Awards

Outstanding 4-H Alumni Award – Nominations Open!

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The Fairfield County Junior Leaders are honored to recognize two former 4-H’ers who have been selected as outstanding 4-H Alumni. This award annually recognizes one male and one female former 4-H member (any county or state) for their outstanding contribution(s) to the 4-H program as adult volunteers. In addition to their own individual plaques, the outstanding 4-H Alumni will also have their names added to our 4-H Alumni Award Plaque which is on display in the lobby of the Fairfield County Extension Office.

Please submit this form: 2024 Outstanding Alumni Nomination Form by Dec. 15th to nominate a former 4-H member for this award along with a short reason why he or she should be recognized.

Anyone is welcome to nominate Outstanding 4-H Alumni! Please nominate one man and one woman who are 4-H Alumni. They can be from any state or county 4-H program. This award is not limited to just current advisors! This award annually recognizes one male and one female former 4-H member (any county or state) for their outstanding contribution(s) to the 4-H program as adult volunteers. Please submit a nomination form for a former 4-H member for this award and include a short description on why they should be recognized.

Advisors: Check Your Emails for Advisor Recognition Invitation

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Fairfield County 4-H Advisors,

You should have received the following email with your Drive Thru invitation on Wednesday, November 8th. Be sure to RSVP even if you can’t attend. If you haven’t seen it in your inbox, please check your spam or junk folder! If you still can’t find it, you can call in your RSVP too.

The Fairfield County 4-H Junior Leaders would like to invite you to attend the Advisor Recognition Event on Saturday, December 2, 2023, from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m., as a “Thank You” for your service as a 4-H volunteer and to celebrate the 2023 4-H club year. This will be an open house event, so please stop by to pick up your complimentary breakfast sandwich. Door prizes and Milestone gifts (1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 years) will be distributed. End of the Year Packets will be available. Sale Committee members will be on-site to distribute sale checks as well.

What:        Advisor Recognition Event

Hot breakfast sandwich and Coffee/Hot Chocolate
(Breakfast provided by Falcon’s Nest)

When:       Saturday, December 2, 2023, from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Who:         ALL Fairfield County 4-H Advisors

Where:      OSU Extension Office, 831 College Ave, Lancaster

Cost:         No charge

Please RSVP by Wednesday, November 22nd by completing your RSVP survey (URL: https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5aoGTcpGMVGyaYC).

If you have questions or would like to RSVP by phone, please call 740-653-5419.

We look forward to seeing you on December 2nd.

Thank you for all that you do to make the best better!

Aubry Fowler & The Fairfield County Junior Leaders

Save the Date: December 14th for our Achievement Form Workshops

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Be recognized for all you do in 4-H! It all begins with keeping great records of your 4-H accomplishments! Save the date of December 14th for upcoming workshops! Details are in the flyer posted below.

Younger 4-H youth (ages 9-13 as of 1/1/2024) are encouraged to start completing your Junior Achievement Form. Junior Achievement Awards will be awarded in April 2024!

Older 4-H youth (ages 14-18 as of 1/1/2024) are encouraged to explore the many teen opportunities available to them when they complete the Ohio 4-H Achievement Form including: County Merit Awards, College Scholarships, County Trip Awards, Outstanding 4-Her Award, State Achievement Awards – and perhaps earning a trip to National 4-H Congress! County Merit Awards, Scholarships, and Trip Awards will be awarded in April 2024!

Be recognized for all you do in 4-H! Members ages 8-13 should complete the Junior Achievement Form!

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Fairfield County Jr. Achievement Form (pdf)  (Due January 12, 2024) For 4-H members ages 8-13 as of January 1, 2024 to complete.  This form provides a start towards completing the Ohio Achievement Record form.  There are three levels of awards:  White Clover for members in the first and second year, Green Clover for members in their third and fourth years, and Gold Clover for members in the fifth and sixth year of Traditional 4-H.

The cover letter may be found here.

Example Jr. Achievement Form

Hard copies of the 2024 Fairfield County Jr. Achievement Forms are due Friday, January 12th at 4:00 p.m.

4-H Teen Opportunities, Award Forms, and Recognition (youth ages 13-18 as of 1/1/2024)

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Attention Teens! Do you want to be a camp counselor? Junior Fair Board Member? Junior Leader? Outstanding 4-Her? Scholarship or Trip Award winner? Do you find yourself asking “How do I get to do that?” We suspect that as you have gotten older you have started to look for new and exciting things where you can be involved. Read on… 4-H has special opportunities for teens only where YOU can play a part!

There are many exciting opportunities that await you as a teenager in the Fairfield County 4-H Program. Soon, 4-H members who will be ages 13-18 as of 1/1/2024 will receive a survey link emailed to them. This survey is an invitation for you to let us know what you are interested in learning more about. Read all about these opportunities, mark which ones you are interested in and we will follow up with making sure you have the correct forms, applications, and information to proceed to the next steps!

