The Knightsen Contra Costa County 4-H club is the oldest 4-H chapter in California. Seven other clubs in the county include Brentwood, Briones, Claycord, Delta-Diablo, Lamorinda, Pleasant Hill, and Tassajara with over 650 members.

The first club began in 1902, when A. B. Graham, an Ohio school superintendent, organized a boys and girls club with a home project based on corn. In 1912, the University of California encouraged the formation of boys and girls agricultural clubs in rural areas...

By 1914, 84 high school agricultural clubs had been formed in California — the year that all Cooperative Extension work, including boys and girls clubs, became an official function of the United States Department of Agriculture.

The goal of these clubs was to use the projects to train youth in skills that would influence some of the practices of adult farmers and homemakers. Each club sponsored contests in animal or crop production. By 1917, 2,716 participants in 208 high school agricultural clubs were involved in projects under the direction of the University of California.

More than 5,000 young people were enrolled by the middle of the 1920s, and by the 1930s, over 10,000 young people in California were 4-H club members. In 1953, a state 4-H club leader was assigned, and 4-H programs were reorganized with an expanded project base aiming at a broader audience.

Susan Tonkin, Contra Costa County 4-H Council Vice President and Delta-Diablo Community Leader, got involved in 4-H when her daughter, Amanda, became interested in horses at age 10.

“We challenged her to learn about animals and to make a one year commitment to take full care of a horse before we would consider giving her lessons,” Tonkin said. “In 4-H, she learned everything about horse confirmation, health, grooming, breeding, equipment, safety, riding, and showing. Amanda learned that 4-H is not just about animals.”

Amanda Tonkin is now a youth member on the county council and serves as a County All Star and club officer. She launched a yearlong “Save Our 4-H” campaign with a couple other members and spoke in front of city council members, Contra Costa County Mayors and Vice Mayors, Senator Mark DeSaulnier, Congressman Jerry McNerney, and Assembly Member Tom Torlakson.

“What began as an interest in horses, led to involvement in governmental processes, civic duty, business practices, and politics,” Tonkin said.

In the past, 4-H has been funded by three levels of government: The United States Department of Agriculture, The University of California, and the county government. All three funding sources must exist for Cooperative Extension to establish local educational programming for young people and their families.

In 2009, Contra Costa County’s Board of Supervisors voted to eliminate all funding to the Cooperative Extension. The loss of funding endangered the oldest 4-H program in the state, so the girls started “Save Our 4-H.”

Oakley Vice Mayor Jim Frazier worked with Supervisors Susan Bonilla and Mary Piepho to obtain temporary funding to keep the program going through this month. In addition, the Oakley City Council negotiated with Radback Energy, the future power generating station, to make contribu­tions to non-profit organizations in the community, including 4-H.