A new 4-H year will begin September 1. When you attend your first 4-H meeting for the year, get your re-enrollment form from your leader. Make sure your information is correct and the form is signed. Read the photo release and have a parent sign it if you agree to your picture being used for 4-H publicity. After completing a project selection form, return both forms to your leader. (Both forms and fee must be submitted before enrollment is complete.) The leader must submit the forms to the Extension office; do not bring individual enrollment forms to the office yourself.

There is an area on the back of the enrollment form to indicate if you are a 4-H member in another county. If you are a multi-county member, you must declare which county you will collect premiums and awards (trophies, scholarships, etc.) from. This declaration is irrevocable once completed and signed! Both the member and parent must sign the declaration.

In order to exhibit a project at the 2010 4-H fair you must be enrolled in a project by the April 1 add/drop deadline, and submit 4-H show entries to the office by the announced deadline.

Beginning with enrollment of 4-H members in September 2009, a $20 per year 4-H program fee will be applied to members of community clubs, special interest groups, Cloverbud groups, and after-school programs that meet regularly.

DeWitt County 4-H members will pay $10 of the fee with the remaining $10 being covered by other revenue sources. The fee ($10) is due with your enrollment form. The fee is non-refundable.

Most of the fee will stay locally and be used by the local program to help 4-H support costs. Local program expenses include project manuals, which range in price from $1 to $15; postage costs; copying costs; awards and recognition. The rest of the fee will be forwarded to the State 4-H program to help sustain statewide volunteer and staff training as well as state level educational leadership.

No individual will be denied participation in 4-H due to the inability to pay. Extension offices may be contacted for scholarship information or other payment assistance. Clubs and groups may choose to do fundraising or collect donations to offset the 4-H program fees for their members.

September 14

Leaders meeting will be September 14. There will be two meetings - one at 1:00 and one at 7:00 p.m. - for you to choose from. Meetings will be held at the Extension office. Materials for the new 4-H year will be distributed. Please plan to attend one of the meetings. Anyone interested in leading or volunteering in a club is welcome to attend.

If you cannot attend one of the meetings, you may pick up your club materials starting September 15 by coming to the office and meeting with Kim.

October 31; 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

All 4-H members in 6^th grade and above are welcome to join Federation. Federation is a great leadership experience. It is not meant to replace your 4-H club - it is an additional leadership opportunity to compliment the local club.

Federation will meet four or five times throughout the year for fun activities to help support the 4-H program. Meetings will alternate between Farmer City and Clinton.

The first meeting for this year will be October 31, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at Victory Christian Center in Farmer City. We will be baking cookies for achievement night. We will also have lunch and discuss things Federation will do for the year. Join us and let us know what things you would like to see happen in 4-H. Clinton members may join the car pool to Farmer City on the 31^st.

November 5; 7:00 p.m.

First Christian Church, Clinton

The annual achievement program will be held in the First Christian Church Family Life Center. Join us to celebrate achievements of the past year. Club pictures will be taken at 6:30. Check with your leader to see what time you need to be there.

Federation will supply refreshments.

If you haven't written thank you notes to fair award sponsors and sale buyers, do it now! If you won an award, the name and address of the donor is on the award.

4-H scholarships – Policies for 4-H'ers that cancel their participation at any event for which Federation, Foundation and/or Extension contributed any portion of the registration fees:

• 4-H'ers are responsible for reimbursing the Federation, Foundation and/or Extension for their contributions if the member cancels registration after the event refund date.
• With prior Extension staff approval, the 4-H'er may ask another member to attend in their place. The attending 4-H member will reimburse the original participant.

To be eligible to receive scholarships from 4-H Federation and/or Foundation to any camp, conference, activity, etc., you must be a registered 4-H member (enrolled in a traditional 4-H club, carrying at least one project and attending club meetings) by January 1, 2010. You must also have helped with the previous year's chicken barbecue.

• Bicycle 1 & 2 (Bicycle 3 no longer offered)

• Food & Nutrition added Cooking 301 (please stay in project levels at least two or three years)

• Horticulture levels revised to A, B, C and D (new books)

• Veterinary Science 1,2 and3. (new books)

Check next month's newsletter for the updated county project list.

