4-H cook-off heats up in St. Bernard Parish

Nephew Daniel Thompson and his cook-off partner
Gerard Migliore pose with their cook-off medal.

4-H has sure changed a lot since 30 years ago when I was in Jr. High. Before going to the St. Bernard chapter annual cook-off yesterday to see my nephew, Daniel, take 3rd place with his  Migliore's Mirleton-Shrimp stuffing, I did some research.

When I was a kid, the community-based organization was all about agriculture, farming and animal husbandry. In the 21st century, the mission mandates are Science, Engineering and Technology, Healthy Living and Citizenship. 4-H helps young members develop life skills, and projects, activities and events help youngsters to "become contributing, productive, self-directed members of society."

Some people might think the four "H's" are hokey: Head, Heart, Hands and Health. I think it's the kind of mantra that kids today need to counter-act their over-electronicised lives. 4-H activities encourage kids to interact with the world around them and the people around them. They form real relationships with real people, learn about themselves and learn some skills that will serve them well when they are out in the larger world.

Anyway, the cook off was a wonderful event. This is the third year running, the first being the year of Katrina when 10 kids participated. This year, there were 31 kids participating, and family members showing up put the number of people attending above 70.

If you are looking for a family-based, international organization that teaches your kids to interact well with the modern world, check out 4-H. My nephew loves it.