4-H News:

4-H Brand Network Intranet Site Premieres October 1

The 4-H Brand Network intranet site will be available October 1st.

Are you looking for ways to promote your next 4-H event? Have you ever wondered how other 4-H clubs around the country market their programs? Would you like to share unique ways you’ve promoted 4-H in your community? Then the new 4-H Brand Network intranet site is for you!

The 4-H Brand Network intranet site premieres October 1. It is an interactive resource and forum that will make promoting 4-H easier than ever before! Anyone involved in 4-H can join the 4-H Brand Network and use the site to learn, share and apply ideas, tools and resources to promote the 4-H brand.

The 4-H Brand Network is the first community of its kind comprised of 4-H brand advocates who work to strengthen the 4-H image. 4-H members, volunteers, staff and alumni interested in increasing awareness of 4-H are invited to join.

If you are interested in receiving more information about the 4-H Brand Network, visit 4HMediaResources.org to sign up. If you have any questions, contact Laura Phillips Garner at lgarner@fourhcouncil.edu or 301-961-2973 or Allyson McMahan at amcmahan@fourhcouncil.edu or 301-961-2915.
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National 4-H Week Less than a Month Away

National 4-H Week is October 1-7, 2006.

National 4-H Week—October 1-7, 2006—is less than a month away. Are you looking for items to promote National 4-H Week in your community? Look no further! 4HMediaResources.org is your place to download materials.

The complete kit contains logos, print materials, ads, media relations materials, tip sheets, activity ideas and more. Many of the materials are available in a version that you can easily save and open in Microsoft Word, customize with your community and contact information and print on color printers. All files are in .jpeg (graphics), Adobe .PDF and Microsoft Word. A link to help you download the Adobe Reader software is right on the site.

4-H members and volunteers across the country are using the materials to promote National 4-H Week in their communities. Click here to see how one 4-H club in Washington state used a public service announcement (PSA) script from the National 4-H Week kit to create a radio PSA on the Web.

We hope you find the materials helpful. Good luck promoting National 4-H Week in your community! Once you have used the tools provided, please take a moment to fill out our survey so we can make National 4-H Week 2007 even better!

If you have any questions, please contact Allyson McMahan at amcmahan@fourhcouncil.edu or 301-961-2915.
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4-H Volunteers USA Web Site Upgraded

4-H Volunteers USA has been upgraded to help 4-H volunteers across America.

Looking for a program to engage your 4-H members? Need a 4-H officer installation ceremony? Answers to these questions and more can be found at the newly upgraded 4-H Volunteers USA Web site.

Sponsored by ACH Foods and UPS and hosted by National 4-H Council, 4-H Volunteers USA offers a wide variety of resources including links to even more information provided at National 4-H Headquarters, CSREES, USDA; state land-grant universities and other organizations. Click on Tools and Resources to find information about youth development, 4-H specific resources and volunteer management. There is also a section of resources that have been translated into Spanish.

The 4-H Volunteers USA home page includes timely information about regional and national 4-H events. Want to know about the upcoming Regional 4-H Volunteer Leader Forums? Go to the calendar of events page. You will find links to the 4-H Web sites of all 50 states, and a collection of resources for 4-H promotion that may help you with National 4-H Week and other 4-H promotional opportunities.

Stay tuned to Clover Corner News as new features, including on-line 4-H volunteer training and on-line 4-H volunteer forums hosted by a nationally recognized 4-H volunteer specialists, are posted to the site.
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National 4-H Council Names Michael Carr SVP of Marketing Communications

Michael Carr, new senior vice president of marketing communications for National 4-H Council, meets with Donald T Floyd, Jr., president and CEO.

Donald T. Floyd, Jr., president and CEO, National 4-H Council, announces the appointment of Michael D. Carr to the position of senior vice president of marketing communications. Carr will head strategic marketing communications and brand management programs for National 4-H Council. He will be responsible for the primary team initiative to effect system-wide adoption of a focus on marketing and communicating the image of the modern 4-H movement to the public at large and key target audiences. He joined National 4-H Council August 15.

"Michael Carr has an extensive strategic communications management background in the educational, agency and government fields," said Floyd. "His expertise in brand image management and grassroots outreach will be a valuable asset as National 4-H Council works to strengthen the 4-H brand, and the 4-H youth development movement, across America."

