News Release Distributed 05/15/14

BATON ROUGE, La. – About 1,600 4-H’ers from parishes across Louisiana are expected to participate in the annual 4-H Day at the Capitol on May 28. The students will have a chance to visit their senators and representatives, learn about the legislative process and tour the State Capitol.

This is the 13th year that 4-H'ers will visit the Capitol. 4-H is the nation's largest youth organization and is administered in Louisiana by the LSU AgCenter. Louisiana has more than 225,000 members participating in 4-H activities across the state.

The trip is one of many that 4-H'ers participate in as part of the program's educational curriculum. For some, it is their first opportunity to visit the grounds of the Capitol and view the historic building.

"It's a fun event for the students, but also educational," said Leslie Moran, event coordinator for the AgCenter. "It gives participants a valuable opportunity to meet other 4-H'ers from around the state as well as learn about how their state government works."

State 4-H officers and members of leadership boards will begin the festivities with a dinner at the Governor's Mansion the night before.

The 4-H Day program will begin at 10 a.m. with an assembly on the Capitol steps with several legislators, state 4-H officers and AgCenter administrators participating. After the program, students will meet with legislators and tour the Capitol.

During the afternoon, state 4-H President Anne Catherine LeBlanc, of Vermilion Parish, will address both the House and Senate chambers about the importance of 4-H and thank legislators for supporting the program.