Fundraising & 4-H Scholarships

Alachua County 4-H has many opportunities for youth to participate in great events and programs, and we want to ensure that all youth have those opportunities. To do this, we have fundraising opportunities and offer scholarships for 4-H programs and post-high school endeavors.

• Silent Auction

  Each year leading up to and during our annual awards banquet, Alachua County 4-H hosts a silent auction. Beginning in 2021, online bidding for the silent auction is available for one week prior to the banquet, and bidding will close during the banquet. Items include gift baskets, experiences, and gift cards to local businesses. The profits from each item will go towards various funds as specified in each item’s description. These can include: the general Alachua 4-H fund, individual club funds, or any of the scholarship funds below.

• Cake Auction

  The other popular fundraiser that we host at our annual awards banquet is the beloved cake auction. Each year, 4-H members and volunteers bake cakes that are then sold in a live auction (featuring a real auctioneer!) throughout the evening. The proceeds from the cake auction go towards our Alachua 4-H general fund and the scholarship funds listed below.

• Alachua County Dallas Osborne Trail Ride

  This event raises funds for the Alachua County Dallas Osborne Horse Program Scholarship. Each year, the Bits & Spurs 4-H Club hosts this trail ride at San Felasco State Park.

  Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-dallas-osborne-trail-ride-tickets-230863237157 

• Alachua County Dallas Osborne Scholarship

  This is a scholarship awarded to a graduating senior from the horse program. Our Horse Committee does fundraising every year to support this scholarship, and it is typically a $500 award. Graduating seniors who participate in the horse project are eligible to apply for this scholarship. There is also a similar scholarship available at the state level which is different from this local opportunity. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is typically June 1st each year. 

  Application Form

  To contribute to this fund, make checks payable to “Alachua County 4-H” with “Dallas Osborne Scholarship” in the memo line, and mail them to the UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County Office.

• Bill Brown Memorial Scholarship

  In Spring 2021, our retired Alachua County Extension Director, Bill Brown, passed away, and his family wanted to honor his commitment to the 4-H program by starting this new scholarship fund. Many opportunities for youth, including the Alachua County Youth Fair, were made possible by Bill Brown, so we are thankful for the chance to continue honoring his legacy through this fund. This scholarship fund will be used to help youth attend district, state, or national-level events as first-time attendees. If a 4-Her would like to attend a district, state, or national-level event that they have never attended before, they can apply for this scholarship up to two weeks prior to the event registration deadline. Up to $1,000 in funds total will be distributed each 4-H year. Each 4-H’er is eligible to receive this scholarship once per 4-H year, and it is reserved for first time attendees of a district, state, or national event. 

  To contribute to this fund, make checks payable to “Alachua County 4-H” with “Bill Brown Scholarship” in the memo line, and mail them to the UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County Office. 

  Application

• Tom & Kim Massagee Memorial Scholarship

  Many of our 4-H’ers and FFA members here in Alachua County have been lucky enough to work with and learn from the Massagee family at some point in their 4-H/FFA career. Kim & Tom Massagee were committed to serving 4-H’ers & FFA members in Alachua County in numerous ways, and they helped many youth grow into the young leaders that they are today. To carry on their legacy of helping young leaders grow, the Kim & Tom Scholarship fund will support graduating seniors from either 4-H or FFA in their post-high school endeavors. To be eligible to apply for this $500 scholarship, graduating seniors should fill out the form below and include documentation of their post-high school plans (i.e. class schedule, trade school registration, job training confirmation, etc.) and a 250-500 word written account of how 4-H/FFA has impacted their life and how they will use the skills they learned in 4-H/FFA in their adult life. 

  To contribute to this fund, make checks payable to “Alachua County 4-H” with “Tom & Kim Scholarship” in the memo line, and mail them to the UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County Office. 

  Application

• 4-H Event Matching Scholarships

  Each year, we offer matching scholarships for youth to attend summer 4-H programs including day camps, overnight/residential camps, and state-level events. To use these funds, youth are responsible for matching the funds to cover their full registration costs. In 2018, over 30 youth were awarded scholarships from this fund.

  To contribute to this fund, make checks payable to “Alachua County 4-H” with “Summer Camp Scholarships” in the memo line, and mail them to the UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County Office. 

  To request matching funds for summer programming, complete the Alachua 4-H Matching Scholarship Request form