4-H NEWS

1-4-Hers Fight Child Hunger Through Kids Bake America Better
4-Hers and Betty Crocker team up to fight child hunger.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 13 million kids live in households that do not have an adequate supply of food. Every fourth person standing in line at a soup kitchen is a kid. Nationwide, children represent the largest population segment of our society who are experiencing hunger. Children who miss a meal or don't eat on a regular basis are considered hungry they don't have to be starving to be hungry.

But hunger and starvation are not the same. Hunger simply means that families are unable to purchase or grow enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs. More than nine million children received emergency food assistance this year, which is roughly one million more people than the total population of New York City. Recent research indicates that even mild undernutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth may lead to reductions in physical growth and affect brain development. But it doesn't have to be this way. You can make a difference.

4-Hers can help raise money to feed less fortunate kids in your community.

The National 4-H Council is partnering with Betty Crocker to promote 4-H participation in Kids Bake America Better to support The Great American Bake Sale this spring and summer.

It's fun and it works!

4-H clubs, after-school programs and youth leader associations registering to hold bake sales will receive information on child hunger in America and a learning module addressing youth involvement and leadership in community service. Some will also receive a special Bake Sale Kit designed specifically for 4-H by Betty Crocker featuring special balloons, cameras, tablecloths, Betty Crocker products, posters, execution kits and 4-H curriculum.

The money you help raise stays in your community.

Participating in The Great American Bake Sale program allows 4-H members to:

Support community and national efforts to fight against child hunger.
Learn about organizing and leading cause-related community service projects.
Strengthen community relationships locally and across the country

Get involved today! Be a part of 4-H's commitment to help end child hunger. Follow the 4-H club's lead with Kids Bake America Better! Host a bake sale or look for other The Great American Bake Sale events in your community. Participating 4-H clubs will receive information and curriculum packages from Betty Crocker and are entered in a special 4-H contest.

Sign up to host a bake sale today at www.greatamericanbakesale.org/4h.

Additional 4-H specific information will be available soon at www.4husa.org/gabs/default.aspx.

Three 4-Hers were recognized as National Honorees at the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in Washington, DC. They are among the 14 4-Hers who came to Washington, DC, as State Honorees. Front row, left to right are Shilo Summers, Peyton Healy, Brittany Sanders and Alexandra Holderman. Second row are Lindsey Brenkus, Kristin Farris, Jessica Bobb and Andrew Bell. Top row are Megan Sack, Warner Phipps, Erin Rosen-Watson, Rachael Lambin, Cameron Parker and Leah Wolsten. Holderman, Phipps and Rosen-Watson were named National Honorees.

2-Three 4-Hers Are Spirit of Community Awards National Honorees
Three 4-H members are among the top 10 youth volunteers in America.

Alexandra Holderman Mishawaka, IN; Warren Phipps, Kearney, NE; and Erin Rosen-Watson, Natick, MA were recognized as 2004 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards National Honorees during May 3, 2004, ceremonies at the International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

The nationwide program, run by Prudential Financial, Inc. in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), has honored young people for exemplary acts of volunteerism for the past nine years. These outstanding young role models have demonstrated a level of compassion, dedication and achievement that is truly exceptional, said Arthur F. Ryan, Chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc.

Holderman, 10, has collected and delivered more than 1,200 bundles of baby clothing, blankets, diapers and other supplies over the past five years for infants born to single and teen-aged moms. Phipps, 15, designed and taught grain bin safety workshops at camps, school assemblies, farm shows and other community events across Nebraska. Seventeen-year-old Rosen-Watson's non-profit corporation has delivered more than 3,500 handmade blankets and 4,500 care packets to foster children throughout Massachusetts.

As National Honorees, each received $5,000, an engraved gold medallion and a crystal trophy. A total of $250,000 in toys, clothing and other products will be donated in their names to needy children in their areas as well.

Fifteen 4-H members were among the 104 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards State Honorees recognized at ceremonies at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History the day before. Each received $1,000 and an engraved silver medallion. They are Andrew Bell, Georgetown, DE; Cameron Parker, Forsyth, GA; Megan Sack, Mendota, IL; Holderman; Rosen-Watson; Brittany Sanders, Oakview, MO; Jessica Bobb, Richardton, ND; Phipps; Leah Wolsten, East Brunswick, NJ; Rachael Lambin, Minden, NV; Matthew Burnham, Newark, NY; Lindsey Brenkus, Butler, OH; Peyton Healy, Aberdeen, SD; Kristin Farris, Houston, TX; Shilo Summers, Fairmont, WV.

The national selection committee includes Ryan; 2003 Prudential Spirit of Community National Honorees, Laura Greer, Miami, FL, and Christepher Romero, Phoenix, AZ; Cindy Rudrud of NASSP; actor Richard Dreyfuss; Robert Goodwin, President and CEO, Points of Light Foundation; Peter Gallagher, President and CEO, America's Promise; Amy B. Cohen, Director, Learn and Serve America, Corporation for National Service; Marsha Johnson Evans, President, American Red Cross; Kathy Cloninger, National Executive Director, Girl Scouts of the USA; Donald T. Floyd Jr., President and CEO, National 4-H Council; Janice Weinman, President of Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc.; and Ken Gladish, National Executive Director, YMCA of the USA.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards also are supported by the American Association of School Administrators, National Middle School Association, National School Boards Association, Council of the Great City Schools, National School Public Relations Association, and many other national youth and service organizations.

