4-H Projects Auctioned for Muscular Dystrophy

For the fourth year in a row, 4-H’ers who bring projects to the Douglas County Fair can choose to donate them to a good cause — a silent auction to raise money for muscular dystrophy.

Seth Engelbrecht, a 4-H’er who will be a junior at Alexandria Area High School this fall, has muscular dystrophy, and says his cousin started the auction. The money goes to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

His kind of muscular dystrophy is not as severe as some, but he can’t run or play sports. He hopes that researchers can come up with a treatment that will help him one day, and has heard of research for certain kinds of the disease.

“Mine is more rare,” he said. “They’re focusing on more severe varieties.”

Seth has participated in 4-H since elementary school. A farm kid, he is also active in FFA and went to state for livestock judging.

He plans to build a fishing rod holder for this year’s fair. Members of 4-H bring all kinds of projects, including woodwork, artwork, quilts and models.

The silent auction will run all four days of the fair, and end at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20. Tables will be set up with bid sheets in the 4-H exhibit building. Projects that are being donated will be labeled.

Last year, the auction raised about $1,000, he said.

The auction is just one way that 4-H members have shown they care about him. The Lake Mary Troopers, his club, replaced the stairs to the rabbit building on the fairgrounds with a ramp so he could access the building better. One of his 4-H activities is to show rabbits.

“They just do it because they want to help,” he said.

Seth Engelbrecht, a 4-H’er, shows off his prize-winning rabbit. Seth, an Alexandria Area High School junior, has muscular dystrophy. (Contributed)

Douglas County 4-H’ers have the option of donating their fair projects to an auction to raise money for muscular dystrophy. Last year’s auction raised $1,000 for research, Seth Engelbrecht said.