Volume 18, Number 1, Fall 2007

Kettunen Center, Your 4-H Conference Center

Jamie Mielke-Mitchell

Kettunen Center, the statewide 4-H volunteer training center, would like to invite you to experience everything this wonderful facility has to offer. Located in Tustin, just south of Cadillac, Kettunen Center is the natural place to have fun and excel in 4-H leadership training.

Owned and operated by the Michigan 4-H Foundation, the center provides a quiet, relaxed atmosphere that is perfect for groups looking for a professional, but stress-free environment. Located on 160 acres of rolling hills and forests overlooking beautiful Center Lake, Kettunen Center provides tranquility in a natural setting with many opportunities to unwind and explore while taking care of business.

Kettunen Center exists to support 4-H. Built in 1961, it is the visible presence of 4-H in Michigan. Last year, over 10,000 guests were exposed to the Michigan 4-H Youth Development story and how the Michigan 4-H Foundation supports the successes of 4-H’ers throughout the state. Annually, the center hosts about 20 4-H weekend workshops, ranging in topic from environmental and outdoor education to leadership, animal science, visual and performing arts and more. 4-H adults and teen leaders from across the state come together to learn cutting-edge information about their project areas, share ideas and re-energize their spirits. Upon returning to their communities, these volunteers pass along knowledge and excitement to the 4-H members in their county.

Each year, along with 4-H workshops, the center hosts about 250 conferences. Revenue generated from these non-4-H conferences helps support the mission and vision of Michigan 4-H Youth Development. If you know anyone who might be interested in using Kettunen Center for their next conference or family reunion, please pass along our information. If a group books a first-time stay as a result of your referral, you will receive a $50 gift certificate to Kettunen Center’s gift shop.

Comfortable air-conditioned accommodations and numerous lounges provide relaxing settings for informal gatherings. Eleven meeting rooms and wireless Internet access throughout the facility offer the flexibility to create the environment any workshop needs. Our culinary staff provides excellent meals in the relaxed environment of our dining room.

Kettunen Center offers on-site sports and recreation including sand volleyball, basketball, a game room, four miles of groomed hiking trails, and our private beach with picnic areas, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, pontoon rental and fishing, as well as sledding, snowshoeing and skiing in the winter.

Kettunen Center is in the process of becoming a “Green Lodging Facility,” a designation created by Michigan’s Energy Office and the Department of Environmental Quality for hotels, motels, resorts and bed & breakfasts who are leaders in energy conservation, air quality and reduced water consumption and waste.

Due to the generosity of donors, the Michigan 4-H Foundation is able to offer weekend 4-H workshops for a fraction of the actual cost. The result is high-quality workshops at a greatly reduced cost for 4-H participants. Additional scholarships may also be available.

Kettunen Center is the ideal site for your next event, meeting, reunion or 4-H workshop. Visit kettunencenter.org, call (231) 829-3421 or e-mail jmielkemitchell@kettunencenter.org for more information.