4-H Delivers

Murrieta Mustangs 4-H Club Successfully Completes “OPERATION Bus Stop”

The Issue

The Murrieta Mustangs 4-H Club wanted to raise awareness about "going green" in their community. One of the simplest ways to save resources and the planet is taking advantage of public transportation. Driving around their community the Mustangs noticed that many of the bus stops had no shelters for bad weather and hot summers. They decided that the lack of comfort when riding the bus must be a contributing factor to why the bus systems in their area were not used to their full capacity.  As a club the members voted that their goal for the 2009—2010 year would be to sponsor a shade cover at a needed location.  The named the project “OPERATION Bus Stop”.

What Has 4-H Done?

So the work began for the Mustangs. A grant proposal was written and accepted by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation for $3,000, giving them the funds they needed to start the project off in the right direction as well as giving the Mustangs the motivation to continue the biggest community service project in their club’s history. Fundraising continued for the next 5 months which included a community petting zoo, bake sales & snack bars at local 4-H events, an “Eat with 4-H” fundraiser at the local Chick-fil-A and a creek clean-up with the local Kohl’s department store that earned the club an additional grant for the amount of $1500. Three separate donations were made to the club’s efforts by private donors who recognized the hard work the Mustangs were doing in order to contribute to their community. A grand total of $5,500 was raised to purchase a shade cover, a bench and a trash can for the bus stop in front of Murrieta’s Senior Center.

The Payoff

Along the way the members had the opportunity to work closely with local businesses, city councilmen, neighbors and friends. Members of the Mustangs were interviewed numerous times and were published in four different articles that followed their efforts from beginning to end. As a result the Mustangs have built lasting partnerships with many resources for future projects on top of contributing a much needed sheltered bus stop to the citizens of their community.