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May 10, 2017
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio is ranked number 1, and Shelley Mather Meyer wants you to help keep the Buckeye state in first place.
Wife to Urban Meyer, coach of The Ohio State University’s men’s football team, Shelley Meyer recently “raised her hand” as an alum of 4-H, the national youth development program, by reciting the 4-H pledge for a social media effort.
As part of its “Raise Your Hand” campaign, National 4-H wants alumni to sign in at 4-H.org/alumni. The state with the most registered alumni by the end of June will bring home $20,000 to use towards 4-H programming. On May 10, Ohio led the competition with 10,217 alumni. Coming in second was Indiana with 7,362.
4‑H gives youth the opportunity to learn by doing and develop the skills they need to handle what life sends their way.
For Shelley Meyer, 4-H helped prepare her for the public life she leads as the first lady of Buckeye football. “I was president of our club, so I developed leadership skills. You have to get up in front of judges and talk about your outfit (she took sewing projects), so you develop speaking skills and confidence. Plus, you are relating to people all of the time.”
While she grew up on a livestock farm, helped bale hay and drive a tractor, Meyer did not take livestock projects. She still remembers the beige terry cloth sweatsuit she sewed and serving as the Miss Ross County Junior Fair Queen.
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Editor's note: Reporters who want a high resolution photo of Shelley Meyer reciting the 4-H pledge can contact Suzanne Steel at steel.7@osu.edu.
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