We will be offering project workshops that you will learn how to make a project and complete the project so it will be ready to show at the 4-H fair. Look in upcoming newsletters for more information.

• Pam and Duane Runyon for being inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame at the 2009 State Fair. Pam and Duane have been leaders of the Helping Hands 4-H club for the past nine years. Both have served on several many committees and as superintendents at the 4-H fair.
• Erica Kopp for being selected to receive one of seven 2009 Illinois 4-H Legacy of Leadership scholarships. The scholarship presentation was done at the state fair.
• Danae Spencer for being chosen to attend Club Congress in November. Her state records qualified her to be interviewed before being chosen a winner in the Animal Science area.
• Sam Brumleve, Conner Builta, Jim Tobin for competing in the 2009 state livestock judging contest.

» Thank you to everyone who helped out in the kitchen - cooking or serving or just cleaning up during the 4-H fair, and those who donated pies, cakes or cookies at the fair.

» Thank you to Terry and Kathy Ferguson for organizing the kitchen.

» Thank you to all the superintendents and assistant superintendents who worked at the fair.

» Thanks to those who donated and bought items in the silent auction at the 4-H fair. We raised $200.

We have some 4-H cookbooks, Favorite Recipes of Illinois 4-H Through the Years, for sale. The cost of each book is $15. These books were put together from recipes from 4-H project manuals new and old. If we have enough interest in the books we can order more. We need at least ten to place an order.

A CPR class was held May 9. Those who attended were certified in CPR. This was a free class for

4-H families. We will try to offer this event again this year. Watch for more information in future newsletters.

The Illinois 4-H web site (http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/state4h/) has been revised recently. Please take a few minutes to check out the new sections of the site: About 4-H, Members, Volunteers, Give to 4-H, Parents, Teachers, Cloverbuds, 4-H Military, and 4-H After School. In addition there are sections on What's New, Events, Photos, How to Join, Links, and Contact Us. We will highlight a different section in future issues of the newsletter this year.

This year at the 4-H fair we offered a pie baking contest and an alumni horse class. Both were great successes. Next year we will be offering other project areas for adults, (ex: visual arts, horticulture). Keep reading the newsletters for more updates.

We are looking for new adult members to join youth committee. The committee will only meet four to five times a year. You must attend at least three of the meetings to remain on the committee.

This committee helps plan youth programs and the 4-H fair. If you are interested in joining the committee, call Kim by September 11 so we can add you the mailing list. The next meeting will be scheduled for September.

1. Purpose - To represent the interest of all the people by assisting University of Illinois Extension - DeWitt County in administering

4-H and youth programs.

2. Youth Committee Criteria:

A. Youth committee will consist of no more than 20 members.

B. Members will be geographically represented from all parts of the county.

• Members shall serve two year terms. Members may serve more than one two year term
• Members must attend 75% of the committee meetings or they will be asked to give up their position on the committee.

The Relay for life was held on June 19. Two teams from DeWitt County 4-H took part in this event. A total of 45 members from Rebel Riders and 4-H Federation made up the two teams. The 4-H teams raised over $900 American Cancer Foundation. Hope to see more clubs and 4-H families at this event next year.

4-H Fair Association will sell ice cream and 4-H Foundation will sell drinks at the 4-H fairgrounds kitchen during the Apple 'n Pork Festival. Each club is asked to have two adults and four or five

4-H'ers according to the following schedule.

Saturday, September 27

9:30 a.m. to noon -- Hay Shakers, Lucky Whirlwinds

noon to 2:30 p.m. -- Barnett Busy Bees, Unstoppable Clovers

2:30 to 5:00 p.m. -- Jimtown

Sunday, September 28

9:30 a.m. to noon -- Farmer City Peppers, Kenney Cavalry, Rebel Riders

noon to 2:30 p.m. -- Clever Clovers, Helping Hands, Town & Country

2:30 to 5:00 p.m. -- Fullerton 4-H Cavalry, Country Riders