Dear 4-H Families,

It is great to see enrollments arriving at the office. I know that it is very different to have a program fee for membership; but, it is a bargain when you think of the many wonderful outcomes from 4-H. Studies show that the life skills such as decision-making, leadership and public speaking are only some of the awesome benefits gained through 4-H. Also, where else can you have the fun and educational experiences that you have at camps, project workshops and the fair!

How do you get the most for your money? You attend workshops, trainings, camps, conferences, skillathons and other 4-H sponsored events. You get involved at every level of the 4-H program!

We do not want anyone to be denied membership because they cannot afford to pay the fee. If you need assistance, please call our County Director, Joe Schwamberger. The Lee County Extension Foundation has agreed to pay the fee for those needing assistance.

Now is the time to promote 4-H to family, friends and classmates. Every 4-H member can surely think of at least one person to invite to a 4-H meeting and ask them to join the fun. For every guest that 4-Hers invite to their Nov. meetings we will give 1 point to your club for the "2010 Club Contest. For every guest that attends and then enrolls and is active during the year, you will receive 2 points for the 2010 contest. What a great and easy way to gain points for your club and get new members at the same time!!

Bye for now. Hope to see you all eating ice cream at Achievement Day! And don't miss Federation and the flower arranging workshops later in the month.

- Linda Cheeseman

ACHIEVEMENT DAY 2009

November 8, 2009 will be the date for this year's Lee County Achievement Day program. Achievement Day is the day that we recognize individuals and clubs for their accomplishments in 4-H. All Lee County 4-H'ers, families and friends are invited to this afternoon event. The program will begin at 1:30 and it will be held at the Lee County 4-H Center. The club winners of the "4-H Will Shine in 2009" contest will be announced that afternoon. Be sure to attend this great event.

ACHIEVEMENT DAY DOOR PRIZES

Clubs are once again invited to use their creativity and bring a clever door prize or two to Achievement Day. Gifts may follow the county theme or not. They may be homemade or purchased.; food or non-food—anything goes. It is always fun to see the great ideas everyone uses. Individuals are also welcome to bring gifts. Gifts should be brought to the 4-H Center the day of the program if at all possible.

If you are present you will be eligible to win one of these gifts.

ACHIEVEMENT DAY HELP

Each year, we offer 4-H members the opportunity to earn points for the club contest by helping with Achievement Day. We will need help with setting up chairs, cleaning up after the program, serving refreshments and presenting awards. If you are willing to help please contact the Extension Office.

Ways to Gain Points for Your Club

• Bring a friend to a club meeting
• Establish a new Cloverbud group sponsored by your club
• Get new members
• Keep new members active all year
• Attend Federation
• Send in a "Club Corner" report
• Provide a Door Prize for Achievement Day
• Register to help with Achievement Day

CLUB OFFICER TRAINING

Thank you to all who attended the Officer Training on Oct. 12. There were 75 officers, leaders and parents present. Thanks to Kelsie Lachat and Ev Eisenberg for helping Sandy and Linda present individual officer sessions. Also thanks to Ashley Case and Laura Child for their presentation on Parliamentary Procedures.

OCTOBER FEDERATION

The October Federation was held at the Lee County 4-H Center immediately following the Officer Training. Officers were elected for the 2009-2010 year, a theme for the year was selected and Achievement Day was discussed. Officers are:

• President—Jon Voss
• Vice President—Ashley Case
• Secretary-Laura Child
• Treasurer-Aaron Wetzel
• Fair Association Rep-Aaron Wetzel & Laura Child
• Recreation-Addison Wetzel

NOVEMBER FEDERATION—Club Swaps to Be Discussed

The November Federation meeting will be held on November 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the Lee County Extension Office. One of the agenda items to be discussed is club swaps. This will involve members from one club attending another club's meeting to observe the meeting, get ideas for their own club meetings and possibly lead a short activity while visiting the club.