The opportunities in awards, trips, scholarships and more available to teens in the 4-H program are incredible. Don’t miss out on learning more and getting involved! Most of these opportunities are open to 4-H members ages 14 and up as of January 1st. There are also a few opportunities for youth ages 13 as of January 1st. Some of these activities require completion of special forms while others just involve asking for more information. Regardless of what you are interested in, be sure to give us a call if you need more information or would like some help with the necessary forms.

If members and parents would like a little extra assistance in preparing their records, feel free to call or email Leslie (740-277-4625) at cooksey.25@osu.edu or Aubry (740-277-4626) at fowler.443@osu.edu.

We encourage you all to broaden your 4-H experience and try something new. We think you’ll find many new friends and much more fun ahead!

Additionally, we invite youth who will be ages 13-18 as of 1/1/2024 to attend the Achievement Form Workshop on Thursday, December 14th from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Extension Office / Ag Center.

Ohio 4-H Volunteer and Teen Awards Nominations

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The Ohio 4-H Program recognizes exceptional volunteers and teens through specialty awards that are selected each year. We would love to see Fairfield County 4-H volunteers and teens selected for some of these prestigious awards. If you have someone that you would recommend for one of these awards, please let Leslie or Aubry know by Friday, November 10, 2023 so we can have the time to collect the necessary information to complete the nomination and to ensure nominations are submitted by the deadline. You can view the list of award categories HERE or view them in the images below.

How to get started on Ohio 4-H Achievement Forms – a virtual workshop on October 1st

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The Ohio 4-H Teen Leadership Council will be hosting a virtual Achievement Form Workshop on October 1st, 2023 via Zoom from 6:00-7:30 p.m. An informational session will be held, providing a basic overview of the Achievement Form, giving introductory tips for completion, and sharing about potential opportunities available to members who complete and submit their forms.

Must register at https://go.osu.edu/AchForm2023 by September 29 to receive Zoom information for the workshop.

This session will be recorded for those who cannot attend in live-time.

What’s an Ohio 4-H Achievement Form? Check out this flyer: Achievement Record Flyer FINAL

Thank You Note Tips

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A simple, handwritten thank you note goes a long way to express gratitude for time, service, sponsorship, donation, etc. As we approach project judging, camp, county fair, state fair and maybe other summer programming—it is important to remind our youth about thank you note importance. As Teresa Johnson mentioned in her “Saying Thank You” document, “A lot of respect can be earned or lost by our ability to say thanks”. A well written thank you note is worth it’s weight in gold and it not only makes the donor feel appreciated, but it may also have an influence on if they choose to give again. We want to make a positive impact! Encourage a handwritten note versus a typed one. Encourage youth to write as neatly as possible in blue or black ink.

Need a refresher on formatting? No problem.

  1. Begin with a greeting, like “Dear Mr. Jones,” or “Dear Insert Organization Here”.
  2. Express appreciation and why the thank you note is being written. Be specific. Don’t be afraid to go into detail about how the item/gift will be used.

Example 1: “Thank you for serving as a class sponsor for the 2023 Trumbull County Jr. Fair Dairy Show. The duffle bag I received for first place is very much appreciated and will travel with me to future 4-H events! “

Example 2: “Thank you so much for purchasing my 4-H market rabbit at the 2023 Trumbull County Livestock Sale. The Trumbull County Fair has been a highlight of my summer since joining 4-H six year ago. The money received will be placed in a savings account to help pay for college. Thank you for your support of the Trumbull County 4-H Program and my 4-H project.“

  1. Express appreciation/acknowledge generosity again. “Thank you again for your support of Trumbull County 4-H and the Trumbull County Jr. Fair. Your kindness is greatly appreciated.” -OR- Thank you again for your generosity and for supporting the 2023 Trumbull County Jr. Fair. I hope to see you again next year!”
  2. Closing: “Sincerely, _______”. Make sure the youth member signs their name.

Other Tips:

  • Encourage youth to be prompt in getting the thank you mailed- a suggestion is two weeks or less from the date the award, monetary gift, etc. was received.
  • Make sure the nature of the thank you is positive! We do not want to criticize or express the desire for a different or additional gift.
  • Personalize it: add a photo to the thank you, thank the buyer/donor the following year on a poster above the animal or exhibit, etc. Counties may already have buyer/donor appreciation gifts (i.e. goodie bag, etc).
  • Make sure the youth member has the correct address for the individual/business.
  • Do not assume everyone is a professional at writing thank yous! Go over formatting at a club meeting, committee meeting, or QA event. It’s also helpful to provide additional resources to families and/or advisors.

Source: May/June – Teen Leadership Snack Break (Ashlee Meardith, Trumbull County 4-H Educator)