The Prince Edward 4-H Association Tree Sale – A True Example of Learning To Do By Doing

By Laura Squires All 4-H’ers, no matter if you are a member, volunteer or alumni, know the importance of ‘Learn To Do By Doing’. Because of this, it’s no surprise that when the Prince Edward 4-H Association hosted their second Tree Sale Fundraiser they were completely sold out in less then an hour! With the help of a dozen 4-H members and volunteers, the Prince Edward 4-H Association sold 1375 trees and raised about $1,700 to support their association. The 4-H members hand out the seedlings and label the trees, so people know what they bought, and the volunteers help set up and organize the sale and clean up. “We provide a service for the environment and it gives 4-H members and volunteers a chance to work together as a team,” says Lynn Ward, Prince Edward 4-H Association Board Member.  “Everyone learns about the seedlings and where they grow and because of this, become more concerned about the environment,” says Lynn. The Prince Edward 4-H Association started doing the tree sale in 2018 after the Prince Edward Land Stewardship had difficulty recruiting volunteers for their committee and asked if 4-H would be interested in taking it over. Lynn took part in the 4-H Forestry Club as a member and had helped the Land Stewardship with the sale in 2017, so she thought it would be a great opportunity to not only raise funds for the Prince Edward 4-H Association, but to help the environment and provide 4-H youth with a chance to help their community. In their first year, Prince Edward 4-H took two days to sell out of trees and after some review and evaluation, made changes to help the event become more successful. They changed some of the species of seedlings they sold, decreased the number of trees on their order, and promoted the fundraiser on social media and through the local newspaper. This year they sold even more trees in less time! Now that’s ‘learning to do by doing’ at its finest! Prince Edward 4-H is looking forward to their next fundraiser. Mark your calendars, the 2020 Prince Edward 4-H Association Tree Sale will take place on Saturday May 2!