Dear 4-H Family:

4-H lost a dear friend and a very special person this month. On October 6th Lisa Woessner, Youth Development Educator, from the Rockford Center passed away. This loss has not only hit 4-H hard, but it has also hit Extension hard. Lisa touched many lives, and always in a very loving, caring, lasting way. For those of you who didn't know Lisa, she was the most giving, caring person I've ever known.

I was fortunate enough to have spent many hours on the road on the way to meetings with Lisa. And for the last several years, I have had the fortunate experience of traveling to National 4 -H Conferences with Lisa as well. These are very treasured memories.

I'm sure many of you have lost someone special in your life at some time or another. The loss of someone close to you is always very hard. It takes a long time to accept that the person is really gone. And when you do finally realize that it's a permanent change, life just doesn't seem right, or maybe even, fair.

While I deal with my great loss, I am comforted mainly by the thought that my dear friend is in a beautiful place where there is no pain, no sadness, and no suffering - only peace, happiness, and surrounded by other loved ones who have gone before her.

It's times like these that remind us of how valuable life really is and how important it is to make time for our loved ones. It reminds us to freely hand out hugs, smiles, and kind words. It reminds us to be genuine, caring people and to show others how we feel. Please take a moment to slow down and remember these things - life is too short not to.

May there be Peace in your hearts,

Kim

Thank you to everyone who took part in National 4-H Week activities. Whether you helped promote it by taping a radio announcement, did a 4-H window display, had a sign in your yard, submitted a newspaper article, or attended the Skating Party at Skate Sta tion, we appreciate all that you did to make the week a success. A special congratulations to the two clubs that that won the free skating parties; large club: Country Cuzins, and small club: Whiz Kids. We hope that all of you enjoyed the week's activities! Thank you to the leaders that helped set up National 4-H Week activities, it couldn't have happened without you! The leaders that helped were: Jeannette Lincicum – PSA's and flyers in schools, Kathy Baumgartner & Barb Curry – Window Displays, Dorothy Wire – Skating Party, Jane Hendrickson – News Releases. Thanks ladies!! A very special thank you to Skate Station for once again providing the Skating Party at no cost to the 4-H'ers & their families and also awarding the Skating Parties for the clubs with the top attendance. Your continued support of the Stephenson County 4-H program is truly appreciated! Thank you!! We hope that everyone enjoyed the week's activities and shared 4-H with someone new!

Thanks goes to the following clubs who all put up a 4-H Week Window Display:

Country Cuzins
Davis Rockets
Freeport Fantastics
Lena Live Wires
Lena Lucky Clovers
Lucky Lancers
Pearl City Hornets
Rainbow Rangers

New this year, in addition to displays, we had a window painting and a window poster. It was nice to see some new ideas in putting up a display! The judge said that it was great fun to see the various windows. The top two displays were put up by the Freeport Fantastics and the Lena Live Wires. They received ice cream tokens from Culvers.

We Need Your Help!

We are holding a silent Auction in Memory of Lisa Woessner. Lisa was a Youth Educator in the Rockford Center that passed away recently. Lisa was a life-long supporter of youth and 4-H. There will be two auctions, one at Achievement Night, November 3, 2004 and one at Volunteer Banquet, November 10, 2004. We are asking our Champion project members to make a special item that will be used for bidding for this auction. If you're not a champion and would still like to make an item to be auctioned – it would be appreciated! All proceeds will be given to the Illinois 4 -H Foundation for the Lisa Woessner memorial. Call with any questions and to let us know if you would like to donate something no later than November 2, 2004.

The club Officer Training night sponsored by Federation is scheduled for Thursday, October 28, at 6:30 p.m. All offices will have individual training sessions lead by knowledgeable volunteers. The Officer's Training is mandatory for ALL club officers. It will not only give you information on how to run the club meetings, but will offer insight as to how to make you more effective in your officer position.

