December 4-H Newsletter

Enrollment

If you haven’t re-enrolled your family in 4-H yet, now is the time to do so. There are only a few of the 500 Commemorative 2025 Pierce County Fair patches left. Enrollment is necessary to take part in Club, County, and State meetings, activities, and events. By reenrolling now, you also ensure that your youth family members are covered by 4-H’s accident insurance. Additionally, if you’re a leader and have updated your hours in GivePulse, you’ll be covered by L&I Insurance.

County Wide Cloverbud Holiday Party

Come celebrate the season with us on December 7 from 10:00 AM to Noon at the Cloverbud Holiday Party, held at the Rabbit Barn in Frontier Park, Graham. Enjoy fun crafts, exciting games, team-building activities, and delicious snacks! Please RSVP by email to Shelley Friend or at 253-798-7160.

Super Saturday

If you haven’t attended a Super Saturday before, it’s an exciting day filled with over 40 workshops! This event is one of the highlights of the 4-H year, offering a wide variety of project-based and skill-building workshops, leadership development, crafts, and much more. Be sure to mark February 8, 2025, on your calendar for this year’s Super Saturday. The event will be held at Franklin Pierce High School, located near Portland Ave. and 112th. Registration will open on January 10th through 4HOnline.

If you’re interested in teaching a workshop, we’re looking for new instructors to share their 4-H skills and knowledge. To apply, simply fill out the 2025 Super Saturday Proposal form and send it to Mike Seiber by December 11th. Workshops are only limited by the instructor’s creativity and expertise!

Pierce County Volunteer Awards

Take a moment to recognize a 4-H leader who goes above and beyond by nominating them for a Pierce County Volunteer Award. Anyone can nominate leaders or older youth to be honored at the annual Pierce County Volunteer Recognition Brunch on March 15th. The awardees and their nominators will be invited to this free brunch, where awardees will receive a certificate and a gift from Pierce County government. For more details and to submit a nomination before January 12, visit the Volunteer Recognition Event webpage. You can also complete the PDF nomination form and email it to Mike Seiber.

KYG – Know Your Government

Know Your Government (KYG) is a civic education program with a four-year rotating topic. This year’s conference topic is the Judicial System. The conference will take place in Olympia, WA from February 15-17. The program aims to gather high school students from across the state to exchange ideas, discuss concerns and explore potential solutions to various issues along with learning about Washington State Government. Curriculum and information can be found at KYG Website

A flyer with information about Know Your Government.

Conference for teens 14-18 years old

Upcoming Events

National Equine Presentations

It’s time to start thinking about National Equine Presentations. This is a state contest for seniors enrolled in the horse project. The contest will be held on March 22 and will be virtual. Each county can enter an individual presentation, team presentation, and speech. I would like to schedule dates (probably Saturdays) in January and February to coach and qualify Pierce County members. Please let me know by December 20 if you are interested, in which category you want to compete, your topic and what Saturday’s you are not available. I will try to schedule around any conflicts. Please send the information to Ann Vonderau.

GivePulse

Wrap up the year by ensuring all your October – December 2024 volunteer hours are entered into GivePulse, as required by Washington State University. Volunteer hours must be submitted by the end of each quarter. Failure to enter your hours could mean you’re not covered by L&I or liability insurance. Stay protected by keeping your hours up to date.

Fair Premium Checks

If you have a premium check from either the Pierce County or Washington State Fair, please cash or deposit it as soon as possible. Both fairs are working to close their books for 2024, and uncashed checks are delaying that process. The Pierce County Fair alone has over $6,000 in uncashed premium checks. If you’d like to donate your premium check back to either fair, please email bookkeeper@piercecountyfair.com for the Pierce County Fair or kellian.st4hfair@gmail.com for the Washington State 4-H Fair.

Animals

It’s time to enter or recertify your animals in 4HOnline! For animals already listed, simply review the information, make any necessary corrections, and resubmit. New animals must be entered and submitted. Completing this now ensures your animals are ready for upcoming shows and the Fair.

Please note, Horse and Beef animal entries require a photo to be uploaded to 4HOnline before submission. While other animals may have an option to upload a photo, it’s not mandatory, but it is helpful. Dog and Pet members should upload a photo to assist with space assignments at the Pierce County Fair. For Cavies and Rabbits, remember to enter the animal’s tag or tattoo number before the name in the name field (e.g., 123 Snowball or MVP Bugs).

WA State 4-H Fair Patch Design Contest

It’s time for the 2025 Patch Contest for the Washington State 4-H Fair! Enter your design and we could be wearing your art at next year’s fair! Details and the entry form can be found at the Washington State 4-H Fair Website.