get the hall ready for dinner and the awards ceremony.
Barb became interested in attending State Leader Training workshops and she was interested in assisting or leading some of the sessions. After attending those training sessions she was enthusiastic wanting to learn more. She registered to attend a regional, out of state training session to learn more to pass on to Johnson County 4-Hers that were anxious to learn.
Barb attended national home economics meetings where she found a serger and an embroidery sewing machine to help the 4-Hers in a new level of construction.
Barb says her life has come full circle because 4-H led her to becoming a home economics teacher and that led her to becoming a volunteer 4-H leader with new skills that were passed on to 4-Hers of a new generation from 1976 to 2016.