JUDA — The four essential elements of positive youth development are belonging, mastery, independence and generosity. 

The Next Generation 4-H Club of Green County strives to touch on all of these elements when seeking out community service opportunities in our county.

At the March 10 meeting, members of the Next Generation 4-H Club made homemade chew toys to donate to the Green County Humane Society for the animals at the shelter. 

The idea came from a post on Facebook, showing how to make simple toys for your pets. 

From that idea, supplies were gathered and younger members of the club assembled them, touching on the element of belonging. 

The chew toys were made from purchased and donated socks along with left over material from blankets the club members had made this past fall. 

From this one idea, these members were able to demonstrate independence and mastery by making the toys with only an example to follow. By donating what they had made, they learned generosity along with making many animals very happy. 

This single random act of kindness demonstrated that a simple idea can change the lives of both man and animal alike.