Each year, ten Illinois 4-H members are selected to attend this elite conference sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau and Affiliates Youth Education Committee. They are joined by ten Illinois FFA Section Presidents to become the "premier 20" leadership conference delegation. Selection for this conference is based upon completion of the 4-H LCP (Leadership, Citizenship, & Professionalism) Award Application.

The P-20 Conference offers an intense, hands-on leadership development experience for the youth attending. The conference is usually held in April at the Illinois Farm Bureau Office in Bloomington. This event starts on a Wednesday evening and adjourns on Friday after lunch. Youth need to be able to attend the entire event in order to receive recognition for attendance. Workshops focus on team-building, goal-setting, media connections, working with audiences with special needs, and more.

Applications are available at the Lee County Extension Office. Each geographical county may submit two applications to this state competition. Applicants must be 17 or 18 years of age by December 1 of the year applying. Applications are due to the Illinois Farm Bureau by December 15 (needs to be in local county office prior to December 5.)

March 20 –26, 2010

National 4-H Center

Chevy Chase, Maryland

National 4-H Conference is a working conference. Delegates attend workshops and discuss issues in teams to suggest future programming for 4-H on a national, state, and local basis. Delegates meet with federal legislators on Capitol Hill to discuss the impact of 4-H and Extension programming in their areas. Sightseeing is limited during the actual conference.

Once the Illinois delegation returns home, delegates and adults are expected to report to the State 4-H Staff and Youth Leadership Team on the conference AND commit to one year of work on a special project. Cost of the trip to participants is $350. For more information call the Extension Office. Registration begins December 7.

This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips that you'll remember for years to come. Citizenship Washington Focus is a weeklong program that will provide you with many insights into the workings of our federal government. Through small group sessions at the National 4-H Center you'll learn about federal legislation, the political parties, the Bill of Rights, and how to make a positive impact in your community. You'll have appointments to meet with your Illinois Congressmen and share information about 4-H and the University of Illinois Extension.

You will also have the opportunity to see a theater performance and tour various locations around Washington including Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Mt Vernon, Smithsonian, and many more national landmarks.

This trip is open to youth ages 14-18 years of age by May 1, 2010. There is an initial limit of two delegates per county. Cost will be approximately $1050 (dependant on the number of participants). This will include lodging at the National 4-H Center, most meals, and bus transportation to, from and around Washington, D.C.

Additional information and registration forms can be found on the Illinois 4-H website.

If you are interested in exhibiting flower specimens for the 2010 fair, you should be enrolling in Floriculture. If you are planning to exhibit vegetables and fruits, you should be enrolling in Vegetable Gardening. If you want to exhibit both, enroll in both.

Lee County 4-H Clubs showed their enthusiasm for 4-H as they invited others to join 4-H during National 4-H Week with displays in towns and villages around the county. Clubs promoting 4–H through displays were the Dixon Wonder Workers, Palmyra Hillbillies, Golden Aces, Soaring Eagles, Wyoming Indians, Lee City Slickers, Maytown Comets, Young Seekers and Green River Rockets.

In another effort to spread the word about 4-H, the Golden Aces had the Ashton mayor, John Martinez, sign a proclamation declaring October 4-10 National 4-H Week. It was a great picture in the paper!!

"The University of Illinois' 4-H program has gained approval to become involved in the National 4-H Shooting Sports," according to Dan Dawson, Youth Development Educator and Coordinator for the Illinois 4-H Shooting Sports program.

"We are extremely excited to be able to move forward with the 4-H Shooting Sports program," adds Dawson. "The program is in all but one state nationally, and has an enrollment of approximately 300,000 youth and 46,000 instructors across the United States. We are looking forward to being able to start training adult volunteers so that they may be able to establish 4- H Shooting Sports clubs in their respective counties."

"A training at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex is offered in Sparta November 6, 7, and 8. A training in northwest Illinois will be offered late winter/early spring. Initially, we will be offering participation in the disciplines of shotgun, archery, rifle (air and small bore) and coordinator, which will be the management position for the local county programs."

