4-H Youth Programs — Sebastian, Florida

A Sebastian child joins Indian River County 4-H by choosing a county club, reaching it through the Extension office, and having a parent register the family on Florida 4-H Online and pay the yearly fee.

The county program runs from UF/IFAS Extension Indian River County at 7961 58th Avenue, Vero Beach, phone (772) 226-4330 (Indian River County 4-H Youth Development). Most young people join a 4-H club with which they are already familiar, and others pick a club for the projects it offers. Families who do not know a club can write to the Extension office at indian@ifas.ufl.edu (Indian River County 4-H Club Resources).

Once a club is selected, the club leader explains where and when the club meets, what is expected of members, and how projects are completed. Members and a parent or guardian sign the Indian River County enrollment forms, and the parent registers family members on the Florida Online Enrollment website, or updates the record for a returning member.

The statewide calendar sets the timing for Sebastian families. Florida 4-H states that enrollment and re-enrollment for the new 4-H year begin August 1, that the program year runs September 1 through August 31, and that paper forms are available for families without internet access through the local Extension office (Florida 4-H, Get Involved).

Indian River County 4-H takes members from age 5 to 18, opens large animal projects at 4-H age 8, and charges $25 a year for members 8 to 18 and $15 for Cloverbuds.

Ages work on a fixed date. The Indian River County enrollment page states that 4-H age is determined by age on September first of the current 4-H year, and that some projects, like large animal projects, are reserved for members 8 years and older. A Sebastian child who turns 8 in October is still counted as 7 for that 4-H year and waits until the next 4-H year for a large animal project.

The fee is set in two places. Indian River County lists the annual Florida 4-H membership fee for 4-H'ers ages 8-18 as $25, handled during online enrollment, while Cloverbuds pay $15 directly to the IRC Extension office via their club leaders. The state page lists an annual $20.00 membership fee for Community Club Members ages 8-18 and adds that some counties may charge a different fee amount (Florida 4-H), so the Indian River County figure is the one that applies to Sebastian members.

Indian River County 4-H clubs are livestock, citrus and horse clubs: the 2024-2025 county list names twelve clubs, ten marked as accepting new members for 2025 and two on hiatus.

The county club list shows the farm character of the program. Barn Blazers covers citrus, crafts, goat, sheep, poultry, rabbit and cavy, swine and steer. Cornerstone and Raised Right list swine, steer, poultry and citrus. Country Time lists citrus, laying hens, swine and rabbits. Horsemasters lists citrus, horse, poultry, public speaking, and horse judging and hippology teams. Farm Life, Farmin' Around, Grow N Show, Home Grown and Triple Crown round out the clubs marked accepting new members, while Lucky Clover and Rebel Hogz with a Cauz are listed as on hiatus. The page does not say which clubs meet in Sebastian, so the club leader or the Extension office is the source for meeting places.

Citrus appears in every club on the 2024-2025 Indian River County list, and the county record book page includes a citrus manual for the Hamlin orange (Indian River County 4-H Record Books). For the 2025-2026 4-H year, all members are required to complete a Project Summary Report, and record books are no longer required except for 4-H youth completing a Horse Project with the intention of competing at the Area East 4-H Horse Show.

Clubs are the first rung. The Indian River County program page states that 4-H starts on a club level and then moves on to a county, district, state, national, and international level, and that parents, volunteers, community leaders and Extension staff share their time with 4-H youth. Adults in Sebastian who want to help are asked to contact the Indian River County Extension office about the next volunteer orientation.

Indian River County 4-H camp is a week each summer at 4-H Camp Cloverleaf on Lake Francis near Lake Placid, a tradition the county program dates back 50 years.

The Indian River County 4-H Camp page calls summer camp a 50-year tradition for Indian River County 4-H. Each year 4-H students spend a week at 4-H Camp Cloverleaf in Lake Placid, Florida, learning skills like independence, responsibility and canoeing. Camp Cloverleaf is located on Lake Francis in Highlands County, inland from Sebastian and the Treasure Coast.

The camp is run by Florida 4-H, not by Indian River County. Its own page gives the address as 126 Cloverleaf Rd., Lake Placid, FL 33852, and states a mission to develop life skills in youth through experiential education in the camp environment (4-H Camp Cloverleaf). Indian River County 4-H families can also seek help with costs: the Indian River County 4-H Foundation lists 4-H Summer Camp among its 2026 summer event scholarships, with three awards (Indian River County 4-H Foundation).

Indian River County 4-H members exhibit and sell projects at the Indian River County Youth Livestock and Horticulture Show and Auction, held each March with the Indian River County Firefighters Fair.

The Extension fair page explains the arrangement. The Indian River County Youth Livestock and Horticulture Inc. (IRCYLH) Show and Auction is held in conjunction with the Indian River County Firefighters Fair, and provides the venue for 4-H members and Future Farmers of America (FFA) members to exhibit and, if applicable, market their projects to the public. Projects range across animal, horticulture, home economics and leisure arts categories.

The fair and the Extension office sit on the same road in Vero Beach: the Firefighters' Fair site lists 7955 58th Ave, a few numbers from the Extension office at 7961 58th Avenue. IRCYLH, the organization that runs the show, lists a P.O. Box in Fellsmere and states that Indian River County youth showcase their work each March at the annual Show and Auction during the IRC Firefighters Fair, with meetings on the 3rd Thursday of each month (IRCYLH).

Dates need checking each year. On October 11, 2026, the Indian River County Extension fair page still carried a March 14-23, 2025 heading, and the 4-H Foundation page referred to the 2026 show at the Firefighters' Fair, held March 13-22, 2026 at the Indian River County Fairgrounds. No 2027 dates were posted on the Extension, fair or IRCYLH pages that day, so this guide gives none. The Extension page lists the skills exhibitors build: responsibility, self-determination, record keeping, time management, goal setting and fiscal management.

The Indian River County 4-H Foundation, a private nonprofit established in 2008, funds senior awards, event scholarships and financial assistance for county 4-H members, Sebastian members included.

According to the Foundation page, the Foundation has raised over $100,000 since 2009 through its annual Cocktail Party and Auction and other fundraising. Its 2026 Senior Achievement Award paid $1,000, $750, $500 and $250 for first through fourth place to graduating seniors who are active Indian River County 4-H members. Requests for financial assistance must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event registration deadline, and submission does not guarantee funding.

The Foundation meets in public. Indian River County 4-H Foundation meetings are held monthly on the first Monday at 6:00 p.m. in County Administration Building A, Room A1-101, and members of the public are welcome to attend.

Last verified: October 11, 2026, on the Indian River County 4-H Youth Development website.