The GRIC 4-H Club is recruiting youth for the upcoming new program year.

September 26, 2026

Emma Hughes

Community Newsperson

The Gila River 4-H Club is recruiting for its upcoming program year with ice cream socials for youth to learn more about the program and register.

“We just thought we’d try something new to focus on recruitment this year,” said Liane Iglesias, GRIC 4-H program coordinator. “We wanted to be out in several of the districts and get the word out about the club.”

During the ice cream socials, Iglesias  assist with the online registration process and answer any questions kids or parents may have. The program is open to youth ages 5-18 and offers a wide array of workshops and activities, including agriculture, arts and crafts, healthy living, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The club meets monthly, in addition to hosting after-school and weekend activities.

The program is wrapping up its summer activities, with many workshops held in June and July at the Ira H. Hayes Memorial Library. “They’ve been a very good support and partner with the program,” Iglesias said.«

Gardening was one of the highlights, where youth planned and create their own garden beds, germinate the seeds, and see them sprout. “They seemed to really enjoy it. We had a lot of fun,” said Iglesias. Participants planted squash, beans, and tomatoes. The club also partnered with Gila River Health Care’s Life Center to provide more classes on gardening, allowing youth to cultivate their own plot in District 5, where they planted pumpkins wich are expected to be ready by Halloween.

Another session focused on STEM, where participants built circuits and explored the basics of electricity by creating a lemon battery to power an LED light.

Recruitment for the club will be continuing through the end of the month, with the first meeting of the new program year scheduled for October. Some activities will be changing, and Iglesias looks forward to expanding more on plant and animal science. “It’s just been a really good group that we have, and we just want to keep growing it more and more,” she said.