The focus of all 4-H programs is the development of youth as individuals and as responsible and productive citizens. The National 4-H Shooting Sports Program stands out as an example. Youth learn marksmanship, the safe and responsible use of firearms, the principles of hunting and archery and much more. The activities of the program and the support of caring adult leaders provide young people with the opportunities to develop life skills, self-worth and conservation ethics.

4-H members will have the opportunity to test their skills in county, regional, state and national competitions. In fact, they could ultimately set Olympic competition as their goal. There are seventeen Olympic shooting sports events, which continue to draw the third greatest number of countries.

"We are very new to the program," adds Dawson, "but we have already received some support from Federal Ammunition, Pheasants Forever, and National Wild Turkey Federation. Hopefully as we progress we will be able to obtain additional resources so that we will be able to assist with the adult certified trainings, help counties purchase equipment, send additional adults to be nationally trained and other relevant needs."

Note: Lee County Extension would like to be able to offer this opportunity to our youth. The first step in doing this is finding volunteers to lead the program. If you are interested or know of someone else who is interested in helping please give Linda a call or send an e-mail. Participation in this program will not be through the community club program; but will instead be special interest club(s).

Wouldn't it be great to learn how to create a floral arrangement using evergreens and mums that could be used on your Thanksgiving table and then when the mums start to wilt make a few changes so that you have a centerpiece for the Christmas season. Well that is what is in store for you if you attend one of the following workshops.

All three sessions will have similar content but will be given by different instructors at different locations. Please pre-register online or at the Lee County Extension Office by Wednesday, November 18.

Cost is $10 per session for 4-H members and $15 for non-members, payable upon registration.

• Sat., Nov. 21—Reynolds United Methodist Church—Instructor Laurrel Childers– 10:00 a.m.
• Sat., Nov 21- Weeds Floral Shop, 732 N Galena –Instructor Holly Oprian– 3:00 p.m.
• Mon., Nov. 23– Lee County Extension Office-Instructor Holly Burkhart– 7:00 p.m.

The Indian Creek FFA Alumni will host its 12th Annual Club Calf Sale on Sunday, Nov. 22 at the Lee County 4-H Fairgrounds on Rt. 30 near Amboy. The sale begins at 1 p.m.

The sale will include over 40 steers/heifers with most breeds represented. Producers from throughout northern Illinois are selling top quality show calves.

The Indian Creek FFA Alumni sale has earned the reputation for being an excellent annual local source to buy show and breeding calves. The sale offers a great opportunity for 4-H and FFA members to purchase quality show calves.

This event has been a successful fundraiser event for the Indian Creek FFA Alumni Chapter through sale profits and the sale day food stand. Profits help sponsor scholarships for FFA members to attend the state and national conventions, leadership seminars, and other events as well as local chapter activities.

On Nov. 22, the FFA food stand opens at 11 a.m. Cattle will be on display at noon.

Lee County Fairgrounds is located on Route 30, ½ mile east of Routes 30 and 52.

For more information and to obtain a sale catalog contact Sale Managers Wally & Laura Harvell, 815-824-2056 or 815-739-9098.

In compliance with state 4-H policy, U of I Extension—Lee County will begin assessing a 4-H Program Fee. The fee has been set by the state at $20 per 4-H community club member and Cloverbud member per year beginning with the 2009-2010 4-H program year. A portion of the 4-H Program Fee ($6 per member) will be forwarded to the State 4-H Office to continue to provide educational and technological support to maintain a high quality program at the Regional and State level. Through the generosity of local supporters of Lee County 4-H, Lee County will be able to implement a direct maximum of $50 per family with multiple members. Also, the fee for Cloverbuds (ages 5-7) will be reduced to $10 for the 2009-2010 4-H program year.

