The Arkansas 4-H Foundation was founded in 1951, to serve the Arkansas 4-H program that was established in 1908.  Today the 4-H program serves all seventy-five Arkansas counties, through the county offices of the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension.  The 4-H program serves Arkansas youth ages five through nineteen.  Local clubs are led by 4-H volunteers who coordinate their efforts with the Cooperative Extension in their county.  The 4-H program includes more than eighty educational tracks, including science, technology, agriculture, livestock, leadership, and other life skills not taught through the students formal education.  Many 4-H programs are organized within local community clubs that operate outside of school, while others are in the schools.

Offered through the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, 4-H’s youth development is based on proven research and 100 years of experience. Join our mailing list here! Join our alumni search here!

There are over 131,000 students enrolled in Arkansas 4-H program.  Today, more than $50,000 in scholarship funds are awarded to college bound 4-H students.  It is recognized that the 4-H program emphasizes all informal education available to develop a student’s maximum skills throughout their formative years.  In many counties, 4-H provides guidance and career preparedness in youth who have limited access to resources.

A few of the youth education programs are:

The Arkansas 4-H Foundation owns and operates the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center in Ferndale, Arkansas (near West Little Rock)

Located on 227 acres, the 4-H Center includes a five hundred-seat auditorium, conference rooms, offices, banquet hall, kitchen, gift store, three dormitories, pool, archery and shooting range, and five-acre pond. This facility is utilized by 4-H’ers throughout Arkansas as a camping and outdoor life skill experience.  The 4-H Center employs a staff of thirty and opened to the public in 1980.  In 2001, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation awarded the 4-H Center a $4.5 million expansion grant.  Upgrades to the 4-H Center will begin in 2011.  Dr. Brad Davis is the Executive Director of the Arkansas 4-H Foundation.  Ewell Welch, is the President of the twenty-five member board of directors.   The Arkansas 4-H Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.