Local 4-H clubs recently received a significant donation from the Portage Lion's Club, through the Community Foundation of Portage and District. It was for $1150.00.

The clubs are part of the Central Plains 4-H Area Council.

4-H Leader Sandra Duchak calls it great, and explains why.

"In our Portage area, we used to give bursaries," she says. "But when we joined the Area Council, we let them do the bursaries. And so the money that we receive now, we have to pay a fee for bursaries to the Area Council every year. So we use that to pay that fee, and then the Area Council puts out the bursaries."

Duchak tells us about the Area Council's reach.

"It includes all the Portage areas, and Austin, Gladstone, and a few other areas," she says. "We used to have a Portage district council, but we don't have that anymore. So senior members can apply for the bursaries, and then they have selections to choose who gets those bursaries every year."

Duchak adds the bursaries can be used for any field of study.