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Vt. 4-H expanding effort to aid military kids

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont’s 4-H clubs are expanding programs across the state to work with an estimated 3,000 children whose military parents have been or might be deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere.

For several years, the 4-H has been working with the Vermont National Guard and other groups to establish clubs for military children and to send some military children to summer camp.

State 4-H program coordinator Sarah Kleinman says the clubs bring together kids with similar experiences to learn from one another and have fun.

Since Sept. 11, about 2,000 Vermont National Guard men and women have served overseas. Now, planning is under way for a possible 2010 deployment of more than 2,000 soldiers to Afghanistan.