4-H NEWS

Photos above and below story: 4-H members, volunteers and staff from Cabarrus, Forsyth, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Randolph and Rockingham counties, NC, hold a mega-bake sale at Speed Street as part of the Great American Bake Sale initiative to fight child hunger.

1-4-Hers Help Raise $2,400 to Fight Child Hunger at Speed Street
4-H members, staff and volunteer leaders from six North Carolina counties participated in a mega-bake sale that raised $2,400 for child hunger at the Speed Street 600 Festival in Charlotte, NC, over Memorial Day weekend.

The Speed Street bake sale launches 4-H's partnership with Betty Crocker to fight child hunger in America. 4-H members from across the United States recognize that more than 13 million children live in households without enough food, so they are encouraging other youth to do something about it by signing up to hold bake sales as part of Kids Bake America Better, Betty Crocker's initiative to support the Great American Bake Sale.

4-H youth and adults asked Speed Street festival-goers who stopped by the Great American Bake Sale booth to give a $1 donation for the cause in exchange for two Betty Crocker cookies or one brownie. They also talked with youth and adults who came to the booth about how they could do something about child hunger simply by holding their own bakes sales this summer.

Some 4-H members took the opportunity to talk about the issue of child hunger and how young people can make a difference in several media opportunities with the local Charlotte media and through a satellite media tour across the nation with Masiela Lusha of ABC's George Lopez and Linda Petty, wife of Richard Petty. Petty Racing's driver, Jeff Green, drove the Great American Bake Sale Car in the Coca-Cola 600 on May 30, 2004. The number 43 car was displayed in the Great American Bake Sale booth.

The money the 4-Hers raised at Speed Street and will raise at bake sales throughout the country this summer will go to Share Our Strength, an anti-hunger organization. The funds will support summer and afterschool meal programs in the bake sale hosts states and communities.

Visit http://gabs.4-husa.org/ to learn more about 4-H's participation in Kids Bake America Better.

Go to www.greatamericanbakesale.org/4h to sign up to host a bake sale today. Registrants receive information about child hunger in America and a learning module about youth involvement and leadership in community service.

2-Great Job North Carolina 4-H! You Make a Difference.
Special thanks to the 4-H youth, volunteers and staff who participated in the bake sale at Speed Street over Memorial Day weekend. You have shown that kids can bake America better one bake sale at a time as you spread your enthusiasm about community service and leadership and worked hard for the cause of child hunger. Special thanks to:

Cabarrus County 4-H Alisha Aubrey, Christine Counts and Greylan Counts, 4-H members; Carol Aubrey and Dusty Counts, 4-H volunteers; and Sara West, 4-H agent.

Forsyth County 4-H Collin Helton, Deschel Hunter, Andrew McIndoe, Gechi Nzewi, 4-H members; Johnell Hunter and Sam "Skip" Skipwith, III, 4-H volunteers; and Jackie Helton, 4-H agent.

Guilford County 4-H Christopher Angel and Taylor Jones, 4-H members.

Mecklenburg County 4-H Samantha Jonker, Christen Killian, Logan McKinley, Kristen Nolan, Rebecca Oliver, Haley Rochester, 4-H members; Caroline Jonker, Phelicia Nolan, Cindy Rochester, Pat Wright, 4-H volunteers; Robert Furr, 4-H agent; and Fran Cook and Tovi Martin, 4-H staff.

Randolph County 4-H Rebecca Craven, Jenny Jackson and Kimberly Southerland, 4-H members; Cynthia Craven, 4-H volunteer; and Barbara Dunn Swanson, 4-H agent.

Rockingham County 4-H Buddy Bryson, Kreslyn Bell and Lisa Withers, 4-H members; Peggie Lewis, 4-H agent.

North Carolina 4-Hers encourage other youth to hold bake sales in their communities to raise money to fight child hunger in America. Go to www.greatamericanbakesale.org/4h to register for your bake sale. Once you hold your bake sale, tell the world about it at the Great American Bake Sale blog at www.strength.org/forum/bakesale/. Clover Corner News will be monitoring this blog for stories of 4-H bake sales and will share them in future issues.

