4-H NEWS

1-Indiana 4-H Centennial Celebrated With $7.5 Million Renovation

(Indianapolis, IN) Indiana 4-H celebrated its centennial with the dedication August 11, 2004, of the Indiana State Fair's Centennial Hall, 55,000 square feet of modern exhibit, office and living space for Indiana 4-H to fill with projects and interactive learning stations that will help make the fairgrounds 4-H Educational Complex the premiere 4-H showplace in the country.

More than 300,000 Hoosiers are part of the 7 million youth nationwide involved in 4-H. They were represented at the dedication by a group of Indiana 4-H youth including Elizabeth Perkins of Hendricks County, who opened her speech with the 4-H message, 4-H is a community of young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.

Other 4-Hers involved in the event were Amy Nakanishi, Hamilton County; Dustin Potts, Warrick County; Celia Anez, Danie Anez and Nathan Lipson, Marion County; Jeff Carrell, Boone County; and Ashley Broady, Tippecanoe County.

The renovation of the 4-H Educational Complex is part of a $7.5 million facelift that also includes an upgrade to the 4-H Exhibit Hall and the area immediately in front of the buildings, now known as Farm Bureau Insurance Celebration Park.

The facility includes youth interactive learning stations:

Digital Kids Computer Lab by Apple where kids perform a variety of computer-based activities like video editing, music loading and photo digitizing

Kids in the Kitchen by Whirlpool Corporation, hhgregg, MasterBrand cabinets and Doughmakers where kids prepare nutritious snacks and conduct various cooking demonstrations

Kids n Stitches by Eastwood Middle School, Coats & Clark and Jo-Ann Stores, Inc., where kids make quilts that will be donated to area homeless shelters

Lowe's Kids Woodshop by Lowe's Home Improvement where kids cut and assemble art easels for Head Start centers

In 2005, a Pioneer Hi-Bred Kids Discovery Lab will be added where kids will demonstrate a variety of science-related activities.

The 4-H Education Complex at the Indiana State Fair affords us the opportunity to show the public not only the breadth of what we do in the 4-H Program, but also how we do it, said Renee McKee, assistant director of Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service and program leader for 4-H Youth Development in Indiana. We will have youth and adults working side-by-side in our interactive displays demonstrating a variety of 4-H activities and subject matters. Many of the items made during the fair will be donated to several Indianapolis area agencies for distribution to those with identified needs.

The Indiana 4-H Foundation is seeking gifts to furnish the 4-H Educational Complex. Visit http://www.4h.org/renovationContribution.php for more information.


(Indianapolis, IN) Top: Indiana 4-Her Elizabeth Perkins shares the message, 4-H is a community of young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills, with the crowd at the dedication of the renovated 4-H Educational Complex at the Indiana State Fair. Bottom: 4-Hers help with the ribbon cutting ceremony

2-4-H Volunteers Receive National Salute to Excellence Awards

(Washington, DC) Eleanore Getz and Hiedi Brown are the 2004 recipients of National 4-H Council's Salute to Excellence Awards. Getz was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award while Brown received the Volunteer of the Year award.

Getz has been involved with 4-H for 40 years, first as a 4-H member, then a 4-H volunteer. Now, she trains others throughout her state to be the best 4-H volunteers they can be. She helped found her county and state 4-H volunteer leaders associations and create the North Carolina 4-H Master Volunteer Program, which provides 4-H volunteers in her state with specialized training with the agreement that they will train other volunteers. It pretty much goes without saying that Getz is a North Carolina 4-H Master Volunteer.

4-H has always been a part of my life. My parents were 4-H leaders, and my brother and I were members of their club, My husband taught woodworking classes as an activity leader for our youth. My children grew up as very active 4-H members, excelling in various projects and competitions. Both my children now are active in their communities as advocates for children. 4-H, for me, is not just an organization for which I volunteer. It is a way of life, Getz said.

Brown's involvement over the past six years has focused on the Miakka Allstock 4-H Club in Sarasota, FL. The club's membership has grown to nearly 100 since she became leader. In fact, the club is so large that Brown has recruited 15 adults to be volunteer project leaders, so that youth would not only have a wide choice of projects but also would get the mentoring that is such a big part of the 4-H experience.

Brown loves being a 4-H volunteer because she learns right along with the young people in her club. I have had great opportunities to help other children learn, and, at the same time, I am able to learn about subjects that are new to me. I never thought I would know the digestive system of a cow! Brown said.

Gene and Sharon Swackhamer created the 4-H Salute to Excellence Awards to emphasize the important work of 4-H volunteers across the nation. Recipients of the award are honored with commemorative plaques; monetary awards, part of which must be used for a community service project of each recipient's choosing; and a trip to the National 4-H Youth Conference Center, near Washington, DC.

