Lydia Fohn-Hansen formed the first two 4-H clubs in Alaska before her initial appointment as the state home economist (in the early years of Extension the Home Economists were charged with building the 4-H program). During her first years in Alaska, she traveled the state by steamer, dory, train and dog sled to reach out across the state, and she helped start 12 new clubs in only her first year from as far south as Sitka to as far north as Fairbanks. At one time with what was a very small state population, Lydia had over 400 youth enrolled in 4-H club work.
As a volunteer, Lydia organized a staffed senior center, an organization that secured a nutrition program for older Fairbanks residents and a high-rise apartment house for lower income residents. She spearheaded an effort to transform an old log cabin into a museum for the centennial park in Fairbanks in 1967 to show how early families lived.
