4-H NEWS

1-Tenth Annual Search Under Way for the Nation's Top Youth Volunteers

(Washington, DC) Over the past nine years, Prudential Spirit of Community Awards have been given to more than 55,000 middle and high school students many of them 4-Hers across the country for helping the less fortunate, promoting health and safety, protecting the environment and serving their communities through many other volunteer activities. The search begins this week to identify thousands more who have made meaningful contributions to their communities over the past 12 months, as the prestigious awards program enters its 10th anniversary year.

"We've seen a tremendous number of remarkable young people since we created this program in 1995," said Prudential Chairman and CEO Arthur F. Ryan. "We're delighted to be able to call attention to their selfless acts of volunteerism and to give them the recognition they so richly deserve."

4-H agents should plan now to nominate your top youth volunteers for The 2005 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. All county 4-H agents should have received detailed program information and applications in the mail. Information and applications also are available at www.prudential.com/spirit or by calling 1-888-450-9961. Eligible 4-Hers in your county must complete their application forms by Oct. 29, 2004, and your county's top application(s) must be postmarked to the state-level judging committee by Nov. 5, 2004.
Return to top

2-Smith Mountain Lake 4-H Center Renamed to Honor Former Virginia Tech Dean
By: Douglas McAllister, mcallist@vt.edu

(Blacksburg, VA) The Smith Mountain Lake 4-H Educational and Conference Center will change its name to the W. E. Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center at Smith Mountain Lake to recognize the man who helped create the facility and who has been one of its strongest supporters for nearly four decades.

The popular camping and conference facility will be renamed to honor Dr. Bill Skelton, dean emeritus of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Program at Virginia Tech. Skelton is considered the catalyst for developing the center as a year-round, multi-use conference center from its origin as a summer-only 4-H youth camp site.

Skelton was honored at a ceremony at the Smith Mountain Lake center September 9, 2004. He played a key role in the creation of the Smith Mountain Lake center, which opened in 1966. He continues to volunteer at the center, something he has been doing for past 37 years. Skelton is widely known for his untiring efforts to secure annual funding for camper scholarships and capital improvements. He has been involved with 4-H for more than 70 years and is a member of the National 4-H Hall of Fame.

The training I received in 4-H was a major factor in preparing me for a successful professional career, Skelton said. I know the benefits I received as a 4-H member, and I want to help other young people enjoy the same experience.

But Skelton also saw the need for 4-H summer camps to become more than just a positive summertime experience for school students. Virginia Tech's Extension program has been a key example of the university's commitment to outreach. By changing summer camps to conference centers, Skelton helped create an environment that not only served more summer campers in better ways, but also served the broader community throughout the year.

His ideas have resulted in establishment of six conference centers in Virginia, serving all the state's geographical areas. The W. E. Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center at Smith Mountain Lake serves 22 counties and cities in central and western Virginia. The facility is described as America's leading 4-H Center. About 105,000 campers have attended the center since it opened in 1966.

Skelton was director of Virginia Cooperative Extension from 1965 to 1976. He served in many roles including as delegate to two National White House Conferences on Youth and another as national president of the Extension honorary organization, Epsilon Sigma Phi. He was president of Rotary International in 1983 and traveled around the world meeting with major world leaders and Rotarians in many nations.


Dr. Bill Skelton, dean emeritus of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Program at Virginia Tech.
Return to top

3-Park Dedicated in Honor of AB Graham
By: Martha Filipic, filipic.3@osu.edu

(Springfield, OH) - A.B. Graham would have been proud.

On a bright, cool August day, statues of Graham and two original 4-H'ers were unveiled at a new 4-H city "pocket park" in Springfield, tucked right next to the old county courthouse where Graham and the students first met for a Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Experiment Club on Jan. 15, 1902.

The Aug. 12 unveiling capped off the dedication of the park, which contains the life-size statues of Graham and two club members; four 14-foot-tall metal H's, each representing the four 4-H pledges; and a plaque commemorating the 4-H Pledge: "I pledge my head to clearer thinking; my heart to greater loyalty; my hands to larger service; and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country and my world."

Keynote speaker Ann Veneman, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, said today's 4-H'ers come from rural areas, small towns, big cities and the suburbs. One-third are minorities. "But all share common values and beliefs of leadership, self-improvement, volunteerism and good citizenship," she said, adding that 4-H has grown into the largest youth development program in the world, with 90,000 clubs and 7 million young people participating worldwide.

Bobby Moser, vice president and dean of Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, which oversees Ohio 4-H and other programs of Ohio State University Extension, agreed. "Four-H is still in rural areas, but also in the cities and inner cities. The model that A.B. Graham started works with kids everywhere," he said.

