4-H HOUSE
Cooperative Sorority & Alumni

About 4-H House

Throughout nearly a century of growth, 4-H House has maintained the following purposes:

  • To strengthen the bonds of friendship
  • Develop a spirit of unity among its members
  • Promote scholastic interests
  • Maintain an enriching home at lower cost
  • To provide social activities
Cooperative living is our most important element.
At 4-H House every woman shares the responsibilities of the house's day-to-day operations.
Our new members are chosen during interviewing weekends held in the spring. All new members live in the house the following fall. Members of a pledge class may range from incoming freshman to seniors to ladies transferring from another college.

A girl is a new member the first semester she lives in the house. During this time, the active members and -- more specifically, the new member educator -- introduce new members to our cooperative style of living. It is very important to 4-H House that new members adjust well to their new home. The top priorities for a new member should include:

  • Achieving a minimum 2.6 grade average
  • Fulfilling house responsibilities
  • Adjusting to campus life
During the first semester, each young woman is paired with a big sister, who is an active member that becomes a special friend. Active members also serve as academic advisors to new members in order to help them with classes and their chosen majors.

Philanthropy

4-H House's philanthropy, Journey, honors the lives of Jennifer and Jackie Esworthy who were killed in a car accident on June 8, 1997. Jen and Jackie were traveling home from a family gathering with their parents and Jen's fiance when a drunken driver broad-sided their car. Jen and Jackie were killed and the others were seriously injured.

Journey's purpose is to help ensure the safety of all those who travel the streets and highways of Illinois. Journey's mission is simple: Keep repeat drunk drivers off the road and keep loved ones safe. Journey raises money towards increasing the number of video cameras available in police cars so officers can videotape drivers' reactions.

Jen Esworthy, 22, was a 1997 graduate of the University of Illinois with a degree in business. Jen served as president, treasurer, Dad's Day Chairman and countless other offices at 4-H House. Jackie Esworthy was four years younger than Jen and had just been admitted to the University of Illinois, College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences for the fall 1997 semester. She would have begun her pledging semester at 4-H House that same semester.

The women of 4-H House honor the memory of Jen and Jackie Esworthy through an annual Euchre tournament held every spring. In the fall, 4-H House raises awareness of drunk driving through a homecoming float in the Homecoming Parade.

Alumni Association Board

The 4-H House Alumni Association Board was organized to strengthen and maintain the bonds of friendship, develop the spirit of unity of its members, promote scholastic interest, provide social opportunities, and maintain a wholesome home at minimum cost for the women who reside in 4-H House and are attending the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign campus.

The Association is dedicated to the core values of Illinois 4-H House. The relationship between the Association and 4-H House is collaborative, with the purpose of promoting and preserving a cooperative living environment with the core values above at its center. The Association, represented by a 12 member Board, works closely with the 4-H House Executive Council to review all changes in the 4-H House Constitution, Bylaws, Judicial Board and all other Rules and Policies.

The 4-H House Cooperative Sorority is self-governing. The Association ensures the self-governing system is running smoothly, and another aspect of the relationship between the Association and 4-H House is that of landlord/tenant. The 4-H House property is owned by the alumni of 4-H House, the Illinois 4-H House Association. The cooperative unit, 4-H House, leases this property from the Association. As such, the Association is responsible for any and all physical and structural changes to the house and property. The Association budget is managed with a goal of break-even and careful savings towards a strategic project plan created by a Property Committee comprised of alumni and friends of 4-H House. We rely on alumni contributions and rental income to build any reserves necessary for future projects – both foreseen and unforeseen.

Members of the Association include 4-H House active members and alumni. The Annual Meeting of the Association is typically held in the fall each year. Regular board meetings are held in Champaign-Urbana or virtually to conduct the business of the Association. Most meetings are held in conjunction with a 4-H House activity to give the Association Board and the women of 4-H House opportunities to interact together.

If you are an alumni of 4-H House who is interested in serving on the Association Board, please contact us at [email protected].

Mary McKee Educational Fund

The Mary McKee Educational Fund was established in 1987 as a not-for-profit 503(c)3 charitable organization. The Fund is administered and governed by a five member Board of Directors. Contributions to the Fund are tax deductible and must be used towards educational purposes and/or to provide student scholarships to qualified recipients. The established goals of the Fund are: to provide support and encouragement to individuals for improving academic performance, to provide technical systems & support, and to implement of a program to support the cost of tutoring.

Members of the Mary McKee Educational Fund include 4-H House active members and alumni. The Mary McKee Educational Fund Annual Meeting is typically held in the fall each year following the Annual Meeting of the Association. Meetings of the members are called from time to time as needed. The Board of Directors may establish three committees to administer and manage the Fund: Awards and Selection Committee, Management Committee, and Fundraising Committee, and they may combine the duties of any one or more.

Memorial donations of $10,000 or more provide an annual scholarship to a deserving member of 4-H House and are recognized on the Mary McKee Educational Fund plaque in the foyer of 4-H House. To learn more about how to establish a memorial in the name of a certain person, contact us at [email protected].

The Illinois 4-H House Alumni Association
was organized to strengthen and maintain the bonds of friendship, develop the spirit of unity, promote scholastic interest, provide social opportunities, and maintain a home at minimum cost for the women of 4-H House.
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