Local 4-H Program Fee dollars will be used to offset costs associated with these core community club program efforts:

• 4-H Fair -- Rental of Grounds, Judges Fees,
• Subsidize 4-H Premiums, Ribbons, Supplies
• 4-H Achievement Day
• 4-H Leader Training including Valued Volunteer Series
• 4-H Officer Training including Meal
• Lee County Clover Connections Newsletter and postage costs
• 4-H Community Club Program Support
• Project Resource Totes for Club use
• 4-H Club Insurance
• Other General Expenses

4-H program fees will NOT cover project publication fees or programs for which user fees are already being charged (e.g. Project Pool and Special Project workshops). Programs such as Project Pool will offer a two-tiered fee structure allowing 4-Hers to participate at a lower registration rate than non-4-H member participants. We are hoping to continue to secure sponsorship from local funders to help offset the cost of 4-H project manuals.

The Program Fee is a very small portion of the actual costs to provide the quality programming that you receive as a 4-H Family. This fee is a small cost when compared to the large benefits that you gain from being a 4-H member. 4-H helps young people develop life skills like: making decisions, communicating, thinking critically, leading and much more! A long-term study comparing

4-H members to participants in other out-of-school organized youth programs shows that: 1) 4-H'ers do better in school and are more likely to see themselves going to college; 2) 4-H'ers are less likely to engage in risky behaviors; and 3) 4-H'ers contribute more to their communities. (Information above was taken from the "Waves of the Future" longitudinal research study conducted by Tufts University, 2002-2007.)

4-H clubs will be billed for their members' program fees on or about May 1. The number of members a club will be billed for will be based on its membership total on the enrollment cut-off date of May 1. Club payments will be due in the Extension office on or before May 20. Club checks should be made payable to U of I Extension – Lee County. Prompt payment will be critical.

4-H Clubs may handle collection of the $20 per member fee as they wish. 4-H members may be directly assessed. The 4-H club may cover the fee through local fundraising efforts, or the club may utilize a combination of the two methods to generate the necessary funds.

Financial assistance is available from the Lee County 4-H Foundation based on need. 4-H families who are interested in receiving assistance should contact Joe Schwamberger, County Director, Lee County Extension. No individual will be denied participation in 4-H due to the inability to pay.

U of I Extension—Lee County wishes to thank its community club families for their support in all of these financial efforts and look forward to a continued strong 4-H program in the years to come.

4-H, FFA & BHE Students FREE—$9.00 person per session Only $20.00/person for all 3 sessions

Registration Deadline for the 1st program is November 2. For more info contact Bureau County Extension 815-875-2878.

November 5– 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• "Timed Event Performance Horsemanship and Barrel Racing" -Live demonstration by Donna Irvin, BHE Instructor
• "Equine Psychology and Behavior"" by Kevin Kline, University of Illinois

November 12—6:30– 8:30 p.m.

• "NAIS (animal id) Update by Jim Fraley, Illinois Farm Bureau
• "Ranch Rodeo" - Live Demonstration* by Matt Shipley and Gary Wessels—Illinois Rodeo Assoc.

November 19—6:30-8:30 p.m.

• "Facilities For A Health Horse" by Jay Salomon, University of Illinois
• "De-spooking Your Horse" - Live Demonstration by Pat Gomes

Lee County 4-H'ers and their families had a great time cheering on the Rockford Ice Hogs last winter, so we are planning another night of fun. 4-H members, families and friends are invited to be a part of the group that attends the Saturday, January 23 game as the Ice Hogs challenge the Grand Rapid Griffins at the Metro Center in Rockford. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m. but you will want to come early to claim your Ice Hog Fleece Blanket (given to the first 2500 fans through the doors.)

Tickets for the event will be $11 each. Next month's newsletter will include more details and directions for ordering tickets.

Your job is an important one because you are the link that gives the rest of the world knowledge of your club's existence and happenings. Being the club reporter is a very important office to hold and needs to be taken seriously! Your job can include short summaries of club meetings, special articles about club community service activities or upcoming club happenings to local papers and the Lee County Extension office.