To view the rest of the article click here.


(Springfield, OH) Dignitaries join in the unveiling of the 4-H park, including (from left to right) Representative David Hobson; Ann Veneman, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture; Allyssa Armstrong and Andrew Armstrong, 4-H members; Mike Majors, statue sculptor; Jim Graham, grandson of A B Graham; and Dr. Bob Moser, Vice-President of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University.


(Springfield, OH) Park is unveiled with four 14-foot large H statues representing the 4-H pledge.
Return to top

4-4-H Girls attend Earth Summit in New York City

(West Baton Rouge Parish, LA) Dawn Jason, Katie LeBlanc and Lindsey Tassin recently returned from New York City after attending the Girls for Planet Earth Summit. Accompanied by their chaperone, Janet Tassin, the three 4-Hers received training in conservation to further their project with the Bayou Bat Brigade 4-H Club.

Their club focuses on preserving the bat population around the West Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana. They realize that bats can be instrumental in mosquito control, but their habitats have been threatened by the expanding housing development in the area. In order to preserve some of the population, they have been building bat boxes to place around their parish. They have also been educating young school children to remove some of the negative myths about bats.

The youth attended the Summit after receiving a grant through the Girls for Planet Earth program and the Wildlife Conservation Society. During their stay, the youth worked in the Bronx Zoo learning about numerous endangered animals, went behind the scenes at the New York Aquarium and tested the water on Coney Island Beach. The 4-H members also joined the other award recipients for educational sessions.

We learned that there are many different jobs at the zoo besides the zookeeper and the curator. Now, we can consider careers in conservation that we didn't know existed. This trip also made us more aware of how our everyday actions effect the world's environment, the teens said.

In addition to learning about conservation, the 4-Hers had time to enjoy some of New York's finest tourist destinations including Rockefeller Center, Ground Zero, Battery Park, NBC Studios (including the Today Show), and Broadway.

Click here to enjoy more of their experiences. For more information on Teens for Planet Earth, click here.


Lindsey Tassin, Katie LeBlanc, & Dawn Jason (from left to right) enjoy some time off in Battery Park.
Return to top

5-2004 National 4-H Youth in Action/Community Tree Planting Grant Deadline Extended

Funding Provided by Deft, Inc.
$500-$1,750
Application Deadline CHANGED TO: Friday, September 24, 2004

Grant Description:

The 2004 National 4 H Council Youth in Action/Community Tree Planting Grant will offer youth grants in the amounts of $500 to $1,750 to 4-H/Extension groups in local communities, in counties, and at the state level. These grants provide opportunities for young people and adults to take action on issues critical to their lives, their families, and their communities. The youth grants program puts resources directly into the hands of youth, and their involvement at all stages is very significant. Youth take the lead in the design of the project, the proposal writing process, the implementation, and the evaluation of funded projects. The grants are offered only to 4-H/Extension Programs in the United States and its territories.

A complete announcement and application can be found at www.grants.n4h.org
by clicking in the left-hand margin under "Tree Planting." The application deadline has been changed to Friday, September 24, 2004.
Return to top

6-National 4-H Week Media Tools Available on the Web

The theme of National 4-H Week, October 3-9, 2004, is 4-H Online! in recognition of 4-H's leadership among youth development organizations using the Internet and the launch of 4husa.org, a web site exclusively for, by and about youth. Media tools to promote National 4-H Week are still available at www.4husablogs.org/national4-hweek2004.

4-H clubs and county and state 4-H programs will be able to showcase their websites to the media and will be asked to cross promote 4-husa.org during National 4-H Week. Media tools include a customizable media alert and a customizable news release, digital photos of the 4-HUSA Web Crew, links to the 4-H emblem and its graphic standards, tips to get great media coverage for 4-H and ideas for 4-H Online! events.
Return to top

7-4-Hers Begin New Demolition Derby Car Project

(Hartford, MI) The Young Explorers 4-H Club, Gobles, have a crashing idea. The club began a new project to reconstruct a demolition derby car to compete in the local contest.

The car, officially numbered 04-H, was created from donated Cadillac parts by community families, junkyards and local retailers. 4-H youth completed all renovation tasks which included removal of interior, windows, and bumpers, an engine tune-up, welding doors, installation of snow tires and a custom paint job (complete with the 4-H Clover!)

In addition to the car being entered in the demolition derby, the youth also received blue ribbons for their 4-H project areas, including welding, automotive and painting. The driver, Paul Callens, 17, was selected from a drawing of names submitted by youth, ages 16 and up, who worked on the car.

