4-H Paper Clover promotion begins April 26 at local Tractor Supply stores

During the campaign period, paper clovers are sold for $1 at checkout, with proceeds benefiting 4-H programs where each store is located.

The spring 4-H Paper Clover Campaign begins April 26 at local Tractor Supply Company (TSC) stores. During the campaign period, paper clovers are sold for $1 at checkout, with proceeds benefiting 4-H programs where each store is located.

“For many years, the Paper Clover fundraiser has allowed us to provide thousands of 4-H youth across the country greater access to 4-H programs,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, National 4-H Council. “We are thrilled about our continued partnership with Tractor Supply Company -- it drives the excitement of local community participation and support for 4-H programs, and therefore the success of the 4-H Paper Clover Campaign.”

The 4-H Paper Clover fundraiser, a national partnership between TSC and 4-H, has been held in the spring and fall of each year since 2010 at each of Tractor Supply Company’s 1,600 stores – including the 81 stores in Michigan. Thanks to this partnership with TSC, more than $522,000 has been raised in Michigan since 2010 to support 4-H locally through the 4-H Paper Clover fundraiser.

From April 26 through May 7, customers at TSC stores will be able to buy paper 4-H clovers for $1 at checkout. Once again, funds donated during the campaign will be tracked online and recorded by state and by store. Visit www.tractorsupply.com/4-H for more information on the spring 2017 4-H Paper Clover Campaign and to view the donation tracker.

“The entire team at Tractor Supply is excited for the opportunity to team up with 4-H for the eighth consecutive year of Paper Clover fundraisers,” said Christi Korzekwa, senior vice president of marketing at TSC. “The support of our dedicated customers and team members has made a powerful, tangible effect on the lives of many 4-H students, who use 4-H programs to develop valuable life skills.”

The most recent Paper Clover event, held Oct. 5-16, raised $871,771 nationwide for 4-H; of that, $43,586 was donated in Michigan, ranking it sixth in the nation. Seventy percent of those funds supported county 4-H programs, 10 percent supported 4-H volunteer and teen leadership training workshops, 5 percent went for state 4-H programs, 5 percent went to the Michigan 4-H Foundation, and 10 percent went to National 4-H Council for underwriting the cost of the program.

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The Gaylord TSC store in Otsego County was the top-selling Paper Clover store last fall. The store has been recognized as one of the top stores nationally as well.

“Our 4-H council organizes shifts for 4-H clubs to come in and sell clovers, usually for two hours at a time,” said Devora Davis, Otsego County MSU Extension 4-H program coordinator. “Sometimes clubs bring projects to do or animals to show. It helps having kids present as much as possible because they talk directly to the customers.

“I also use this time to recruit youth and adults to 4-H,” Davis added.

Davis also credits the Gaylord TSC store as being very supportive of the Paper Clover fundraiser and 4-H in general. The store not only provides visibility for 4-H during the Paper Clover fundraiser but also offers opportunities at other times throughout the year for club fundraisers and promotion at the store.

“The TSC employees are always helpful and even contact 4-H staff or volunteers when other events are going on in the store to see if we want to help out and support agriculture,” Davis said. “If there is a special event at the store, they ask if a club wants to have a bake sale to be present.”

The proceeds from the Paper Clover fundraiser in OtsegoCounty provide scholarships for 4-H members to attend local 4-H camps, 4-H workshops at KettunenCenter and 4-H Exploration Days at MSU.

The Michigan 4-H Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that supports Michigan 4-H Youth Development. For more information about the Michigan 4-H Foundation, visit www.mi4hfdtn.org. Michigan 4-H Youth Development is the youth-serving program of Michigan State University Extension. More than 200,000 youth are involved in 4-H with the support of 17,000 adult volunteers. For more information about Michigan 4-H, visit www.4h.msue.msu.edu. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of 4-H National Headquarters, located at the National Institute for Food and Agriculture within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org.

Tractor Supply Company operates more than 1,600 stores in 49 states. Tractor Supply Company stores are focused on supplying the lifestyle needs of farmers and ranchers. For more information on Tractor Supply, visit www.TractorSupply.com.

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