Carr most recently served as the director of public affairs at the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), a global organization that promotes excellence in school leadership, serves as the voice for middle and high school level principals, and administers the National Honor Society (NHS), National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) and National Association of Student Councils (NASC). During his six years there, his achievements include establishing the relevancy of NASSP as a strong national advocate for school leadership within the educational community, increasing membership and increasing foundation grant funding by 150%. He also re-branded the NASSP image by developing a new logo, tag line, mission statement and key message points, and redesigning their publications and Web site.

Prior to NASSP, Carr was associate vice president/deputy group director at Widmeyer Communications, where he re-branded the Selective Service System with a new image that resonated more effectively with male youth. His political experience includes serving as a Congressional liaison and special assistant to the Secretary of the US Department of Education; supervisor, office of presidential personnel at the White House; and deputy state press secretary, South Carolina for the 1992 Clinton/Gore presidential campaign.

Carr earned a M.A. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.
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4-H Community Mapping Program Receives International Recognition

A delegation of 44 youth and adult leaders presented a series of educational workshops on the youth-led community mapping projects and how they are leading their communities to identify social, economic and environmental conditions that need improvement.

The youth presented the 4-H Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program to an international audience of more than 13,500 GIS professionals from 127 countries at the Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) International Users Conference held in San Diego, Calif. Jack Dangermund, founder of ESRI, praised 4-H for their leadership in helping communities identify conditions that need improvement.

4-H youth were followed by keynote speaker Joseph R. “Bob” Kerrey, former Governor and U.S. Senator of Nebraska, who also praised 4-H for its ”leadership in building stronger youth, families, communities and nations.”

The National Geographic Society is working with 4-H to develop two new programs: a county/state fair program to recognize excellence in youth community mapping projects; and a community disaster readiness program that will help communities be better prepared for emergencies.

Tom Tate, national program leader for Economics and Community Systems, and Jim Kahler, program specialist for Families, 4-H, and Nutrition, provide national leadership to the 4-H Community Mapping Program, which has expanded to 300 counties in 49 states.
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New York 4-H Teen Authors Dog Training Book for Kids

Submitted by Dana Palmer, Extension Associate, Department of Animal Science, College of Ag & Life Sciences, Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Before she was 7 years old, Kate Eldredge had a passion for dogs. Her first 4-H cloverbud experience began when she worked with her mom’s Labrador Retriever, “Gus.” Now at 15, and several dogs later, this soon to be 10th grader at Westmoreland Central School, has created a book of knowledge to pass on to other young people. Kate’s passion along with her family of humans and dogs helped her create the factual storylines and researched content.

The idea began with an inquiry at the Pet Writer’s Association of America Conference. Kate and her mom discussed the idea with an editor from Howell Book House.

Kate said, “I was always interested in writing in school.” Kate’s writing skills developed through her passion. She currently writes for the Corgi Cryer, a regional Corgi club newsletter and “Dogs in Review,” an international newsletter published by BowTie Press in California.

Mom, Deb Eldredge, 4-H Leader, Small Animal Veterinarian, and Cornell alum, has a knack for knowing when to step back and let youth take charge. She has been a 4-H Leader for Kate’s entire life. Kate’s brother, Tom is also a partner. He took many of the photos that appear in his sister’s book: “Head of the Class, A Teen Dog Expert Teaches Youth to Raise and Train the Perfect Pal.”

Kate has been involved in 4-H in Oneida County, N.Y. for nearly 10 years. As a teen leader, she and the other teens in her 4-H dog training club rotate working with beginning members. It’s a win-win for everyone.

“The beginners learn from experienced members and our dogs get a workout too,” says Kate.

When asked about her future, “I like Cornell a lot,” Kate says, but she’s not sure about a major in college yet. 4-H is a great organization, and an inexpensive way to get exposure to all sorts of things, especially if you have an interest in dog training. 4-H also has good leaders who give you opportunities to gain experience.

Click here to order a copy of the book from Amazon.com.

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12th Annual Search Under Way for Nation’s Top Youth Volunteers

Recognition Program Honors Outstanding Middle and High School Youth at Local, State and National Levels

From a news release issued by Prudential and the NASSP

Over the past 11 years, Prudential Spirit of Community Awards have been given to more than 70,000 middle and high school students across the country for helping the less fortunate, promoting health and safety, protecting the environment, and serving their communities through many other volunteer activities. This week the search begins to identify thousands more who have made meaningful contributions to their communities over the past 12 months, as the prestigious awards program kicks off its 12th year.

These awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial, Inc. in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honor outstanding community service by young people in 5th through 12th grades at the local, state and national level.

“A surprising number of young people today are getting involved in serving their communities, but they’re not always recognized for the great things they are doing,” said Prudential Chairman Art Ryan. “We want to tell them in the strongest possible terms how important their volunteer work is, and how proud we are of their accomplishments.”

Application forms for The 2007 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards will be available over the next two months through middle level and high schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H agents, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs, and member Volunteer Centers of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network. They also may be obtained at www.prudential.com/spirit or www.principals.org/prudential, or by calling toll-free 888-450-9961.

Students must submit completed applications by October 31, 2006.

“Over the past 11 years, thousands of determined, thoughtful, and selfless young people have been recognized through the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards,” said Gerald Tirozzi, executive director of NASSP. “NASSP is proud to be a part of a program that publicly recognizes the efforts of these amazing young people and we hope that it serves to inspire young people everywhere to give back to their communities and become civically engaged.”

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represent the United States’ largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. The Spirit of Community Awards program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and is being introduced this year in Ireland.
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Resources and Opportunities:

PLAYSKOOL Win a Boundless Playground Essay Contest

Every day an estimated six million children with disabilities across the U.S. are left to watch from the sidelines as their peers have fun on playgrounds that are not conducive to their wheelchairs, braces and other support equipment, but Boundless Playgrounds® wants to change that.

Boundless Playgrounds helps communities create extraordinary playgrounds where all children, with and without disabilities, can develop essential skills for life as they learn together through play.

Now, Boundless Playgrounds has partnered with their founding national sponsor Hasbro’s PLAYSKOOL brand, and playground equipment manufacturer GameTime to award one deserving community a Boundless™ playground worth up to $300,000 in the “PLAYSKOOL Win a Boundless™ Playground Essay Contest.”

If you believe you should have a Boundless™ playground in your neighborhood, tell us your story – visit www.PLAYSKOOL.com to enter the PLAYSKOOL Win a Boundless™ Playground Essay Contest and nominate your community. The top 20 finalists will win a $125 shopping spree for Hasbro items at HasbroToyShop.com. Each finalist will be contacted to see if their community and proposed site meet the specified criteria for a Boundless™ playground. The winner will receive a Boundless™ playground worth approximately $300,000 for their community.
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EarthWatch Institute seeks Adventurous Teens

Show of Force, a New York-based television production company, in association with The Earthwatch Institute, is seeking American teenagers interested in the environment for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Three youth, aged 16-18, are being cast to travel the world to investigate the state of the environment, from rainforests to glaciers to deserts to coral reefs. Their global expedition will be documented in a television series and on the Web.

Interested participants MUST be able to go on the expedition between January and July 2007 -- meaning they will have to take off a semester from school. For more information, including application instructions, go to www.earthwatch.org/ecoteam.
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Staples Foundation for Learning Offers Grants

The Staples Foundation for Learning is offering grants to community programs that enhance education and job skills, especially for disadvantaged youth. Available grants range from $1,000 - $25,000. Click here for more info. Application deadline: September 15, 2006.
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NFL Take a Player to School Day

Attention kids ages 6-13! NFL Take a Player to School is a launching a joint initiative with JCPenney Afterschool and the National Football League that encourages children to stay in school and participate in fun and enriching after-school programs.

Between now and September 21st, kids can register at any JCPenney store or online at www.nflrush.com (no purchase necessary). Thirty-four lucky winners from around the country will have the opportunity to ride to school with an NFL player in a limousine, go to class together, and co-host a pep rally for their peers. The players will share their personal experiences regarding the importance of education, participating in positive activities and turning dreams into reality.

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Celebrate National Family Week

National Family Week firmly believes that strong families are at the center of strong communities. Everyone has a role to play in making families successful, including neighborhood organizations, businesses, nonprofits, policymakers, and families themselves. This year’s National Family Week will be from November 19-26, 2006. Get involved. Visit www.nationalfamilyweek.org for more information.

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American Livestock Breed Conservancy Resources

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) is a non-profit organization formed to help stop the loss of genetic diversity embodied in over 150 endangered livestock and poultry breeds. ALBC has been working with a number of 4-H programs to incorporate rare and endangered breeds into their programs.

To learn more about endangered livestock and poultry breeds and how you can become involved with them contact ALBC at PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312, (919) 542-5704, albc@albc-usa.org, or visit www.albc-usa.org.

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