3-Kids Bake America Better Bake Sale Sweepstakes

It's easy to enter for 4-H clubs. Simply register to hold a bake sale by visiting www.greatamericanbakesale.org. Each club that registers to hold a bake sale will be eligible to win the pizza party worth up to $500. The winning club will be determined August 31, 2004, by random drawing. 4-H clubs are automatically entered by registering to hold a bake sale on www.greatamericanbakesale.org by July 25, 2004.

The winner will be chosen at random from among all eligible entries received by the Sweepstakes Administrator, whose decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to the sweepstakes. Potential winners will be notified by mail or phone by September 2, 2004. Sweepstakes is open only to 4-H clubs that register at www.greatamericanbakesale.org to hold a bake sale. Official rules may be downloaded at gabs.4-husa.org/.

If you have further questions about this opportunity to have your 4-H members learn about cause-related fundraising and participate in a nationally-focused community service event while helping to end childhood hunger, please e-mail Todd Wexler at twexler@fourhcouncil.edu.

4-Colgate Youth Service America Campaign Honors 61 4-H Clubs
Three 4-H clubs have won top honors and 58 4-H clubs were fourth place finishers for the best community service projects in America as part of the 31st Colgate Youth for America Campaign.

Each year, clubs and troops of six national youth organizations 4-H, Girl Scouts of the USA, Boy Scouts of America, Camp Fire USA, Girls Incorporated and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are invited to enter their best community service projects for consideration for cash grants. Colgate-Palmolive launched Youth for America in 1973. Learn more about the campaign at www.youthforamerica.com.

The Kellyite 4-H Club of Lewisburg, PA, has been awarded $1,000 as the first place winner among 2,000 entries nationwide in the 4-H division. Kellyites 4-H Club members run the new town recycling center.

The rural towns of the Kellyites 4-H Club have neither garbage collection nor recycling. A state grant would provide dumpsters, but not for supervision or labor. Our club volunteered to accept materials and supervise drop-offs which was a major concern for town officials since there is no way the center could handle household trash, said Kellyites 4-H Club Volunteer Leader Helen Petre.

The Kellyites 4-H Club provides information to residents about proper sorting and preparation and accepts materials at the town recycling center two Saturdays per month all year long.

The second place award of $500 in the 4-H division goes to the Hill Toppers 4-H Club in Roseboro, NC, whose members replace burned-out light bulbs in and around the homes of local senior citizens.

With the help of community churches and schools, the Hill Toppers 4-H Club collected a list of more than 100 local senior citizens that live alone and might require assistance. Members have placed collection boxes throughout the community to collect new packs of light bulbs.

Our club recognized how critical working porch and indoor lights are to the prevention of accidents and crime. They also recognized that climbing on a ladder to replace a light bulb is challenging for many senior citizens, said Hill Toppers 4-H Club Volunteer Leader Denise Mabry-McIntyre. Hill Toppers 4-H Club members visit resident's homes and inspected all their light fixtures and replaced burned out bulbs.

The third place $300 award in the 4-H division goes to the Wildfire 4-H Club in Annandale, VA, which produced a video aimed at keeping kids safe online.

Online safety is a very timely topic. Parents should be concerned with what kids view and with whom they are communicating. Our club hosted an Internet safety class for students run by our local police and then produced a safety video and posted it online for parents, teachers and kids, said Wildfire 4-H Club Volunteer Leader Ann Stanford.

The Wildfire 4-H Club members wrote, directed and edited the video aimed at keeping kids safe online in conjunction with police, a local rock band and Kids Online, a national Internet organization.

The following 4-H clubs won $100 fourth place awards in the 4-H division:

1. Fort Dix Youth Reaching the Community 4-H Club, Ft. Dix, NJ
2. Samsonville Barnyard 4-H Club, Olivebridge, NY
3. Bagley Brook Buddies 4-H Club, De Lancey, NY
4. Lauren's Snaffles & Saddles 4-H Club and Lauren's NY Friendship Clovers 4-H Club, Penn Yan, NY
5. The Earth Girls 4-H Club, Rochester, NY
6. McKean County Livestock Club, Smethport, PA
7. Grassy Meadows 4-H Club, Pitman, PA
8. Southhampton 4-H Seeing Eye Puppy Club, Churchville, PA
9. Harrington Sunshine 4-H Club, Harrington, DE
10. Grace Super Sew-ers 4-H Club, Frederick, MD
11. Orange County 4-H Horseshoes, Gordonsville, VA
12. Happy Hunters 4-H Club, Spencer, WV
13. Greensburg Go-Getters 4-H Club, Martinsburg, WV
14. Busy Bison 4-H Club, Farmington, WV
15. Trailblazers 4-H Club, Kernersville, NC
16. Sims 4-H Club, Bailey, NC
17. Bacon County 4-H Club, Alma, GA
18. University of Florida Miami Dade 4-H Youth Development, Hialeah, FL
19. Cracker Trail Livestock 4-H Club, Sebring, FL
20. Discoverers' 4-H Club, Naples, FL
21. Tallapoosa County 4-H Clubs, Dadeville, AL
22. Rhea County Sigma Lambda Chi, Dayton, TN
23. Ms. Carr's 5th Grade 4-H Club, Johnson City, TN
24. Glenford Harvesters 4-H Club, Thornville, OH
25. Happy Hocking Helping Hands 4-H Club, Logan, OH
26. Kountry Kin 4-H Club, Bowersville, OH
27. Davisburg Busy Bees 4-H Club, Davisburg, MI
28. Perry Public Schools 4-H Technology Club, Perry, MI
29. Maple Leaf 4-H Club, Coldwater, MI
30. Franklin Go-Getters 4-H Club, Onawa, IA
31. Elk Meadow 4-H Club, Elk Mound, WI
32. Ideal 4-H Club, Menomonie, WI
33. Glencoe Jr. Pioneers 4-H Club, Glencoe, MN
34. Racine Ramblers 4-H Club, Stewartville, MN
35. Jackson County Rost Rustlers 4-H Club, Lakefield, MN
36. Black Bear 4-H Club, Lake Shore, MN
37. Heartland Helpers 4-H Club, Sioux Falls, SD
38. Whirlwinds 4-H Club, Hillsboro, IL
39. Hillsboro Clovers 4-H Club, Irving , IL
40. Logan Rams 4-H Club, West Frankfort, IL
41. CHAMPS 4-H Club, Perryville, MO
42. Tilset 4-H Club, Whitewater, MO
43. Clinton Cool Cats 4-H Club, Clinton, MO
44. Graham County 4-H Teen Leaders, Hill City, KS
45. Busy Bees 4-H Club, Howells, NE
46. Four Corners 4-H Club, Norfolk, NE
47. Columbia County Teen Leader 4-H Club, Magnolia , AR
48. Oklahoma County 4-H Club, Oklahoma City, OK
49. Teens Learning Leadership 4-H Club, Ft. Worth, TX
50. Throckmorton 4-H Club, Throckmorton, TX
51. San Antonio 4-H Leadership Club, San Antonio, TX
52. Needle Beetles 4-H Club, Pueblo, CO
53. Blacktail Hustler's 4-H Club, Hulett, WY
54. Snake River Wranglers 4-H Club, Idaho Falls, ID
55. Project Soar 4-H Youth Development, Phoenix, AZ
56. Visalia 4-H Club, Visalia, CA; Mariposa County Hi 4-H Club, Mariposa, CA
57. Spunky Bunch 4-H Club, Lihue, HI
58. Valley Venturers 4-H Club, Brewster, WA

New York 4-H teens pause for a photo during an ice breaker at the New York State Ambassador Retreat. From left to right are Jessica Heusler, Seneca County; Laura Chatterton, Oswego County; Haylee Patt, Rensselaer County; Elshadi Singer, Broome County; Emily Hutchison, Fulton/Montgomery County; Adrienne Huffman, Cortland County; Kylie VerSchneider, Lewis County; Sarah Robinson; Lindsay Meyers, Columbia County.

5-New York 4-H Ambassadors Open Retreat to All 4-H Teens in State
Youth from all over the state of New York wanted the 4-H Teen Ambassador Retreat held April 23-24, 2004, at the New York State Fair Grounds in Syracuse to be available to all 4-H New York teens, not only to the 4-H Teen Ambassadors. So, this year, the teen planning committee modified the event, which has been a retreat only for teen ambassadors, to include all 4-H teens in the state.

