October 5-10 is National 4-H week. "Celebrate 4-H" is this year's theme.

• Wear your 4-H t-shirt to school
• Invite a friend to come to a club meeting
• Put up a display at your school (I even have stuff you can borrow)
• Ask your teacher if you can do the National Science Experiment Bio Fuel Blast in your classroom.

Save the date of November 11, 2009, 6 p.m! End of year awards and awards for Cloverbuds, 1^st year members, 5^th year members and those in their last year will all be presented, along with a lot more.

Each club needs to bring 2 dozen cookies.

Tickets are still available at the Extension Office for all 4-H members to sell. Those who have already received their tickets need to turn in their money and ticket stubs by November 5.

The 4-H'er selling the most tickets will receive a $20 gift card.

The next Federation meeting will be November 11 at 5:00 p.m.

I sent a letter out to the leaders of each 4-H club asking them to make 25 stockings for soldiers by October 10. Please contact your leader if you would like to help (we will take as many as you want to make.)

Mike Heathcoat will be collecting unused Christmas cards to send to soldiers so that they can use them. He will also be needing names of soldiers to send them to. Mike and his sister, Becca, have been doing this for about five years, now, and have sent thousands of cards. This is a good way to get rid of leftover cards from years past. Please bring the cards to the Extension office by November 18.

The Illinois Farm Bureau and Affiliates recognition program for 4-H members 17 and above – applications are available now at the Extension Office. Applications must be received in the Franklin County Office by December 1, 2009.

Please check the website (franklin.extension.uiuc.edu) for dates and locations of all workshops. As they are scheduled, they will be posted on the website first.

If you are a parent of a Thompsonville child grades K-5, you should be hearing about the "six pillars of character" that Jennifer Newbury and I will be presenting for the next 3 months.

What a great opportunity the school is making available to its students!

Ice money still owed: Priors, Tim Bauman, Ryan Payne, Mudrunners.

Camping Fee: Sweets', Killion, Scarbrough, Dorris, Bryant.

You can mail your fees in to the Extension Office. If you have already paid, please let me know and we will double check the records.

Please find enclosed a letter about the new 4-H Alumni group that is forming to support Franklin County 4-H.