The awards are made possible through Monsanto Company and the Salute to Excellence Fund. Contact Carolyn Fernandez at National 4-H Council at (301) 961-2893 or cfernandez@fourhcouncil.edu for more information about how you can support the Salute to Excellence Fund.


(Washington, DC) Hiedi Brown and Eleanore Getz are the recipients of National 4-H Council's 2004 Salute to Excellence Awards. From left are Dr. Cathann Kress, Director of Youth Development, National 4-H Headquarters, CSREES, USDA; Brown; Jim Travis, Director of Government Affairs, Monsanto Company; Getz; Gene and Sharon Swackhamer, the awards founders; and Don Floyd, President and CEO, National 4-H Council.

3-Alabama 4-H National Forestry Champions Again

(Auburn, AL) Alabama's 2004 4-H Forestry Judging Team has kept the state's winning tradition intact by taking first place at the 25th annual National 4-H Forestry Invitational. This win marks the 14th national championship for Alabama 4-H Forestry teams, which is why forestry judging has become one of the most successful team-oriented events in the history of Alabama 4-H and its parent organization, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

This year's invitational was held at Jackson's Mill State 4-H Camp and Conference Center near Weston, W. Va. Alabama was one of 17 states competing.

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4-Utah 4-H Volunteers Recognized with Points of Light Awards

(Salt Lake City, UT) Two Utah 4-H volunteer leaders, Tanna Baxter and Marilyn Dahl, have been recognized with the Utah Governor's Points of Light Award, with Tanna Baxter having also been recognized with the National Points of Light Award.


(Salt Lake City, UT) Tanna Baxter receives her award from Governor Olene Walker.

Baxter has been actively involved in 4-H since 1978, working in many capacities on both the state and local level. She has served as president of the State Volunteer Council and as chair of the annual statewide volunteer leader conference, Leadermete. In addition to her work with youth, Baxter has been an exemplary mentor to new 4-H volunteer leaders.


(Salt Lake City, UT) Marilyn Dahl receives the Points of Light award from Lt. Governor Gayle McKeachnie.

Dahl has been very actively involved for 52 years, serving in many roles including club leader, county council secretary, vice president and president and has chaired the county 4-H talent contest for 20 years. She has expanded her efforts by serving as a mentor in the 4-H Youth and Families with Promise mentoring program, as both a volunteer and county coordinator recruiting senior age mentors.

Nominate a dedicated 4-H volunteer for the Points of Light Award at http://www.pointsoflight.org/.

5-CWF Comes to a Close

(Washington, DC) Nearly 2,000 youth from 36 states visited the National 4-H Youth Conference Center over seven weeks this summer to participate in Citizenship Washington Focus, a 4-H leadership program for high school youth.

The program focuses on broadening the teens appreciation and respect for themselves and others in the world so that they become even better citizens and more successful individuals.

Participants attend workshops, committees, field trips and social events, giving them hands-on opportunities to learn and grow.

CWF program assistants, young adults recruited from across the nation, acted as tour guides and event coordinators for each group their stay. We all learned a lot about working with others and ourselves using the limited resources we had to create an outstanding program, constantly keeping the youth in mind. We really wanted the youth to have a positive experience and come way saying it was the best experience they had ever had, said 2004 CWF Program Assistant Becky Pahr of Minnesota.

Plans for the 2005 Citizenship Washington Focus already are underway. CWF delegates can expect some changes over the next few years as the program focuses more on 4-H's youth in governance initiative. Although much of the traditional CWF program will remain, delegates in 2005 will learn what it means to take action in government and how they can become active at the local, state and national levels today.

For more information, visit the CWF website at www.cwf.n4h.org or e-mail Stacy Carrell, Staff Assistant, at scarrell@fourhcouncil.edu. Details about how to participate in the National 4-H Youth Conference Center's 2005 CWF program as a program assistant or delegate will follow in future articles of Clover Corner News.

6-Knox 4-H-ers Clipping, Snipping and Pinning to Raise Money So Soldiers Can Call Home

(Fort Knox, KY) Some were very precise as they measured the red, white, and blue ribbon before cutting the long pieces into smaller ones. Others were less precise, but still focused on the task: hand-crafting several small lapel pins.

A group of about 18 gathered at the Devers Youth Center at Fort Knox recently to meet Tony Rose of Elizabethtown and hear his idea to get area 4-H-ers involved in a national recognition effort on behalf of active and retired military personnel.

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(Fort Knox, KY) From the right, Brittany Dukes cuts a ribbon as part of a 4-H project with her friends, Karissa Jackson and Jessica Lynette.

