A new, 5,075-square-foot multipurpose complex at the North Dakota 4-H Camp is a reality.
The North Dakota 4-H Foundation is scheduled to host a celebration at the camp near Washburn, North Dakota, on Thursday, Aug. 13, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with a program and ribbon cutting at 4:30.
The construction of the building, named the Johnsrud 4-H Education Center, was part of a $2.35 million renovation project at the camp that included major upgrades to the three cabins and dining hall, and expanding outdoor camp opportunities.
"Please join us as we celebrate the work at the North Dakota 4-H Camp and the generous donors who helped make it happen," says Meredith Gilroy, executive director of the North Dakota 4-H Foundation. "Join us for a tour of the renovated buildings and the new Johnsrud 4-H Education Center."
The state Legislature provided $950,000 of the funding through the Extension Service's 2013-15 budget. The rest came from individuals, organizations and corporations through the North Dakota 4-H Foundation's Shape a New Destiny campaign.
The new 4-H center is named in honor of Myron D. Johnsrud, a Watford City area native who served as NDSU Extension Service director from 1974 to 1986. The Johnsrud family was one of the project's major contributors.
In March, the foundation kicked off its Paving the Way to a New Destiny fundraising campaign. The goal of this phase of the campaign is to raise $400,000 by the end of the summer of 2017, the 50th anniversary of the camp.
That money will be used for new indoor and outdoor furnishings, equipment and program amenities. Those include furniture such as bunks or other furnishings in the cabins, seating for small groups in several areas, tables and chairs for the dining hall and the Johnsrud 4-H Education Center, a chapel, two arenas, crafts shack, basketball court, animal shelter and small pasture or storage buildings, as well as additions such as a multidiscipline shooting range, pavilion, fishing pond, high-ropes course, and walking and riding trails.
The 84-acre camp is along the banks of the Missouri River near Fort Mandan, where explorers Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1804. The camp began as the Western North Dakota 4-H Camp in 1967, one of two regional 4-H camps. Now it is the sole statewide 4-H camp facility.
Research shows that a 4-H camp experience has a positive impact on the participants' social, personal and educational growth. It also increases awareness of environmental issues and interest in the outdoors, develops leadership skills and influences career decisions.
For information on how to donate to the Paving the Way campaign, contact the North Dakota 4-H Foundation at 701-231-8569 or ndsu.4-H@ndsu.edu, or visit https://www.ndsu.edu/4h/camp/camp_renovation/.
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