Norton aims to help area kids through 4-H

Erin Norton wants today’s Mitchell County youth to have all the opportunities she had growing up in Western North Carolina. 

She’s an FFA alumnae who interned at Henderson County Cooperative Extension. 

“It’s where I learned about Extension,” she said. “Working at Extension is my dream job.” 

The 22-year-old has a degree in Agricultural Education from Appalachian State University. 

“We have someone in Mitchell County 4-H who is young, driven and excited about this work and wants the program to grow,” said Bryan Cave, interim director of Mitchell County Extension. “At Extension, we have this desire to meet the needs of the community. Erin will let us do that.”

Commissioner Harley Masters, a member of the Mitchell County Extension Advisory Board, agrees.

“I’m excited we have Erin on board for Mitchell County 4-H,” Masters said. “I love her enthusiasm and I look forward to watching her help 4-H excel.” 

Cave says like other Extension programs in Mitchell County, 4H and youth development are in a transition period. Norton’s leadership will help fully recover the kind of programming, opportunities and clubs that were once pervasive in Mitchell County. 

“And,” he said, “maybe grow youth development beyond what we’ve had here in the past. In Extension, 4-H is a building block system for not just hard skills but for leadership skills and soft skills. Erin will do that. She can do that.” 

Norton said she’s driven by a desire to help future generations. 

“I believe in investing in future rural generations,” Norton said. “It’s imperative we help them develop these skills. I intend to let them do that through our 4-H programs in Mitchell County.”

For her, that means working with partners throughout the community, including schools, nonprofits and community volunteers. 

Anyone who has questions or ideas or who wants to volunteer to be part of 4H and youth development in Mitchell County can contact Norton at elnorton@ncat.edu.