Extension educators served on the planning committee with the youth, representing 27 counties out of a possible 57. The weekend hosted about 100 teens and 30 chaperones. After connecting through frequent conference calls, the youth leaders reviewed how it has been run in the past, what they would like to see, and what direction they want to go in for the future. It's their event, said JoAnne Baldini, 4-H Youth Development Program Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Workshops at the New York 4-H Teen Ambassador Retreat focused on youth-adult partnerships, community development, youth voice in the community, working on public service announcements and learning how to work effectively with legislators. Each workshop was presented with a teen and adult pair.
I really enjoyed the retreat. I was in the Art of Debate workshop. The Art of Debate was very fun. It was great; we learned how to back our arguments with information, and we even got to stage a real debate, said Cortland County 4-H member Adrienne Huffman.

Youth at the retreat also wanted to be active in workshops and projects that involved making the building at the New York State Fairgrounds more attractive. These activities included painting murals on the walls and rebuilding platforms and shelving units. 4-H members were given free use of the building in return for their beautification projects. One project involved creating ceramic tiles with their individual hand-prints that were permanently affixed to the wall around the stage so that they would be able to return over the years and show that they were a part of New York 4-H. The 4-H Ambassadors will continue to add tiles around the building as a future fundraiser.

Teens at the retreat planned everything from the designs of the colorful tee shirts they wore throughout the weekend to arranging a coffee house opportunity where they could bring their own beach chairs and sit around and chill. The purpose of the weekend was to help young people gain skills to talk succinctly about the 4-H program and the value it holds in their lives.
The retreat was a great learning experience; it gave me insight into teaching others about 4-h and being confident in doing so, said Broome County 4-Her Elshadi Singer.

More teens are interested in attending the retreat every year. Plans are to rename the event the State Teen Action Rep Symposium (STAR) next year.
I had never been to this retreat before, but I am certainly looking forward to going next year! It was such a great way to get back in touch with all of the friends that I made at the State Fair. Can't wait till next year! Huffman said.

6-4-H Name and Emblem Graphic Standards Guide Now Available
National 4-H Headquarters, Cooperative State Research and Education Service (CSREES), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has issued Using the 4-H Name and Emblem, a new four-page, easy-to-use quick graphic standards guide that outlines basics about use of the 4-H name and emblem.

The new guide, which is available for download at www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/4h_name.htm along with official versions of the 4-H emblem for print and the web, outlines who is permitted to use the 4-H name and emblem, how to get that permission and the graphics standards basics for using it. Printed copies of the guide will be available by mid-summer.

The 4-H name and emblem, with its focus on Head, Heart, Hands and Health represent the ideals of the 4-H youth development program of the land-grant universities, CSREES and USDA and all the program has achieved in its more than a century of existence. Because of all that it stands for, the 4-H emblem is protected by 18 USC 707 in the United States Code.

This status in a category similar to the Presidential Seal and the Olympic Emblem grants the 4-H emblem federal protection that supercedes the limited authorities of a trademark or copyright. The Secretary of Agriculture, a member of the President's Cabinet has responsibility for the 4-H emblem at the direct request of Congress.

For more in-depth 4-H name and emblem information or clarification, call Chuck Graves, National Program Coordinator, National 4-H Headquarters, CSREES, USDA at (202) 720-3566 or cgraves@csrees.usda.gov.

7-National 4-H HQ Seeks National 4-H Conference Planning Committee Members
National 4-H Headquarters, United States Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for youth and adult participation on the 75th National 4-H Conference Planning Committee. National 4-H Conference is scheduled for April 1-6, 2005.

Known as the Secretary's Conference, National 4-H Headquarters sponsors National 4-H Conference, a national working conference for youth and adult delegates. National 4-H Conference Planning Committee members serve in an advisory role during the planning phase and lead on-site during the Conference.

National 4-H Headquarters currently is accepting applications for 4-H professionals. Applications also are being accepted for youth who have strong technical skills, represent an 1890 institution or 1994 land grant university, or are affiliated with a 4-H military program. The application process for youth delegates who attended the 74th National 4-H Conference and for National 4-H Youth Directions Council members is now closed.

