Published: April 14, 2008 12:05 am            

Cultivating young minds

West helps youth through with volunteer work

One day you might find her planting trees or making bird feeders with a group of kindergartners; on another day, you might find her whipping up nachos and hot dogs for a group of young equestrians.

But regardless of where she might be found, one can almost always know that Anderson County resident Emily West has the future generation of East Texans on her mind.

Playing the roles of a garden club member, 4-H leader, mom and now grandma for the last 25 years, the molding of young minds has been an important part of West’s life.

West, a 24-year member of the Pionette Garden Club, serves as the club’s junior garden club chairperson where she oversees the school-based clubs for students at all grade levels.

“There are 24 junior garden club programs in Anderson County, and all the Pionette members volunteer and work with the clubs,” West said. “Those clubs include students at Southside Primary, Westwood Primary, Slocum Elementary, and Neches School, Palestine High and Story Elementary.”

Some of the ongoing junior program projects include Arbor Day tree planting programs, making bird feeders, poetry and essay contests and wildflower studies.

“It adds something to your life when you can stop and appreciate what is right there around you,” West said. “Like knowing how to care for a tree or driving down the highway and knowing what kind of wildflower you are looking at.

“It is something to be passed on to future generations,” she added. “And maybe they will learn to take care of the world they live in.”

As a club member, West also participates with members in street clean-up efforts, gardening and landscaping projects, nursing home work and much more.

“Many people think all garden clubs do is drink tea and talk about flowers,” West said. “But that is not true. We are a hard working club — we do a lot of work in the community.”

While she loves getting her hands dirty, literally, with junior gardeners, working as co-manager of the Dogwood 4-H Club is perhaps where West gets her greatest joy.

“My husband and I started our involvement in 4-H about 24 years ago, when my children became old enough to participate,” West said. “Knowing there were so many different organizations out there, my husband made me pick one, and I chose 4-H.”

West humorously recalls her first experience as a 4-H mom, helping her young daughter raise a heifer.

“That heifer was one of the craziest we had to deal with,” West said. “She was always getting out of whatever pen we put her in and wouldn’t even stay in her halter.”

Now in her 24th year of 4-H, West has gone from a 4-H mom to a 4-H grandma, raising her “clover”-aged family members to be future 4-H members.

“I’ve only missed one meeting in 24 years, I think,” she said. “And that was because I injured my eye.”

West’s involvement in 4-H has varied as greatly as the programs themselves — guiding members through projects in horticulture, food, clothing and textiles, breeding goats, horsemanship and many others.

“I learn as much as the kids do, and I learned right along with them,” she said.

4-H is more that just showing animals — it also teaches members important skills like leadership, citizenship, cooperation and stewardship.

“I really believe in what 4-H does for the kids,” West said. “It is a great program and one where the entire family can be involved. And the scholarship opportunities are amazing.

“One of 4-H saying is ‘4-H makes opportunities,’” she added. “I like that — I like seeing the kids succeed.”

West and her husband, Fred, came to Palestine in the early 1980s with the desire to raise their children in a small town atmosphere. They reside on a farm just outside Palestine.

The Wests have four grown children — Marie, Robert, Katie and Jefferson, and three grandchildren — Madelyn, Tyler and Mason.

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Mary Rainwater may be reached via e-mail@mrainwater@palestineherald.com

        

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