To send a report to the Extension Office, it is best if you can e-mail a short report to Anne, our secretary (ahussey@illinois.edu). You may use the online form if you do not feel confident in writing a report but be sure to include enough details so that the report will make sense as Anne types the report. The report summary will be available online at http://extension.uiuc.edu/lee. You can also mail (Lee County Extension, 280 W. Wasson Rd., Amboy, IL 61310 or fax (815/857-3527) your report to us. Please try to have your monthly report to us by the third week of the month so that it might be included in the Club Corner of the Clover Connection. It is a great way to show other clubs what your club is doing.

Remember you are a publicity agent for 4-H, send articles and pictures to your local papers. Keep 4-H in the public view!! It is especially good if you can send in articles of upcoming events inviting the public to join in on your activities if appropriate. And remember pictures really catch the public's eye – just beware that some people do not like to have their children's picture in the paper so ask for permission before publishing pictures.

When sending articles to newspapers, send your article in an e-mail as a Word attachment or in Rich Text Format. Send pictures as jpg attachments . Identify yourself as the club reporter. Following are e-mail reporter connections for some of the local papers:

• Amboy News and Mendota Reporter – Bonnie Morris, reporter –editor@mendotareporter.com
• Sauk Valley Newspapers – Andrea Mills, community reporter –amills@svnmail.com
• Ashton Gazette and Rochelle News Leader– Monetta Young, reporter –monetta@ashtongazette.com

Grove Go Getters By: Cassidy Koning

Grove Go Getters met on October 4th at Linda Chessman's house for a potluck supper. We had 12 members, 2 Leaders, 4 Parents and a number of guests present. We talked about a fundraiser to pay for the 20.00 fee for 4-H members. We had our election and the results are as follow: President – Kayla Hussey, Vice President – Lea Koning, Secretary – Cassidy Koning, Treasurer – Kenzie Wolf, Reporter – CeCe Rodriguez, Historians – Olivia Staller and Jennelle Mork. We are going to have our next meeting at The Franklin Grove Library, Nov 1st at 6:00 it will be a potluck dinner.

Young Seekers By: Brittney Sonderoth

The Young Seekers met on October 8, 2009 with 20 members, 1 guest,3 leaders and 9 parents present. We discussed the window display at the Amboy Pharmacy. The Pumpkin Patch at Woodhaven. Our next meeting will bring a friend and planning on Wii Bowling tournament. For recreation we played an Ice Breaker game. Our next meeting will be on Nov. 11th 2009 at 6:45.

Palmyra Hillbillies By: Katie Cover

We held our meeting this month on September 15. There were 24 members and 1 leader present. We talked about our window display and what we would do for scarecrow fest. Our club decided on the date and place of our craft day. We made several different items to sell. We also elected our now officers. On a good note our club has gotten bigger because Pixie and Patriots have joined us, which means more new friends. At scarecrow fest we had many different things to sell. We had hairties, baked goods, candy, flubber, and many other crafts. We made a lot of money for our club and I'm really sure everyone had a lot of fun and can't wait until next year. We each got our butter braids forms. These are very good if you have never had one you should try one. I am sure we will have extras if anyone is interested. We discussed enrollment, project selection forms, achievement day, member fee, and club officer meeting. Lexie, Justin, and Joellee gave talks and demonstrations. Our next meeting is October 20th at 6:30pm at the First Christian Church in Dixon. The meeting was then adjourned.

Officers for 2009-2010 are President- Christy Casey, Vice President-Justin Hohlen, Treasurer – Dane Schielein, Secretary – Annalise Ankney, Historian- Lexie Hohlen, Reporter – Katie Cover, Jr. Leaders-Justin Wilson, Catherine Weinzierl, Alex Ankney, Joelle Schielein.