Special thanks to Jerianne Strange and the Hardin County (KY) News Enterprise for the article and photo.

7-National 4-H Dairy Conference to Celebrate 50 Years of Memories

The 50th anniversary of the National 4-H Dairy Conference is September 26-29, 2004 on the University of Wisconsin Madison Campus.

About 200 youth will join together for the conference, which is held in conjunction with the World Dairy Expo. Participants learn about production, processing, marketing and use of dairy products, and develop a broader understanding of careers available in dairy production, biotechnology, genetics, marketing and other selected areas. The conference consists of participatory workshops on the University of Wisconsin campus, speakers, tours and visiting the World Dairy Expo.

Previous participants recall fond memories from past years. Carol Knowlton Ward, a 1977 conference attendee, said it was the National 4-H Dairy Conference that helped her decide to become a 4-H agent.

It was after that trip I decided to attend the University of Connecticut to get a degree in animal science and then Clemson University to get a master's in dairy science so I could be a 4-H agent, she said. I have been a 4-H agent in New Jersey as a faculty member of Rutgers University since January 1986 and consider myself to be one of the success stories the conference produced.

Alumni will be celebrating the golden anniversary with a reception from 4-6 p.m. September 29, 2004 at the Marriott West Hotel followed by a banquet with the 2004 conference delegates. Motivational speaker Dan Clark and a surprise nationally-known entertainer from Nashville, TN, will join the celebration.

For more information or to register for the 50th anniversary celebration, visit http://www.uwex.edu/ces/4h/dairyconf/ or call Chairperson Ron Orth at 515-292-2667.

8-New Fact Sheet Available from Building Partnerships for Youth

The Building Partnerships for Youth project is pleased to announce the release of the new fact sheet, "A youth development approach to abstinence education for 9 to 13 year olds: Support from the literature."

The purpose of this document is to provide support for the relationship between youth development and sexual abstinence in young people. Feel free to cut and paste, with proper citation. This document is for use in grant proposals, presentations, and other works required to demonstrate support for using a youth development approach in abstinence education programs.

Click here to read the article.

9-Online Courses Available for Youth Organization Volunteers and Leaders

Michigan State University is offering two online courses geared toward youth organization volunteers and leaders. Registration is open until September 17, 2004 or when classes are full. Both classes require a $150 registration fee.

The first class, Community-Based Service Learning 101, is being offered from October 4 through November 19, 2004. The web-based training will help you put community-based service learning concepts into action for your youth program. The full course description, syllabus and registration are available on the Web at http://www.msue.msu.edu/cyf/youth/commserv/cbsl101.

The second class, Jump through JIFF: A Web-Based Class to Teach Youth Food and Fitness Activities is being offered from October 11 through November 24, 2004. During this online class you will learn how physical fitness and nutrition can help children avoid becoming overweight.

The course is designed to help you put nutrition and physical activity concepts into action in your community and youth programming. For more information on computer requirements, syllabus and registration, go to: http://www.msue.msu.edu/cyf/youth/jiff/JIFFcourse/

For questions with either online program please contact Cynthia B. Mark, Ph.D., Program Leader, 4-H Youth Development, at 517-432-7602 or markc@msue.msu.edu.

10-New Database Available for Research

The Research, Education and Extension Service (REEIS) recently developed a 4-H enrollment database (state, regional, and national) for 1996-2003. The database can be viewed from their website at http://www.reeis.usda.gov. Once on the website, simply click the "Reports" tab and you will see the 4-H datasets. Pass the REEIS link along to other 4-H leaders and members that might get use out of this data.

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

11-Nickelodeon's Let's Just Play Grant

Nickelodeon has announced they are accepting applications for their Let's Just Play Grant. The grant is available to elementary and middle schools grades K through 9 (public and not-for-profit private) and after-school community-based organizations with 501(c)(3) status. Applicants must also demonstrate the need for funding, provide a comprehensive and creative plan for using the funds to initiate or expand opportunities for active physical play in their organization, and participate in Nickelodeon's Worldwide Day of Play (October 2, 2004) and provide verifiable documentation. Grants must be postmarked by November 1, 2004 for eligibility and can be downloaded at http://www.nick.com/all_nick/everything_nick/public_ljpgrants2.jhtml

12-Start Planning for Make a Difference Day Now

Make A Difference Day began with a simple idea: Put your own cares on hold for one day to care for someone else. Now in its 13th year, the nation's largest single day of volunteering has hit its stride. Join The national day of doing good on October 23, 2004 with your 4-H club. For ideas visit: www.makeadifferenceday.com