University of Illinois Extension Macon County
4-H'ers Makin News
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/macon/4hnews/
For more information, please contact:
Macon County Unit
2535 Millikin Parkway
Decatur, IL 62526
Phone: 217-877-6042 / Fax: 217-877-4564
E-mail: macon_co@extension.uiuc.edu
September 2 & 3.... Organizational 4-H Leaders Meetings
September 15.... 4-H Records Due to Extension Office
September 25.... 4-H Party at the Arts Club
September 30.... VALUED Volunteer Training: 4-H Program Planning
October 12-13.... 4-H Agriculture Career Cruise
October 16.... Federation Meeting
October 21.... Achievement Celebration
October 23.... 4-H Party at the Arts Club
November 4.... Volunteer Dinner To-Go
November 6.... 4-H Volunteer Update Telenet
November 20.... 4-H Federation Meeting
January 15 4-H Federation Meeting
January 20.... Officer's Training/Organizational 4-H Leader Meeting
January 22.... 4-H Party at the Arts Club
February 5.... 4-H International Night
February 17.... VALUED Volunteer Training: Club Organization
February 19.... 4-H Federation Meeting
February 21.... 4-H Frenzy of Fun
February 26.... 4-H Party at the Arts Club
March 15.... Deadline to Enroll in 4-H to Exhibit in 4-H Show
March 19.... 4-H Federation Meeting
March 26.... 4-H Party at the Arts Club
March 31.... VALUED Volunteer Training: Experiential Learning
April 21.... 4-H Show Update Telenet
April 23.... 4-H Party at the Arts Club
April 23.... 4-H Jr. High Event
May 1.... Deadline to Register for the 4-H Show
May 28.... 4-H Part at the Arts Club
Are You Crazy for Curly Fries?
If so, then the next 4-H Federation meeting is the place for you. 4-H Federation is open to all 4-H members and guests who are in grades 9-12.
Thursday, October 16, 2008 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Extension Office
Come with your appetite and your ideas to help plan programs for the upcoming year.
VALUED Volunteer Program - 2008-2009
The VALUED (Volunteers and Leaders United in Educational Discovery) Volunteer Orientation program will be offered in Macon County, beginning this fall. New and veteran volunteers are encouraged to participate in this great opportunity. The trainings cover topics like volunteer roles in 4-H, program planning, positive youth development, experiential learning, 4-H enrollment and communications in a 4-H club is a series of six one-hour trainings.
"Some times new volunteers are overwhelmed by the breadth of 4-H. The VALUED Volunteer Orientation program focuses on practical topics and resources that can be used immediately in 4-H clubs", said Sheri Seibold, Extension Specialist for University of Illinois Extension's State 4-H Office. "This program helps leaders establish a solid foundation to provide educational opportunities that meet the needs of today's youth."
Trainings will include a mixture of face-to-face meetings, web-based training and telenet meetings that you can call in to listen from your home phone. Participants that complete 4 of the 6 modules will be recognized with a Certificate of Completion and a VALUED Volunteer official name tag.
If you are interested in learning more about 4-H, come to the first training on Tuesday, September 30 or call the Macon County Extension Office at 877.6042.
Last year, 150 volunteers from 19 Extension units participated in the program. More than one third of the participants completed four to six hours of the training and will be recognized for their achievements during the Clover Celebration at the Illinois State Fair.
VALUED Volunteer Training Schedule:
September 30, 6:00 PM Orientation to VALUED Volunteers November 6, 6:00 PM TELENET Positive Youth Development January 20, 6:00 PM Communication in a 4-H Club February 17, 6:00 PM Club Organization March 31, 6:00 PM Experiential Learning Web-based Training: Program Planning
Recycled Project Books
Do you or your family have 4-H project books around your house that are not being used, or that maybe have never been opened? Instead of throwing them away or letting them collect dust, think about returning them to the Extension Office to be used by other 4-H members! Although these project books are made available to 4-H members free of charge, the Macon County Extension Office must purchase them for 4-H use. Help us keep the costs down so we can provide more quality programming for Macon County youth.