Leader's, if you have not yet turned in your list of club officers to the Extension Office, we need you to do so ASAP, so that all officers will receive an invitation to this event. See you there! And bring your shades (sunglasses)!

Achievement Night is quickly approaching. It will be held Wednesday, November 3rd, at 7:00 p.m. in Building H, Room 201, at Highland Community College. All 4-H'ers, parents, and leaders are invited to come out and honor all the 4-H'ers. We've got many e xciting awards to give. There will be door prizes for 4 -H'ers, and a small gift for everyone in attendance. We look forward to seeing each and every one of you there to help us honor this year's outstanding 4-H'ers!!

4-H enrollment is in full swing. Enrollment should be completed through your club leaders ASAP! Prior to turning in your enrollment forms to your club leader, be sure to check everything over to ensure that you enrolled in the projects that you want to be in. Please return the forms to your leader, as soon as possible, so that they may look them over and sign them. The sooner you turn in your forms to your leader, the sooner you will get your project manuals for the year. Don't forget to also complete the Behavior Guidelines and Medical forms that are attached to your enrollment papers. These forms must be completed and returned with your enrollment forms. If they are not returned, you will not be reenrolled until we receive them. We appreciate your cooperation.

2005 Goal: 500 youth members (Let's Recruit!)

Tell your friends, neighbors, family members all the great things 4-H offers!

The Volunteer Banquet will be held on Wednesday, November 10th, at 4 Seasons Banquet & Facilities at 1100 W. Galena Ave. (In the Four Seasons Bowling Alley Building in Freeport). The Leadership and Awards Committee have planned an exciting evening for our volunteers because... Our Volunteers Take 4-H Above and Beyond! During the evening we will be honoring our Adult & Youth Volunteers of the Year, 4-H Alumni of the Year, 4-H Organizational Leaders and ALL our many program volunteers. We really appreciate volunteers that help 4-H reach the youth of today and make a difference in their lives and this is our opportunity to thank them. Each and every volunteer that helps Extension in any way is truly special to us and we thank you for your time and efforts!! Without your help our programming would not be possible. So make plans now to attend. RSVP's due by: Wednesday, November 3rd.

Some projects that you might enroll in have ownership deadlines that apply. We have included a listing of those deadlines with this newsletter. Please take time to review it and be aware of the dates that apply to you and your projects. Be sure that you are aware of ALL enrollment, ownership, and/or lease deadlines that apply and get the necessary paperwork completed in time! This makes life easier for you and for the office.

ALL DEADLINES WILL BE ADHERED TO!!

As you continue to enroll and choose projects this year we want to be sure that everyone understands the changes in premium payments for state projects vs. county projects. All state projects will continue to receive premium, just like before. However, any projects that you select that are on the inserted page in the Clover, or noted in the Program Book as county project are no longer eligible for premium. Because some of the classes are well received in our county and we feel that they are important to the learning of our youth we have kept them as a part of the program. However, YOU must be aware that they are now non-premium classes! NO ONE will receive premium for participating in those classes. Please don't avoid them because of this, if you believe you can benefit from a project in one of these areas take it in addition to at least one state project found in the Clover. If you have any questions, or would like further clarification about the projects and premiums, please give us a call at 235-4125.

The theme for the new 4-H year is:

4-H... So Bright You Gotta Wear Shades!

Start thinking now of program book designs and club booth decorations!!

1. Review the Illinois Clover & Project enrollment sheet. You have more than 200 projects to choose from. Ask your family and leader for help!
2. Eliminate projects that don't interest you. If you are a first or second year 4-H'er limit yourself to 3 or 4 projects. This will give you time to enjoy each project and complete it by exhibit time.
3. Consider how much time you have for projects. How old are you? Younger members would like to sign up for many projects, but then they find out there is just to much to do and learn that they can't handle them all. Most of the project listings have a "suggested" age range.
4. Sign up for projects according to your age and/or skill level. What projects have you taken? How many years have you been in 4-H? Don't enroll in a project if it is too advanced. It is fun to try new projects, but you should find out from older members what you might face if you take a different project.
5. Make sure 4-H'ers have help with their projects.
6. What about awards? If you are interested in awards, you may want to take the time to fill out the applications. There is help available for you to complete these. Please call with questions.

