~ Kleos 4H Program ~

 

" T he sheep mirror the kids' emotions", says Nancy Lane, one of  Kleos' 4H leaders. "It sounds crazy, but it's true. If the child is having a bad day, the child's sheep will be hard to handle. If the child is content, their sheep is calm." Nancy should know. She's had plenty of experience with sheep and kids. From 1989 to 2006, Nancy was involved with the 4H chapter here at Kleos.

From September to September, the kids at Kleos raise and show sheep. Each child in the program gets a sheep. They sign a contract with Kleos stating that they will pay for the lamb and all associated costs of raising the sheep with proceeds from the auction of the sheep. They must learn about the sheep, and keep extensive records on their sheep. They track the amount of feed, the cost of medicine and any other expenses. At the end of the year, the sheep are sold at auction. The kids pay Kleos back for the lamb and all associated costs out of the proceeds, and they get to keep any profits.

4H gives the kids a true sense of accomplishment. Our staff oversees each child to lovingly guide them to success. High standards of responsibility are held. The children can get one hour of extra work for lost halters, lost feed buckets, missed feedings, etc. The kids exercise the sheep by parading and showing them each and every morning. Several of the children even participate in the birthing process. They learn to shear the sheep, get them ready for show in September, and some are tearful when their sheep are auctioned off. When all is said and done, each child can proudly say that they have raised and cared for their sheep. For many of these kids, it's their first success in a long string of failures.

The community around Kleos actively supports 4H. When wild dogs killed all the Kleos sheep but two ewes, the community donated a ram and lambs to replace all the sheep. They also built a pen to keep the dogs out. The kids helped to nurse the two injured ewes back to health.

Under the care of our loving staff, the sheep AND the kids prosper!

 

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