For more information and copies of the application materials, contact Maria Parisi, Conference Coordinator, National 4-H Headquarters, Families, 4-H and Nutrition, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, USDA at 202-720-8857 or mparisi@csrees.usda.gov.

8-4-H Volunteers USA: A New Web site By, For and About 4-H Volunteers!
As 4-H works to advance the power of youth in a changing world, we realize that we could not do so without the time, commitment and input of the exceptional youth and adult volunteers that are the heart of all 4-H programs.

To that end, National 4-H Council, through the support of Fleischmann's Yeast and the Cadeau Foundation, is in the process of building a brand new Web site that will be a virtual community for current and potential 4-H volunteers as well as those interested in volunteer activities.

The new site, 4-H Volunteers USA, has three main objectives: it will provide support and resources to individuals currently volunteering with 4-H; it will support 4-H professionals who work with volunteers; and it will provide people new to 4-H with an entry point to the organization.

We recognize that state 4-H organizations have already developed an abundance of good material that serves these purposes; our hope is to pull together the best material available, locate it on one site, and fill in gaps where necessary. We are looking outside the organization for content that addresses our goals, also. Of course, we want the site to be a boon to state organizations, and we hope to produce something that both your professionals and your volunteers find very useful. Additionally, states will benefit as new volunteers who visit the national site are routed to your doorstep.

There are two ways that you can help in building 4-H Volunteers USA:

1) Send us your great content! If you have web content on your state site, or know of web content elsewhere that you would like to see listed in one of the subject areas below, please email the website to soder.5@osu.edu tell us briefly what you like about it. Maybe your state site has a terrific section on volunteer fundraising. Maybe you've just finished a wonderful piece on volunteer position descriptions. Our goal is to "Make the best better,"with your help, by combining the best state material on the national site.

Content areas include: Project Suggestions, Fundraising, Youth Development, Curricula/Publications, Running Your 4-H Club, Volunteer Recruitment and Selection, Volunteer Position Descriptions, Volunteer Orientation and Training, Volunteer Supervision, Performance Management, Recognitio, Risk Management and Professional Development

2) Tell us your story! 4-H Volunteers USA will also spotlight great 4-H volunteer programs and initiatives throughout the country. We hope to collect enough stories so that these can be shared on the site's homepage on a monthly basis. If you would like to have your program (or an activity undertaken by your program) considered for the Volunteer Spotlight, please email a brief description (1 page or less) along with full contact information to jzaniewski@fourhcouncil.edu Programs should be clearly identifiable as 4-H.

With new volunteers finding their way to your state organization, with terrific volunteer support materials, and with phenomenal volunteer management tools, we believe this national site will be well worth your effort in supporting it. Thank you for your assistance!

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

9-Research and Practice: A Two-Way Street
Conference Proceedings from the National AfterSchool Association (formerly
NSACA) 2004 Leadership Day, Research and Evaluation Track

Due to the overwhelming demand for the research and evaluation information
presented in this year's research and evaluation leadership day track,
Harvard Family Research Project and the Forum for Youth Investment prepared
a summary of the day.

This document provides an overview of the panel sessions, including summaries of speakers' remarks, presentation slides, contact information for each panelist, and a list of the key resources cited during the day. Since the primary goal of the session was to provide an opportunity for meaningful, shared dialogue between researchers and practitioners, the summary begins with a presentation of the key research questions that practitioners posed to panelists throughout the day.

Summaries are provided for each of the panel discussions:

*Research and Practice Perspectives on Out-of-School Time Programs and
Participation--presentation and discussion with Beth Miller, Sandra
Simpkins Chaput, Priscilla Little, and Alicia Wilson-Alhstrom.

*Getting Inside the Black Box: How and Why After School Programs Work--presentation and discussion with Jodie Roth, Christina Borbely, and Alicia
Wilson-Ahlstrom.

*What Research and Practice Tell Us About Participation and Retention--
presentation and discussion with Dale A. Blyth, Lynne M. Borden, Mary S.
Marczak, and Sandra Simpkins Chaput.

Research and Practice: A Two-Way Street conference proceedings can be found
online at both:

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool/conference/nsaca-2004.html

www.forumforyouthinvestment.org/resspeech.htm#nsaca04feb