4-H Clover Report
September 6th, 2017
Dear 4-H Members,
Our hearts go out to all of our 4-H Families and Community Members affected by the ongoing fires in and around Skamania County. Stay safe!
Dates to know!
- September 5th – October 20th – National 4-H Service Project-WWI Memorial Learn more under Community Service.
- September 23rd – Clovers and Cougs Football Tailgate Event 4-H is being featured as WSU takes on University of Nevada – Reno. Come show your 4-H and Cougar pride by participating in the pre-game events. Booths will be set up to highlight some of the amazing things 4-H youth are doing in their communities. If you are interested in hosting a booth for this event, please send an email to kristi.axtell@wsu.edu with the following information: Topic or Program to be highlighted, Space Requirements (do you need electricity?), Youth/Adult representative names and contact information. (kristi.axtell@wsu.edu)
- September 29th – Oct. 1st – Adult Horse Camp Goldendale, WA.
- September 29th – Oct. 1st – Southeast Teen Rally Become a 4-H Superhero at the Southeast District Rally! At Meadowood Springs in Weston, OR.
- October 1st – NEW 4-H Year starts!
- October 9th – 4-H Council Meeting 6:30pm Hegewald Center Stevenson, WA.
- October 20th – 22nd 2017 WA State 4-H Forum Make a Splash at the Great Wolf Lodge: two days of workshops, awards, speakers, and the event ends with the Washington State 4-H Council.
- October 27th – 29th Northwest/Southwest District Teen Rally open for all teens 7th-12th grade! Build leadership skills & friendships with teens from 16 counties during The Curse of Island Lake.
- October 28th -29th – Archery & Riflery Training 9-5 in Mt. Vernon, WA. For active volunteers only. Find all the details at the online signup.
General Information for Volunteers
- Your volunteered time is so valuable! How valuable? Well Independent Sector announced in April that the latest value of an hour of a volunteer’s time is worth $30.04 in Washington State. Take a couple of minutes and report your hours for August (including those unending hours during the Fair) here: http://ext.wsu.edu/Volunteers/logon.aspx. Your username is your email and your password is “password!” without the quotation marks.
- Interested in chaperoning state 4-H events? Anyone interested in chaperoning can apply at the 4-H Office.
- 4HOnline is currently closed as we prepare for the 2017-2018 4-H year to start.
General Information for Members/Parents
- All Skamania County 4-H members are invited to take our 2017 Impact Survey online. All survey responses are anonymous and completely voluntary. Our goal is to gain a true understanding of our local 4-H program and we value your response!
- Every week the State 4-H Office releases a Newsletter with up-to-date information on State and National 4-H Events and News. To view the most recent newsletter, visit http://extension.wsu.edu/4h/news/.
- There are some pretty awesome events for 4-H Teens throughout the year. Start off by making some awesome friends at the Teen Rally’s around WA. http://extension.wsu.edu/4h/youth/camps/ For youth grades 7th – 12th.
- 4HOnline is currently closed as we prepare for the 2017-2018 4-H year to start.
- There are several Awards for outstanding youth shared by National 4-H:
4-H Youth in Action Awards (Due Oct 23rd)
The Prudential Spirit Awards (Due Nov 7th)
In Other News
Interested in Dog 4-H? Several families have reached out to the 4-H Office looking for a Dog club in Skamania County. If you have an interest in adding this project to your club or joining a Dog club please let Abby know.
Resource of the Week
Smoke affects humans and animals alike here is an article from WSU Veterinarians on caring for animals in this smoky weather.
Community Service
National 4-H Service Project WWI Memorial (and Fundraising Opportunity)
The National Junior Master Gardener 4-H program has partnered with the WW1 Memorial Commission on a national service project for 4-H youth to be involved with building the WW1 Memorial. The Junior Master Gardener program is proud to promote because it ties to gardening!
Groups can make a donation of $64.99 and receive 60 poppy seed packets from the WW1 Memorial Commission. They can then sell the seeds to support their program. The recommended selling price is $2 per seed packet which would generate $120. Basically the first dollar goes to fund the National WW1 memorial and the second dollar stays local for the 4-H club, school group, etc. to support their activities/programs.
We are promoting through all of our JMG groups and state partners, but this is open for any and all 4-H groups. It is a great opportunity for youth to learn more about WW1, while also being a part of a national service project. Many resources, learning experiences and details on how to participate in the poppy project can be found at: http://jmgkids.us/poppy/
Groups can start now, but the big push is between Sept. 5 and October 20th. Representatives from 4 winning groups will be invited to experience an expense paid trip to the groundbreaking of the National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC in November.
Operation Veteran Smiles
During a trip to a local veteran’s hospital with her dad, a Marine Corps veteran, 4‑H’er Amelia Day noticed that many of the veterans lacked basic toiletries and lived too far from the hospital for family or friends to visit regularly.
Amelia founded a 4‑H service project to bring smiles and support to veterans staying in VA hospitals by hand-delivering homemade get-well cards and “Smile Kits” which included essential toiletries and fun items like playing cards. She named the project Operation: Veteran Smiles (OVS).
OVS has helped more than 4,000 veterans with care packages, support and face-to-face interaction with young people. More than 6,500 volunteers and 4‑H’ers have hand-delivered care packages, homemade cards and musical therapy. If you would like to learn more about helping Veterans though OVS visit: http://bit.ly/2wlp1x1
WSU Extension programs, employment, and volunteer service are available to all without discrimination. Concerns regarding potential discrimination may be reported through your local Extension office or directly to the WSU Office for Equal Opportunity, web: oeo.wsu.edu, email; oeo@wsu.edu, phone: 509-335-8288. If you require special accommodation, call Missy Cummins at 360-397-6060 x5714 two weeks prior to the event.