4-H Delivers

4-HEROES: Lawson Fallen Soldier Memorial Park

The Issue:

The 4-HEROES team in Solano County is working to create the Lawson Fallen Soldier Memorial Park, in memory of Sergeant First Class Issac Lawson who sacrificed his life in service to his country. The development of this park is an environmentally respectful, youth service-learning project. Operation 4-HEROES partners the 4-H youth and adults with the UC Davis Arboretum and the California National Guard in an ambitious, youth-inspired, educational experience intended to meet the needs of our community.

What has 4-H Done?:

Operation 4-HEROES began as a MY EARTH project taken on by youth in Solano County. The goal of MY EARTH was to “Mentor youth to environmental action and responsibility for tomorrow’s habitat.” The mission of the project was to empower youth leaders to become effective advocates for the environment through public outreach. The MY EARTH team received support from the UC Davis Arboretum with innovative curriculum. The youth leaders of the MY EARTH project chose to take on the Operation 4-HEROES project with funding from multiple sources including the California Landscape Contractors Association.

The team of dedicated youth and adults is in the process of converting an abandoned ¾ acre lot adjacent to the Fairfield Armory into a memorial park. 4-HEROES began work in March 2009 to develop the knowledge base that is needed to take on such an ambitious service learning project. There are many components to this project including the purchase and installation of the Fallen Soldier Memorial statue, creation and installation of Victory Garden boxes for family use, building a covered built-in barbeque, and installation of outdoor exercise equipment.

The Payoff:

Operation 4-HEROES has been a successful service learning project. All members of the team has gained a better understanding of need for this memorial park in the community. They also learned about the community service projects the 4-H program in Solano County does for service men and women such as cards and care packages. This project has also been successful in bringing two organizations together, 4-H Youth Development Program and National Guard, to work on a community based project. The continued success of this project will be determined by the movement toward the completion of the next phase of the project.