“We started this club in 2018 back when most of our members were fourteen and fifteen. Now some are twenty, and it has been an honor to see them develop and become everything we hope for them,” told Diane Callison, Co-Leader of the Fayette County Teen Leaders.
The Fayette County Teen Leaders are one of several 4-H groups located in Fayette County, West Virginia. Diane Callison and Zachary ‘Montana’ Callison, both Co-Leaders of the Fayette County Teen Leaders, took over this club for teens to join and spend their time helping and volunteering for their community and their club all while maturing into young adults.
“With community service opportunities at least every three months, we teach our club members that importance of giving back to the community you live in. We are showing our club members how to develop their skills and become the leaders of our county and our state,” stated D. Callison.
The Teen Leaders participate in many events following the example set by their leaders to help make their community a better place. Community service is a big part of 4-H, as the clubs constantly work to better the community for everyone. However, these community service opportunities aren’t always something serious, such as cleaning up in Fayette County, there are also some fun events as well.
One of the events that the 4-H club does almost every year since their formation is a the 4-H Haunted House; while the location sometimes varies, this year is no different. The club has banded together to construct the haunted house with fellow 4-H groups within the county; The Meadow Bridge Clovers, The Fayette County Blue Jays, and the Outdoor Adventure Club.
“Not only does our club provide service projects to our communities but also an opportunity for the youth of our committees to become active and engaged participants,” said Montana Callison, Co-Leader of the Fayette County Teen Leaders.
While in previous years, the 4-H Haunted House was constructed in the old Fayette County Jail. This year’s has been constructed in the Recreation (Rec) Hall at the Fayette County Park located on Fayette County Park Rd. in Beckwith, WV.
The haunted house has already been open and running for three days and will continue to be open from today, Thursday, October 28th, to this Saturday, October 31st. The 4-H Haunted House opens at 7 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m. The two-hour span gives plenty of time for club members as well as guests to thoroughly enjoy the experience.
With the haunted house being a county-wide event, some of the funds will be going to the week-long stay at the 4-H Camp, in the summer of 2022, which has only pushed the clubs to work harder for a better summer stay. However, the opportunities that this provides for club members goes way beyond that of just funds for Camp this summer.
“The haunted house does provide money for our camping program this summer but more so, the haunted house provides club members an opportunity to create, design, build, and work in a team setting on an experience for our community. This project allowed our youth to have time outside of the school setting to be creative, set a budget, and develop a proposed monetary plan for funds expected to be received,” informed M. Callison.
As the Teen Leaders are approaching or at the age where independence is something they are truly starting to experience, the teens don’t necessarily need or want to be hovered over. With The Fayette County Teen Leaders club, this is their perfect opportunity to embrace that and fill roles that aren’t normally offered. The 4-H Haunted House is one event that truly shows and embraces that aspect of maturity for this group of teens.
“The Teen Leaders are at the age where they stop relying on help from adults and start to take charge of their own problems and projects. The Teen Leaders create a familial and welcoming atmosphere for new 4-H members, and they are a staple in community service. The Teen Leaders are the embodiment of the last sentence from the 4-H pledge which states, ‘I pledge my Health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world,’” said Jeffery ‘JR’ Davis, the Fayette County 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent.
The Teen Leaders really express this, as well as several members from other 4-H clubs, while putting their creativity and decorating skills to the test to assemble the five room scare fest. Not only was the haunted house constructed by the club members, but they’re also getting a touch up on their acting, as the scare actors are also mainly club members.
“The club has done a wonderful job assembling a haunted house that is fun and thrilling. The youth that put this event together were extremely creative and I expect the community to truly enjoy the experience,” stated M. Callison.
Even though the 4-H might be a bit understaffed, it pushes the members a bit to really embrace and fill roles to keep it entertaining. Despite this obstacle the clubs have made it work and volunteers are thankfully stepping in to help fill the gaps where and when they’re needed.
“The biggest thing that the community can do to help support Fayette County 4-H is to volunteer. Volunteers are the backbone of our program because we cannot host any kind of event without volunteers. Clubs, activities, fundraisers, and camp cannot survive without adequate supervision and adult. If someone is not able to make the time commitment to be a volunteer, they can also be a general supporter, whether it be to share social media posts, spread the word about upcoming events, or providing monetary donations,” told Davis.
While the 4-H Haunted House is a fun event and the club members are putting in their all, it’s also best to remember that we need to be safe and protect our communities as much as we can. Due to COVID-19, the 4-H Haunted House will follow the State Restrictions, however masks and other COVID Safeguards are highly encouraged.
“Masks are no longer required – but are strongly encouraged – in other indoor spaces on campus, especially for those who are not vaccinated,” informed Davis.
COVID-19 has affected the 4-H programs throughout the county and state for the last year. So, for 4-H club members to come back together and work hard to participate this year is something that is truly admired.
“With a whole year off from 4-H last year, we are working on rebuilding not only the Teen Leaders but 4-H in the entire county. It was a big ask of the 4-H members in the county to participate in 6 nights of a haunted house with school and other activities that they participate in. But our first three nights have done extremely well, and I am excited to see how the last three nights go,” informed D. Callison.
As long as the 4-H and 4-H clubs continue to have the support from their communities, whether that is volunteer work, donations, or even shares and likes on social media, fun projects like the 4-H Haunted House will be able to continue.