ALBANY — Upon hearing the news that their summer 4-H Club plans may be scrapped because of proposed cuts by the University System of Georgia, eighth-grader Jayda Robinson was devastated.

As part of Monday’s proposed University of Georgia’s Fiscal Year 2011 Additional Reductions plan, all of Georgia’s 4-H clubs would be eliminated and 94 of the state’s 4-H agents would lose their job. The 106-year-old 4-H Club is funded by UGA and reaches more than 156,000 young people statewide annually from ages 9 to 19.

“They can’t do that,” Jayda told her mother, Lillian Rambeau Robinson. “OMG! What about Jekyll Island and Rock Eagle?”

Jayda’s seventh-grade brother, James, was also upset by the news when he heard his sister and mother talking about it.

“Why can’t they get the money from somewhere else... like the war or the banks (bailouts) or something?” he asked. “Why must the money come from something that kids enjoy? I like 4-H. Mr. (Anthony) Jones (Dougherty County Extension agent) was so cool when we went to DPA (District Project Achievement) the other month.”

Both Jayda and James learned how to cook through 4-H.

“That is where I learn to cook an omelet,” Jayda said.

“And I learned to cook my famous pizza,” James added.

Jayda placed fourth in the omelet competition at the Georgia State Fair in the fall and James finished second in the pizza competition.

“This might not seem like much to you, but that is outstanding because this was their first time ever cooking anything,” Robinson wrote in an e-mail. “My son was so motivated by the 4-H staff that he developed his own recipe for his award-winning dessert pizza. James and Jayda also won second place on their projects at District Project Achievement thanks to Mr. Jones and Ms. Jessica (Dorsey’s) leadership.

“I could go on about the awards won and events that my children have had the opportunity to participate in, but that is not the only thing that they have gained from their 4-H experience,” she continued. “They have also gained public speaking experience, understanding the importance of volunteering, helping others and healthy habits that will enable them to be self-supporting, healthy, productive adults.”

Robinson said her children’s better eating habits are critical to their well-being.

“You may ask why I keep talk about being healthy,” she wrote. “Well, both of my children have health issues that depend greatly on make right choices about eating, exercising and getting proper rest. Through 4-H, they have not only been educated about healthy choices they have been able to educate peers about their illnesses and gain that much needed peer approval that teens desire.”

Last summer, 50 4-H members from Dougherty, Mitchell, Worth, Thomas, Baker and Decatur counties participated in the 4-H20 Camp at the Flint RiverQuarium. The three-day camp concluded in Dothan, Ala. The camp covered everything about water — conservation, the water cycle, careers involving water resources and the biology of watersheds.

“I’ve learned how the crawfish lives, how it grows back its body parts and how to sample the river’s water,” Worth County student member Mary Beth Amrowski told The Albany Herald last June. “I appreciate that the adults come out and take time to tell us about the river.”

4-H — which stands for Head, Heart, Hands and Health — was established in 1904, and by some accounts in Georgia’s Newton County. The proposed cut by the University of Georgia and directed by its Board of Regents off a request from the chairmen the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education would force 116 immediate layoffs and the closure of five 4-H facilities across the state. It would save $6,304,861 in expenses.

However, Tony Tyson, the state director of county operations for the Extension Service, said that the proposed cuts won’t likely be as deep as UGA officials offered.

“We’ve been assured by leadership of both the higher ed appropriations committees that the cuts that were proposed in the Board of Regents plan that was released Monday for Extension and 4-H won’t be implemented,” Tyson said from his Athens office. “They said if we do have cuts, that we would only get our fair share and not be singled out.”

Tyson, who has 28 years of Extension service, said the Extension Service has endured significant cuts the last couple of years.

“We’ve already sustained 20 percent cuts in our funding the last two years and we currently have 80 vacant county extension agents across the state,” said Tyson, who has held his current title for the last 5 1/2 years. “Right now, we’re in the position already not to fill those positions, so right now we’re already compromising our ability to deliver programs.

“Obviously eliminating 4-H was a drastic move that we couldn’t support. That was unacceptable to us. No one in (UGA’s) College of Agriculture and Environment Sciences were contacted regarding these cuts. We didn’t have any input on what the proposed cuts would be. The 4-H and Extension Office is overseen by the College of Agriculture and Environment sciences. The UGA share (to cut by the University System of Georgia) was $60 million. The university administration come up with the plan, but none of the colleges within the university had any input into the plan.”

Tyson was in Tifton Thursday speaking to about 60 people for the Extension Office’s district meeting talking to Southwest District Extension agents. The Southwest District covers 41 counties in Southwest Georgia. Tyson said there are four districts in the state — Southwest, Southeast, Northwest and Northeast.

“It has been overwhelming in the number of people to respond,” Tyson said of those concerned about the possibility all state 4-H funding being cut. “We didn’t have to encourage anyone to do anything. It’s taken a life of its own. ... Georgia definitely is always right at the top in terms of participation, I think Tennessee and Texas have big numbers as well, but most years we are number one.”

Former Albany State University Director of the Velma F. Grant Honors Program and Academic Success Ontario Wooden has only fond memories of 4-H.

“I joined the Dougherty County 4-H Program when I was in elementary school (Coachman Park Elementary) and remained active until I graduated high school (Monroe Comprehensive High),” he wrote in an e-mail from North Carolina, where he is the associate dean at the North Carolina Central University’s University College.

“I participated in the country and district project competitions, cotton boll, and land judging events. I also attended summer camp on a number of occasions,” he stated. “It was truly a remarkable experience to be exposed to so much during the early years of my life. Having grown up on the south side of Albany with little access to the larger community and world, I must say that the 4-H program was an integral component of my success as a student and as a professional. For, in my neighborhood, most of my peers needed a program like 4-H to supplement any mentoring they may have received in school. Having the opportunity to have positive peer interactions, develop an appreciation for community involvement/services, and strengthen my communication skills were hallmarks of my experience in 4-H.”

Kimberly White has a similar story. White is an engineer with the Coca-Cola Co. in Atlanta and recently was promoted as a supplier improvement manager. Before going to Coke, she was an engineer for Procter & Gamble in Albany for six years. She graduated Florida A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University.

“I started 4-H in fifth grade and Mr. Jones encouraged me to be the recording secretary,” she wrote in an e-mail. “That, in addition to Mr. Jones’ and my dad’s help in preparing me to present project demonstrations, prepared me for leadership and public speaking. Through 4-H, I learned all types of skills and learned little known facts, such as chicken egg laying process from poultry judging to soil grades from land judging. 4-H created a spark in me to want to win, prepare, and take on new challenges.

“I know that all of these intangibles have propelled me far in life and I owe it to 4-H.”