With PetPALS, 4-H'ers learn leadership and share the love of animals
Guilford County 4-H members share Thumper the rabbit with Bell House residents. (pictured above and below)
Photo by Suzanne Stanard
On a warm early spring afternoon, a group of Guilford County 4-H'ers, parents and Cooperative Extension staff paid a special visit to Bell House, an assisted living community in Greensboro for people who have cerebral palsy. Also along for the gathering was Thumper, a one-year-old caramel-colored rabbit.
He was the life of the party, nestled in a cardboard box and soaking up attention from Bell House residents.
The visit was one of many that the 4-H'ers will make to Bell House this year as part of 4-H PetPALS, an intergenerational program that links young people and their pets with residents of health-care and assisted living facilities.
Photo by Suzanne Stanard
Logan Brown, 16, enjoys being part of the PetPALS program. "It's cool to meet different people and make new friends," she said. She's grown up with animals in her life, from chickens to dogs, and she's eager to share that experience with other people.
Along with Logan, Nichole Batchelor, 21, and Andre Harris, 13, round out the membership of the 4-H PetPALS TRY ("Teens Reaching Youth") team in Guilford County.
The program in Guilford County started in late 2005, when Extension 4-H agent Peggie Lewis received a grant from the Animal Science Department in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at N.C. State University. The funding enabled the Guilford County 4-H TRY team to conduct a series of workshops throughout the next year called "Walk a Mile in My Shoes."
Designed to train youth and adults in the different aspects of the PetPALS curriculum, the workshops focused on the physical and medical conditions of people as they age.
For instance, a simulation with yellow cellophane revealed what it might be like to have cataracts. Participants also stuffed cotton in their ears to imagine the experience of a person who is hard of hearing.
"Our 4-H TRY team had a great experience teaching these workshops because the participants really enjoyed the exercises and learned a lot," Lewis said. "After a year of teaching, our team was ready to go into assisted living facilities to implement the second phase of the curriculum."
In January, the 4-H'ers - and Thumper - made their first trip to Bell House and visited with residents of all ages. They'll continue these visits throughout the year.
"We're always trying to find different things for our 4-H'ers to do," Lewis said. "PetPALS is a great opportunity for them to gain confidence and interact with new people."
-Suzanne Stanard
He was the life of the party, nestled in a cardboard box and soaking up attention from Bell House residents.
The visit was one of many that the 4-H'ers will make to Bell House this year as part of 4-H PetPALS, an intergenerational program that links young people and their pets with residents of health-care and assisted living facilities.
Photo by Suzanne Stanard
Along with Logan, Nichole Batchelor, 21, and Andre Harris, 13, round out the membership of the 4-H PetPALS TRY ("Teens Reaching Youth") team in Guilford County.
The program in Guilford County started in late 2005, when Extension 4-H agent Peggie Lewis received a grant from the Animal Science Department in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at N.C. State University. The funding enabled the Guilford County 4-H TRY team to conduct a series of workshops throughout the next year called "Walk a Mile in My Shoes."
Designed to train youth and adults in the different aspects of the PetPALS curriculum, the workshops focused on the physical and medical conditions of people as they age.
For instance, a simulation with yellow cellophane revealed what it might be like to have cataracts. Participants also stuffed cotton in their ears to imagine the experience of a person who is hard of hearing.
"Our 4-H TRY team had a great experience teaching these workshops because the participants really enjoyed the exercises and learned a lot," Lewis said. "After a year of teaching, our team was ready to go into assisted living facilities to implement the second phase of the curriculum."
In January, the 4-H'ers - and Thumper - made their first trip to Bell House and visited with residents of all ages. They'll continue these visits throughout the year.
"We're always trying to find different things for our 4-H'ers to do," Lewis said. "PetPALS is a great opportunity for them to gain confidence and interact with new people."
-Suzanne Stanard