If you wish to browse online here are some websites that you might find of interest.

U of I Extension: www.extension.uiuc.edu
Illinois 4-H: www.4-H.uiuc.edu
National 4-H: www.4-H.org
National 4-H youth site: www.4-Husa.org

Please be aware of our Releasing Youth Procedure from 4-H events. In order to reduce risks, and get a better hold on who is picking up the kids at the end of an event, or when the meeting is over, we are suggesting that at any event in which the parents or guardians are entrusting their child(ren) to our care and direct supervision (such as camp, clinic days, etc), that we use a sign-out register in order to track who we should release the youth to at the end of the event. This will be a simple form which will be completed by the adult that drops the youth off. They will designate who will be picking-up the youth and an alternate to pick-up the child in case an emergency arises. Then at the end of the event the 4-H Leaders or volunteers will be sure to only allow the youth to leave with the designated individual(s). We understand that this may not be necessary for every event, but we will use it for those events that youth are in our care. It may seem like a hassle, but it will insure the safety of our youth. The adult picking up the child(ren) will need to see the leader or volunteer in charge of the event before their child(ren) will be released. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in keeping our youth safe! Parents please note that after Federation meetings we require you to come to the building to pick up your child. Thank you for your understanding!

Experiencing Discovery, Growth & Excellence (E.D.G.E.)

EDGE is a leadership and personal development conference designed specifi cally for 7th and 8th grade students. Saturday, November 13 from 8:30a.m – 3:30p.m. RSVP by November 5th. For more information contact the Extension Office

Friday and Saturday, February 11th & 12th at Western Illinois University's Olson Conference Center. Attendance is open to all youth ages 12-14. The theme for this year will center around solving crimes and clues using genetics, etc. Registration deadline is February 1st. If you have any question contact us at 235-4125.

We wish to express our thanks for all items received at the time of the fair. It will all be used to help someone!

Received from German Valley Food Pantry

Many of you are aware of the hurricanes that have devastated Florida. Many people have been affected by Mother Nature's intensity. We encourage 4-H clubs to help 4-H'ers in Florida. If you have a desire to help please e-mail FOURH@ifas.ufl.edu you will then be assigned to a county with great needs and a Florida 4-H agent as a contact.

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2004
U of I Extension Office
6:00–8:00 p.m.
Cost–$2 per person
Pre-registration is required by Nov. 5th.
Call 235-4125

We have had several issues brought to our attention this past year, the fair is looking at doing a few things differently this coming year during the fair. We want to know what your opinion is regarding:

1. What is the general concession of keeping the 4-H Building open all day Saturday with the 4-H booths intact. It has been suggested that we have a lot of traffic through our building all day on Saturday, and it would be good representation and support of our Fair organization and a great way to promote 4-H if we had booths and projects still available all day Saturday. Booth tear down would then be sometime Sunday afternoon.

Other ideas that were suggested, none of these are final they are just brainstorming! What are your opinions regarding....

1. Set- up of Fair on Monday, Fair would then open on Tuesday;
2. 4-H Livestock shows on Saturday of Fair;
3. Food, Horticulture and Cloverbuds on Tuesday;
4. Cat Show on Saturday;
5. Livestock Sale on Sunday afternoon;
6. Parade of Excellence only give out nonlivestock awards. All livestock awards handed out at the shows.

4-H is about youth and families we want YOUR opinion. Your comments will help us come to a solution regarding fair tear down. Let us know ASAP! Or drop us a note at sreilly1@.uiuc.edu.