Spotlight on 4-H Excellence
Congratulations to Brandon Barringer, A & O Producers, for earning a trip to National 4-H Congress for his State 4-H Records! He won in the area of Plants & Soils and will be representing Macon County and Illinois at the conference in Atlanta, Georgia in November.
Congratulations to Jonathan Chenoweth, Willow Creek who served as a delegate at Citizenship Washington Focus July 5-12, 2008. CWF is a week-long program where Jonathan gained insights into the workings of our federal government.
Congratulations also to Kim Stout, Macon County Roundups 4-H Club, for placing second in the judging phase of the 12th Annual Horse Superior Young Producer Contest with a score of 98 point. Kim received a plaque for this accomplishment. Thirty-six horse enthusiasts competed at this event.
Congratulations to Tyler Barringer, A & O Producers who received a blue ribbon in the Horse-Non Reason category of the 2008 State Judging Contest. Tyler was also in the Top Ten Individual Scores. We also wish to congratulate Kevin Kappenman, Long Creek Critters, who received a red ribbon in the Meats category and Taylor Yuhas, Macon County who received a red ribbon in the Horse-Reason category of the 2008 State Judging Contest.
It Will Be Worth The Wait!!
Some things really are worth waiting for. Premium check are one such thing. Premium checks from the 2008 4-H Shows can not be issued until the State of Illinois releases the money to our county. That may not be until sometime next spring.
Now, for the good news: You will be receiving more premium for your accomplishments!! For example, an A rating in the general show will earn $15.00 instead of $5.00!! It will be worth the wait!!
May I Have The Envelope, Please?
4-H Achievement Celebration
Tuesday, October 21 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. 4-H Building Macon County Fairgrounds
Come recognize your fellow Macon County 4-Hers for their accomplishments during the 2007-2008 4-H year.
This year's Achievement Celebration will recognize all 4-Hers who received awards for their 4-H records. 4-H Leaders will also receive special recognition. Other awards include Passport to the World Club Award, Citizenship Club Award, I Dare You Award, Secretary Award and Club Scrapbook Award.
All award recipients will receive an invitation by mail, but any 4-H members and families are invited to the Achievement Celebration.
Come on Tuesday, October, 21 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. You don't want to miss the chocolate fountain flowing to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Game Plan for Kicking Off Our Winning 4-H Year!
Your club leader will have new enrollment forms (for new members), re-enrollment forms, copies of the 2008-2009 Clover and project forms for you in the next few weeks. Note the new change to project book limits on the project form.
For those members re-enrolling, please verify that the information on the re-enrollment form is accurate. Please note any changes that need to be made on the form. Let's work together to make this a winning 4-H Year!
4-H Project Manuals
When you get your new Illinois Clover, you will notice it has a different look. However, it still lists all the amazing 4-H projects you can choose to work on in the coming year!
4-H members may choose up to 15 projects. If you would like to enroll in more than 15 projects, you will need to provide a detailed plan for each project to the Extension Office.
Starting this year, members that request more than 5 project books will be charged $4 for each project manual over this limit. You may share manuals with family members or fellow club members. If you are enrolling in a project for which you already have the manual, you do not need a new one.
4-H Records Due September 15
Standards of Excellence Achievement Awards,4-H Record Award Applications, Passport to the World Club Award, Citizenship Club Award, I Dare You Award, Secretary Award and the Club Scrapbook Award are all due to the Extension Office by Monday, September 15, 2008.
4-H Agricultural Career Cruise
Agriculture is way more than farming and one of the largest industries in Illinois. Join us to see what excitement the field of agriculture holds for you! From robots to food testing—agriculture has something for everyone.
Macon County 4-H has teamed up with Dewitt County and the Macon County Farm Bureau to give you a peak at what agriculture has to offer in Illinois. Join us as we travel to the University of Illinois campus in Champaign to visit with students and professors. The following day we will travel to Decatur to visit agricultural companies in action.
Cost for the event is $40. Macon County 4-H members may fill out the Scholarship Application to cover $20 of the cost. The group will be staying at the Country Inn and Suites in Champaign on Sunday, October 12.
For more information and registration materials, contact the Extension Office at 877.6042.
