Author: Lydia Flores

Farewell and Thank You

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“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney

With a heavy heart, I want to share that, I will be transitioning into a new position to serve as the Marion County 4-H Extension Educator on March 29. I want to express my sincerest thanks for your passion, dedication, and continuous support of the Morgan County 4-H program and welcoming me into your community with open arms. You all have helped my personal and professional development throughout the past few years, especially during the global pandemic.

During my time in Morgan County, I learned that our families are very busy with children in sports, church, or jobs that wait times for project judging and skillathons were quite long for busy schedules, so we found a way to help accommodate those schedules with project judging appointment times for them to select a time that worked for them, and we sorted families by last name so that siblings could complete skillathons at the same time. I also learned that our older youth are strong and caring leaders. The Morgan County Junior Leaders were able to provide a way to include our Cloverbud members with an educational event known as the Cloverbud STEM Days. It has been an amazing experience to watch these teens teach younger members about science concepts and grow into confident leaders. Lastly, I learned that our volunteers and families wanted more ways to stay connected and updated with the 4-H program, so we built the 4-H blog site to share immediate information about upcoming events and reminders.

I’m thrilled and blessed to have spent the time with the youth and volunteers of the Morgan County 4-H program, and Morgan County with its beautiful views, local support, and friendly community will always hold a special place in my heart.

The process for hiring a new 4-H Extension Educator has begun, and I trust that the staff in the office will be able to continue to support the Morgan County 4-H program until someone new joins the team. I do challenge you all to continue to make the best better for the youth, volunteers, and community and welcome the next 4-H educator with open arms. Again, thank you so much for shaping me into who I am today.

Ohio 4-H Sea Camp Staff/Counselors Needed

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Applications Available for Sea Camp Staff and Counselors!

What: Ohio 4-H Sea Camp Staff and Counselor Recruitment

Who: 4-H members or adults ages 18+ at the time of July 15, 2022

When: Applications are available now and due by April 15! Camp is July 15-19, 2022 with staff and counselors arriving on July 14 at Kelleys Island for required training.

Website: go.osu.edu/seacamp

Applications available: Cabin Counselor, Adult Camp Staff, Guest Instructor

If you are interested in contributing to Sea Camp this year, please complete either the Counselor Application (to be a cabin counselor) or Staff Application (to be adult staff or instructor). Links are below.

If you are interested in being a counselor, please complete the counselor application and send the reference form link to be completed by two references (not immediate family). If you are interested in being a staff member/instructor, please complete the staff application. Applications and references are due by April 15, 2022.

Counselor Application: go.osu.edu/SeaCampCounselor

Counselor Reference Form: go.osu.edu/SeaCampRef

Staff Application: go.osu.edu/SeaCampStaff 

Plans for 2022 Sea Camp Registration (for campers) are currently being worked on – stay tuned for more information!

Backyard Poultry Biosecurity

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With concerns are around HPAI and poultry rising, especially as we approach fair season, good biosecurity practices are very important! Learn about health risk and biosecurity practices specific to poultry projects with Dr. Tim McDermott! Youth and adults are welcome to join us on April 5th from 5:30-7:00pm on Zoom (Zoom link and details below).

Join Zoom Meeting

https://osu.zoom.us/j/97510455262?pwd=K0tmUjM3eDF6S25RNXlMNTBzR2pkUT09

Meeting ID: 975 1045 5262

Password: 730686

One tap mobile

+16468769923,,97510455262#,,,,0#,,730686# US (New York)

4-H Food Board Update

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We would like to thank everyone who has supported the Morgan County 4-H Food Board over the years by purchasing and enjoying the deliciously tasty chocolate Easter eggs. After being away for two years, the volunteers of the Food Board have decided to retire from their roles as the food board advisors. Those volunteers were Debbie Earich and Linda Wilson and a huge thank you goes to them for dedicating many years of service and support for the 4-H youth and program. At this time, there have not been any volunteers to take their place nor the time to organize a group to make/sell Easter eggs by April. There may be a chance in the future for the group to be re-established.

Experience the Outdoors!

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 Experience The Outdoors is: 

● an educational program in which to learn various outdoor skills. 

● designed primarily for women and an opportunity for anyone 14 years of age or older. 

● held in a nurturing environment to foster success and develop camaraderie. 

● $35 for registration, t-shirt, refreshments and lunch. 

● an exciting, informative, fun-filled day! . . . . . . . Rain or shine! 

Held at Hervida 4-H Camp 1260 Camp Hervida Road, Waterford, Ohio on Saturday, May 14, 2022

Registration is due by May 6, 2022. Registration forms are available in the office for pickup or can be mailed to you upon request.

If you have any questions, please contact Suzi White at 740-236-6000 or sjwhite6@yahoo.com

 AGENDA 

All Day Country Store open! Tickets, available all day. 

8:00 am Registration & Light Refreshments 

8:15 Welcome & Program Overview 

8:30 Group Picture 

9:00 Session 1 (over for descriptions) 

10:45 Session 2 

12:30 pm Lunch 

1:30 Session 3 

3:15 Session 4 

5:00 Country Store Drawing & Evaluation 

Take the Leap!

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“Take the Leap: Career Readiness Day” on Saturday, April 2, 2022 (12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center! This event is open to any 4-H member – ages 13 to 18 – and is completely FREE! Several Teen Leadership Council members have been planning this event and are excited to facilitate this opportunity for their peers.

This day is jam-packed full of opportunities for participants with some highlights listed here:

  • Learn about 4-H opportunities at the state level
  • Rotate through career preparation workshops covering topics such as resume writing, interview skills, entrepreneurship, goal setting, and more
  • Network with peers who are also interested in preparing for their future

Participants can register at go.osu.edu/taketheleap. Registration is due by March 19. 

Let Frances (foos.61@osu.edu), Kayla (oberstadt.1@osu.edu), or Sarah (longo.79@osu.edu) know if you have any questions.

NEW for 2022: Poultry Resource

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The time has come! Our office has put together a poultry resource handbook for all poultry projects. It is a combination of published articles found on the Ohio 4-H website to serve as a guide in basic anatomy, disease management, nutrition, and showmanship skills. It will be available to purchase through a club book order or at the Extension office. It comes in a 3-ring binder due to its size and will cost $12.