Courtney and Jay Meyer PHOTO BY MARY SCHENKEL

With a roll of the dice, 4-H supporters tried their luck at gaming tables during the 14th annual Viva Vero Beach fundraiser to benefit the Indian River County 4-H Foundation, held this year at the Polish American Social Club.

High rollers used fun money during the Casino Night-themed event to play blackjack, craps, roulette and poker, with proceeds from the evening benefiting 4-H Youth programs.

Those flush with winnings could cash in for chances to win a variety of donated raffle items, and even those unlucky at the tables enjoyed nibbling on a spectacular spread laid out by Wild Thyme Catering, while Swingstation’s 14th Avenue Dance Studio kept things lively throughout the evening.

The IRC 4-H Foundation assists with the expenses of local students enrolled in its programs while they attend and participate in events at the local, state, regional and national levels throughout their 4-H careers.

The foundation also presents annual Erin Foster Arena Memorial Senior Achievement Scholarship Awards to graduating 4-H high school seniors. John Berryman, Andrew Baierl, Connor Shepherd and Maggie Bender were this year’s recipients.

The 4-H (the ‘H’ stands for head, heart, hands and health) clubs provide children ages 8 to 18 with hands-on experience, knowledge and skills in the areas of science, healthy living and food security so that they might become responsible and productive citizens.

Working alongside the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Office, 4-H students participate in a variety of programs meant to broaden youth development using a “learning by doing” approach as they focus on leadership, public speaking, citizenship and life skills.

The students also participate in a wide variety of events, clubs and activities, including the Indian River County Firefighters Fair, horse shows, summer camps, leadership adventure weekends and civic education engagements, and during the summer local 4-H’ers have an opportunity to attend a dairy camp, horse shows, the Florida 4-H’s iLEAD event at the University of Florida, and Camp Cloverleaf.

Photos by Mary Schenkel