It is a unique opportunity to be able to blend your passion with the gift of helping others. Learning and Making Buddies, otherwise known by the acronym L.A.M.B., does just that. I am an eight-year 4-H member at Boone County, as well as an eight-year sheep project member. My family has always raised purebred Suffolk sheep, creating a passion of mine from a young age. L.A.M.B works with Lebanon High School’s Life Skills class to give their special needs students a summer activity to remember. To begin with, every participant meets at the Boone County Fairgrounds to receive a L.A.M.B t-shirt while each 4-H’er is assigned a “buddy” for the day. Throughout the day, 4-H’ers will assist their buddies in each interactive station including: washing, fitting, and showing. The fun begins with washing the sheep with soap and water to make sure it is clean and ready for a trim. This station is always the biggest hit, with at least one 4-H’er getting soaked by a giggling buddy.
Station number two is the final step in preparing the sheep for the big show, giving them a nice haircut. Each buddy has the chance to hold the shears and groom their sheep to perfection. To make sure that each buddy can be as comfortable as possible in the show ring, the 4-H’ers go through the steps of showing a sheep as a mock class. After learning the ropes, the buddies are off to enjoy their time to shine with a sheep. Every year our judges recognize the talent they have found, making everyone a winner. Each buddy receives a trophy to acknowledge their accomplishments as well as a picture with their 4-H’er and sheep. The day concludes with a pizza and dance party for the whole group.
Just to add even more excitement to their summer, the buddies join us on show day at the Boone County Fair to be recognized before we begin. I interviewed Patty Bohanon, a Life Skills teacher at Lebanon High School, asking her just how much her students love coming to L.A.M.B. “They love L.A.M.B. Camp,” said Bohanon. “It really helps them to overcome their fears and open doors that may not be open for them otherwise”.
Learning and Making Buddies has positively impacted my life in many ways and given me something to look forward to every summer. It has helped me not to take aspects of my life for granted and to enjoy the smaller things in life. Having the chance to see the smile on my buddy’s face doing something as simple as holding his sheep is one of the many amazing moments I will never forget.