All public and private U.S. middle schools and high schools, Girl Scout councils, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs, Camp Fire USA councils, Volunteer Centers and county 4-H offices submitted applications on behalf of more than 20,000 students or members of their groups for the local Prudential Spirit of Community Award last fall. The top applicants in each state were announced in February. Honorees were reviewed by state-level judges and rated on criteria including personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact, and personal growth.

For more information about the organization and awards, visit www.prudential.com/spirit or www.principals.org/awards/prudential.cfm.

Members of the Busy Bison 4-H Club with President Bush are, from left to right, James Taylor, Katie Ridenour, Cody Gallagher, and Derek Swiger.

Members of the Coweta 4-H Adopt-a-Stream Club with President Bush are, from left to right, Philip Kaufman, Cody Disque, Rebecca Miolen, Cameron Brinton and Dane Beatenbough.

3-Two 4-H Clubs Win Presidential Environmental Awards
The environment is in good hands with 4-Hers in West Virginia and Georgia.

The Busy Bison 4-H Club in Barrackville, WV, and the Coweta 4-H Adopt-A-Stream Club in Newnan, GA, are two of the 10 winners of the Environmental Protection Agency's 2003 Presidential Environmental Awards. They received their awards from President George W. Bush at a national ceremony in the White House Rose Garden on Earth Day, April 22, 2004.

The Busy Bison 4-H Club's in EPA Region Three have focused on community service and conservation, individually working to organize, initiate and participate in environmental projects. They then come together as a club to support each other in achieving their personal goals for the environment while making life in their community better for everyone. Their goals can be seen in their Adopt-A-Highway programs, stream monitoring and cleanup, recycling, local beautification, genealogy and history projects, and wildlife and habitat improvement. The results from their hard work and dedication are evident in the 20 miles of highway they clean up every month, the pond they designed and built at a local county camp, and the immense amount of materials they recycle each month.

The Coweta 4-H Adopt-A-Stream Club in EPA Region Four has only been around for three years, but the members love of nature has driven them to become certified in biological and chemical monitoring for county streams. Finding many streams in poor condition, they were inspired to educate themselves and recruit others to put an end to the hazardous-waste-filled creeks and litter-strewn streams. They even confronted an illegal oil dumping problem. Attending conservation workshops and conferences as well as teaming up with the State Wildlife Habitat Evaluation team and Forestry team, they eventually went on to address the public through newspapers and public speaking in schools and to civic groups. The club's efforts have involved more than 600 volunteers donating more than 2,400 hours of community service work.

The EPA has sponsored the awards since 1971 to recognize young people across all 50 states and territories for projects which demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Past projects submitted for the awards have ranged anywhere from implementing recycling programs and major tree planting programs in schools and communities, to constructing nature preserves, to creating newsletters, videos and skits that focus on environmental issues. For more information about the program, visit www.epa.gov/enviroed/awards.html.

The 2004 National Science Bowl champs celebrate at their luncheon after a tough competition at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center on May 4, 2004. Left to right are Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Team Captain Kate Aull, Lisa Marrone, Paul Yang, Michael Zhang, Coach Sharon Baker and Samuel Lederer. The group has won three consecutive years.

4-National Science Bowl at 4-H Youth Conference Center

Q: Where is the perfect location to hold a science event for high schoolers looking for accommodating facilities, fun and a strong learning experience?

A: The National 4-H Youth Conference Center near Washington, DC, which was the site of the 2004 National Science Bowl April 30-May 3, 2004.

Kay Aull, Samuel Lederer, Lisa Marrone, Paul Yang, Michael Zhang, and coach Sharon Baker of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Fairfax, VA, won the event that included more than 300 students on 64 teams from 39 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virginia Islands. The National Science Bowl is a nine-division round robin tournament followed by an 18-team double elimination tournament in which students solve problems and answer increasingly difficult questions in astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics and earth and general sciences.

We had fun. It was a good competition, and I am very proud of how my team worked. It was a very even effort, said Aull, captain and four-year member of the winning team. 4-H has a nice facility for this, very convenient and very hospitable with a cafeteria and hotel rooms. It was great to have it in one simple location.

However, the days were not just filled with work. We weren't studying on all our free time. We played Frisbee too, said Nathan Artz of Colorado.

Science Bowl participants also were seen on the Youth Conference Center's basketball courts and in the game room in between tournament rounds. They had a few days before the competition began on Sunday to sightsee, take a bus tour of Washington, visit the varied museums of the Smithsonian Institution and attend a science seminar with speakers from all over country.

The United States Department of Energy started The National Science Bowl to encourage high school students to shine in math and science. The National 4-H Youth Conference Center has been the site of the National Science Bowl since 2001.

Visit www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/default.htm for more information about the National Science Bowl, or www.4HCenter.org for more information about the National 4-H Youth Conference Center.

5-National 4-H GIS-GPS Team Applications Due

Applications to participate in the National 4-H GIS-GPS Team and
attend the ESRI International Conference (San Diego, August 2004)
are due THURSDAY May 13th.

Criteria for participating on the Team is at:
http://www.4-h.org/tech/gisgps/esricriteria.rtf
Application form is at:
http://www.4-h.org/tech/gisgps/esriapp.rtf
Information about where to submit application, cost, lodging, etc.:
http://www.4-h.org/tech/gisgps/esrilogistics.rtf

For more information, contact Trudy Dunham at dunha003@umn.edu.