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My Hands to Larger Service Spotlight: Braxton County

Braxton County 4-H'er Drina Kearns took the lead on staining the campfire benches at a county park

rows of benches around a campfire

In 2018, a new 4-H council circle was built at Holly Gray Park in Braxton County. Two years later, the new benches in this campfire circle were still bare wood. Drina Kearns saw a need to clean, stain, and seal the benches to keep the structure maintained for coming years.

Kearns took the lead in securing a My Hands to Larger Service mini-grant in 2020. Through the grant, she purchased stains, wood cleaner, and brushes. In addition, Kearns assembled a team of other Braxton County 4-H junior leaders and 4-H volunteers to help her with this project. By July 2020, the team had completed the task. The solid wood stain on the benches will protect the boards from rotting and stay without peeling for many years.

Drina Kearns and Ellen Collins making the Seneca section shine

This service project allowed Kearns to give back. "I am so glad that I could do this for my 4-H campground at Holly Gray Park. I will age out of 4-H next year, but the benches will be protected for many 4-H camps in the future."

Not only does the 4-H program utilize Holly Gray park, but other area youth and community organizations make use of the facilities. The community will benefit from this facility improvement. " This is a great example of the Hand H in action," stated Braxton County Extension Agent Debbie Friend.

In addition to the My Hands to Larger Service Mini-grant, this project was financially supported by a private donation. The My Hands to Larger Service Mini-grants in West Virginia started in 2020 and are funded by the West Virginia 4-H All Stars.

Learn more about the mini-grant program