Allison Bamberg (Country Cuzins) and Tina Kerr (Lena Lucky Clovers) will be attending the National Poultry Judging Contest in Louisville, Kentucky, from Nov. 15-19. Congratulations, Allison and Tina–we wish you the best as you compete!

The Award Applications have been judged and soon, at County 4-H Achievement Night, you'll know how you did. A great big Thank You goes to all those 4-Her's who filled out the applications.

One thing we noticed is that not everyone found out about one of the changes in the application. Community Service is now listed under each award area, under "Other 4-H/ Extension Accomplishments", as well as under "Community/School/Other Accomplishments".

To allow for this change, the point system has been modified. Check out your application score sheet when you get it back and you'll see the changes. The Award area now gets 30 points and the "Other 4-H/Extension Accomplishments" has dropped to 20 points.

Be sure to read the judges' comments and see what you can do to improve your 4-H Award Application for next year.

For those of you who didn't fill out an Award Application – call the Office o r stop in and get an Award Application form and start working on it for 2005! A member of the Leadership and Awards Committee will be glad to help you get started.

The 4-H Federation meeting was called to order on October 18th, 2004.

• Annie gave the Secretary's Report. Kraig, Sara, and Candi gave the Co-Pres Report. Lindsey gave the Rec Report. We will be watching the movie Mean Girls for November meeting. As for the Movie Night we had in September, everyone who went said they had a lot of fun. Flags Flying event from the September meeting made a decent amount, and we will be sending $50.00 to a local military organization. Maggie gave the Scrapbook Report.
• Kim talked about raising money for the Lisa Woessner Memorial. We will be holding two silent auctions - one at Achievement Night and one at Volunteer Banquet. She asked if anyone was interested in donating items, and if they were, to inform Pam by the end of the meeting. Be sure to ask your club members if they would like to donate anything.
• Officer Training will be on Thursday, October 28th, 2004, HCC, Building H Rm. 201, at 6:30. It is a mandatory training for club (and Fed) officers. Also remember to bring a pair of sunglasses.J
• Achievement Night will be on November 3rd, at 7:00 in H201
• Johnathon gave an update on Christmas Boxes, and a committee was formed. The committee members are: Lindsey, Maggie, and Annie.
• Chelsea gave info on Camp Counselors, and asked if anyone was interested. The official application deadline is January 14. Counselors must be 15 or older.
• Candi gave an update on the Bowling Party, which will be on January 8th, from 1- 3:30, at the Four Seasons. The committee consists of: Maggie, Mandy, Sabrina, and Allison.
• Lindsey and Evan brought up the December meeting. They asked if we wanted to do the White Elephant and regular gift (which is a $3-5.00 gift) exchange, everyone agreed that we would.
• We will be doing Military Mail again, so please promote this to your clubs. We'd love to have lots to send!
• Sara informed us that the January meeting falls on Martin Luther King Day, so the will be moved to January 24th, 2005.
• Pam reminded us about the importance of Risk Management. She said that after meetings those who are able to drive should go to the parking lot with a buddy and that if we are unable to drive our parents should meet us at the building.
• We concluded the meeting with a collection of food/treats for Jodi's care pakage.
• Kim, Chelsea and Pam presented the recreation activity. They told scary stories and led us through a pretend coroner's basement with various guts and body parts. It was a spooky and fun evening!

- Submitted by Annie King, Federation Secretary

Federation members decided that they again want to send letters/notes to the troops serving to protect our nation. They are asking that clubs take time to write, make, or design cards, letters, or notes with holiday wishes for the holidays for the troops. All the messages will be collected at the Extension Office by Monday, November 15 (NO LATER)! Federation will mail them to the troops. Please send your cards with your Federation Delegate to the November meeting, or drop them off at the office. This is a special way to thank them for serving our country, and a way to help make their holidays a bit more special while they are away from family and friends.

