Butler County 4-H member Kimberly Dow of Zelienople recently participated in the annual Pennsylvania 4-H Capital Days program held April 3 to 5 in Harrisburg.

Pennsylvania 4-H Capital Days is an educational two-day program sponsored by the Penn State Cooperative Extension. The purpose of this citizenship program is to increase the participating 4-H teens' understanding of the roles and function of our state government.

Capital Days provides 4-H teen members an opportunity for studying the process of legislation, meeting and talking with officials of state government, visiting various facilities of state government, gaining a better understanding of political issues, and relating the 4-H educational program to government officials.

Although 4-H is the youth development program of the College of Agricultural Sciences, 4-H members come from all walks of life. Of the 95,683 members reported statewide, recent statistics show that only 8 percent of Pennsylvania 4-H members reside on farms.

Thirty-nine percent of today's 4-H'ers live in towns of less than 10,000 residents and 39 percent live in municipalities and suburban areas with populations of 10,000 or more. An additional 14 percent live in cities.

The 4-H program also extends to Pennsylvania youth who are not enrolled in a traditional club or school enrichment program. Statistics show than an additional 58,904 youth were provided with educational opportunities through 4-H.

For additional information on 4-H programs in Butler County, contact Ellen Linamen at the Butler County Extension Office at 724-287-4761.