Palmyra Hillbillies By:Katie Cover

We held this month's meeting on October 20th. There were 25 members and one leader present. We started the meeting off with the secretary and Treasurer's report. We then had a guest speader Lora Fassler. She taled about germs and how towash your hands properly. Next we had officer enrollment. Our leader, Bird Schielein, made stars for each of the officers. Each one was a diffent color of the rainbow. The Jr. Leaders had other shades off the original seven colors. Annalise Ankney and Kristin VanDeSand had talks and demonstrations. We turned in member enrollment and project enrollment forms. Couple members gave a brief description on the window display and scarecrow fest. We talked about Family night in November. This is when brings a dish to pass. We eat then we hand out our awards. Fair checks were handed out. Then the meeting was adjourned. Our next meeting will be November 17th at First Christian Church at 5:45 and 5:30 for officers and committees.

Green River Rockets By: Michelle Grevengoed

The Green River Rockets met on September 15 with 2 Leaders and 12 members present. The fundraiser was discussed and we discussed the window display. We also talked about donating a gate to the 4-H grounds. Officers were also elected. We had 2 new members join.

Green River Rockets By: Michelle Grevengoed

The Green River Rockets met on October 20th with 1 leader and 11 members present. We discussed how to earn more points for our club. We talked about the fundraiser and about achievement day. The next meeting will be on November 17, 2009.

Jerry Hicks, formerly a 10 year member of the Harmon Hornets 4-H Club from Lee County was recently awarded the 2009 Illinois Friend of 4-H Award. Jerry was raised on a grain and livestock form near Amboy. Jerry has been very active in his lifetime promoting 4-H to legislatures and others. He his currently the president of the Extension Partners organization. This organization serves as a lobbying group in Springfield.

Jerry is an accredited farm manager with Agrivest, a farm management and real estate company located in central Illinois. He graduated from the University of Illinois, earning Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Animal Science. Jerry has served as a County Advisor for Illinois Extension Service and also has been Vice-President of the Illinois Pork Producers.

Our congratulations to Jerry and thanks for all you do for 4-H and Extension in Illinois.

So you are a 4-H Club Leader. Are you confused as to what your duties are? Do you wonder if there is some way to rejuvenate your club with new ideas? Do you know the policies of the organization? If you have answered yes to any of these questions then you will benefit from the Valued Volunteer Training. Trainings are for experienced and inexperienced leaders. Trainings are done at face to face meetings, via the web, and on teleconference calls.

Local leaders who have completed the series of six trainings have found them very helpful. Now it is your turn to raise your level of volunteerism by getting involved in this state organized training. The first training in Lee County will be held on November 30 beginning at 6 p.m. with a light dinner.

• November 21, 2009
• 10:00 am—4:00 pm
• @ Lee County 4-H Center
• Foodstand
• Door Prizes

Make It Take It Classes for the Kids taught by the Maytown Comets 4-H Club

4-H Clubs are welcome to have booths FREE but should call and register.

Jeannine would also appreciate 4-H'ers help in helping vendors to set up their wares on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

For more information contact:

• Jeannine Griffith 815/379-9055 or 815/878-4812
• Judy Griffith 8158/379-2107 or 815/878-3508

November

• 8 Achievement Day, Fairgrounds, 1:30 p.m.
• 9 Federation, Extension Office, 7:00 p.m.
• 21 Floral Arranging Workshops, Ashton & Dixon
• 23 Floral Arranging Workshop, Ext. Office, 7:00 p.m.
• 30 Valued Volunteer Training, Ext Office, 6:00 p.m.

December

• 1 LCP Award Applications due
• 1 Valued Volunteer Training
• 14 Federation, Ext. Office, 6:30 p.m.
• 29 Jr County Outstanding Event

January

• 4 Camp Counselor Applications due
• 12 Federation, Extension Office, 7:00 p.m.
• 23 Ice Hogs Hockey Game for Lee Co. 4-H Fans