Once again, Federation is planning Christmas Boxes for families in need, to help make their holidays a little bit brighter. But they need your help! They are asking that each club make donations of nonperishable food or toiletry items or a cash donation so that the Federation can put together boxes of food and purchase gifts for these families. Have your club consider helping to make the holidays a happier one for those less fortunate.

Also, along with the Christmas Box Drive, Federation is taking names/nominations for families that they can give the Christmas Boxes to. If you know of someone that this project may really help to make a difference for, or maybe someone touched by recent layoffs in our community; please contact the Extension Office so we can get the information from you or send you a nomination form. Help to make the holidays a bit brighter for those in need today.

MONTADALE OWNERS: It has been decided to eliminate the Montadale individual class and combine it with the Other Purebred Meat class. We've looked at the enrollment trend over the last couple of years and there are only one or two 4-H members in each of these classes. If you have any questions, please contact the Extension Office.

Many special people are celebrating birthdays in the month of November.

• Kendra Bolen–11/03
• Michelle Bronkema–11/08
• Danny Cary–11/19
• Grant Ebbesmeyer–11/03
• Katelyn Elsasser–11/17
• Josh Endress–11/18
• Brandon Engelkens–11/14
• Austin Fischer–11/05
• Hannah Flynn–11/08
• Christina Garnhart–11/25
• Andrew Gilmour–11/22
• Laura Gilmour–11/15
• Kayla Gobeli–11/24
• Amber Hagemann–11/25
• Bryce Haselhorst–11/23
• Ethan Heck–11/02
• Rachel Hepler–11/03
• Justin Hughes–11/21
• Bryce Keltner–11/22
• Annie King–11/29
• Bryan Kraft–11/16
• Bridget Lipford–11/22
• Melissa Lochowitz–11/18
• Karen Lyford 11/29
• Grant Moest–11/01
• Cassandra Musser–11/17
• Daniel Myers–11/23
• Jestin Nesemeyer–11/05
• Joshua Picha–11/01
• Lauren Sheffey–11/27
• Jacob Snyder–11/03
• Joshua Snyder–11/09
• Andrew Winning–11/24
• Amy Woodyatt-Wilson–11/14

- Alvin Price

Be a millionaire and teach your teenager to become one, too. Learn how to help your teenager avoid credit disasters. Receive a free workbook, pizza, and door prizes

Wednesday, November 10
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Highland Community College
Room H201
Seating is limited–register by Nov. 3rd
Presenters are: Dr. Angela Lyons, University of Illinois and Susan Taylor, and Evie Prasse, from the University of Illinois Extension

Wednesday, December 8, 2004
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
St. John's Lutheran Church
Lena
Open to any 4-H Youth
Cost: $3.00 per person
Must pre-register
Presented by: Sarah Todd
Food & Wellness Educator

The YWCA Voices Program needs help! Their annual Book Sale is Nov. 3 thru 6. Volunteers are needed to help pack the books and put them back into storage after the sale ends. Help is needed on Saturday, November 6th from 3 to 6 p.m. This would be a great Community Service project for a club or an individual to undertake. If you can help, please call Amy Jo at 235-9421.

For those who shop at Cub Foods, here's a quick, easy way to help the 4-H program in Stephenson County! Save your Cub Food receipts and either give them to your leader or send them to the Extension Office. Leaders, please turn them in to the Extension Office every other month. Each quarter we will turn them in to Cub Foods, and receive a check back for 1% of the total sales. We will begin this fund-raiser on January 1, 2004. START SAVING YOUR RECEIPTS! Keep the 4-H program alive and well!

We'll also take old cell phones and printer cartridges (both ink-jet and laser). We can recycle them and turn them into cash! Ask your friends and/or businesses you know to give you their printer cartridges and bring them to the Extension Office!

November:

3 Achievement Night
10 Volunteer Banquet
15 Federation
22 New Family Support Coordinator Training
25-26 Thanksgiving Break

December:

13 Pizza Sales begin
17 State Award Applications due to Extension Office
20 Federation Meeting