The car was on display at the Van Buren Youth Fair for six days prior to the derby on July 25, 2004 at the Van Buren Fairgrounds. Family and friends of the club members watched and cheered for 04-H through the end of the third heat. The car will compete again in September at the 2004 Allegan Fair.

The project is led by Young Explorers 4-H Automotive and Welding Leader Steve Massey. For more information on the project, contact Denise Massey at
massey49055@yahoo.com.


Members of the Young Explorers 4-H Club with their car. (From left to right) Ted Fritz, Dylan Burke, Nic Massey, Isaac Green, Marc VanHeukelum, Ben Fritz, Brian Hayward, Paul Callens (DRIVER), Keili Howard, Tammy Smith, Katy Massey, and Corrine Callens.
Return to top

8-San Diego 4-H Receives Backpack Donation

(National City, CA) The San Diego 4-H Youth Education Foundation received 1,000 backpacks on August 25th as a part of Office Depot's Backpack Donation Day.

The backpacks are being distributed to students attending the before-school program in National City. The before-school program serves well over 1,000 children per morning in a very low-income area. The majority of the children do not own backpacks. Some of the backpacks will be used as an incentive to those children that attend the before-school intervention programs that encourage additional studies to those children in academic danger.


Dakota Koenig and Susan Connors (Westview Elementary), Kristen Akanewich and Jan Cook (San Diego 4-H Youth Education Foundation), Gordon Brown (San Diego Inner City Youth Golfer Foundation), Clint Taylor (Extended Learning Coordinator for the National School), Amarie Riley, Kyrishaa McClay, Kijonnae McClay, Kyonna McClay, Ayanna Riley and Sheri Williams (Members of the San Diego Inner City Youth Golfers Foundation).
Return to top

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

9-Impact through Education Conference

The fourth annual Outreach Scholarship Conference will be held at the Penn State Conference Center from October 3-5, 2004. This year's theme is Impact through Engagement: Engaging Communities and Changing Lives.

The conference offers an opportunity to explore the impact of outreach scholarship and institutional engagement on colleges and universities; their faculty, students, and staff; and the communities they share. The goals of the conference are to better understand the impact that institutions of higher education can have in society and to share models for effective outreach and engagement. Penn State, Ohio State, and University of Wisconsin-Extension are pleased to welcome the University of Georgia this year as a sponsor for the Outreach Scholarship Conference.

For registration information, click here.
Return to top

10-October: Month of the Young Adolescent

October is the Month of the Young Adolescent, an annual national collaborative effort of education, health, and youth-oriented organizations. Initiated by the National Middle School Association (NMSA), the Month of the Young Adolescent brings together a wide range of organizations to focus on the needs of this important age range, ages 10- 15.

Four key messages will be promoted throughout the month of October. They are:
The importance of parents being knowledgeable about young adolescents and being actively involved in their lives;
The understanding that healthy bodies plus healthy minds equal healthy young adolescents;
The realization that the education young adolescents experience during this formative period of life will, in large measure, determine the future for all citizens; and
The knowledge that every young adolescent should have the opportunity to pursue his or her dreams and aspirations, and post-secondary education should be a possibility for all.

To learn more and see how you can get involved, click here.
Return to top

11-The Forum for Youth Investment Seeks Input on Upcoming Publication

The Forum for Youth Investment is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping communities and the nation make sure all young people are ready by 21 ready for work, college and life. They are looking for information on programs involved in innovative partnerships during out-of-school time with museums, parks or libraries. If your club or someone you know can contribute, please send a short email description to Alicia Wilson-Ahlstrom at alicia@forumforyouthinvestment.org. They are interested in collecting examples that may be featured in an upcoming issue of the Forum's Out-of-School Time Policy Commentary Series due out in January 2005.

For more information on the Forum and how to access past and future publications, click here.
Return to top

12-Volkswagen Presents Fasten Your Seat Belt...Go Far!

For a second straight year, Volkswagen of America, Inc. and Scholastic Marketing Partners are joining forces to help thwart the number-one killer of American teenagers by encouraging them to buckle up. In what is best described as a national health tragedy, more than 5,500 teens lose their lives in car crashes every year and about two thirds of these teens would have survived if they had simply used safety belts.

The three finalists' videos in this year's contest will be broadcast during MTV's Total Request Live (TRL) commercial time on September 13. Consult your local listings for the correct airtime. The finalists' PSA will also be posted at www.vw.com/seatbelt where you can vote for your favorite one.

To get a copy of the video or see how you can help, please write to Anna Matuszewska at Volkswagen of America, Inc., 3800 Hamlin Road, Auburn Hills, MI 48326. Click here for curriculum kit materials.
Return to top