Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
During an open meeting on Friday, June 21, several members of the community learned of more big plans for the 4-H camp at Cherry Lake, in Madison County. Thanks to a generous $1.1 million United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Grant, plans are under way for a new, multi-purpose building to hold an auditorium and classrooms. This will greatly enhance the educational programs offered by the youth development program of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Through their extension service, UF/IFAS administers the 4-H program throughout the state. The building will also be available for use by community groups to hold conferences, meetings, etc. Funds have been set aside for the project, and UF/IFAS is in the process of completing the requirements for the grant. Groundbreaking on the new multi-purpose building is expected to take place in 2026.
Dating back to 1937, Camp Cherry Lake is one of three camps still operating in the state. Over the decades, generations of young people have developed leadership skills, experienced hands-on outdoor learning and have made life-long friends through participation in summer camps at Camp Cherry Lake. There is a separate campaign ongoing for the construction of five new, modern cabins to replace the old, primitive cabins which were previously used. So far, approximately $255,000 has been received through private donations to go along with $900,000 in state funding recently approved by Governor Ron DeSantis. Plans are underway to request another $10.6 million in funding from the state legislature.
To help support Camp Cherry Lake, or for more information, please contact Caylin Hilton, Director of Development at (352) 392-5432, or by email at grow4H@ifas.ufl.edu. You may also contact Stacey Ellison, PhD, 4-H State Program Leader at (352) 846-4444, or by email at staceye@ufl.edu. Locally, the Madison County 4H Coordinator, Beth Moore, can be reached at (850) 973-4138, or by email at elizabethmoore@ufl.edu.