Greetings 4-H Families!
In this issue:
- 2021 Calendar of Events
- End-Of-Year Award Applications due September 30
- Camp Counselor Applications due November 2
- Thank You Note Reminder
- Extension Office Hours Update
- Ohio 4-H Guidelines Reminder
- Volunteer Reminders
- Ohio 4-H Foundation Fundraising Event
- Mars Ohio 4-H STEM Challenge
- TSC Paper Clover Campaign
- National 4-H Week
COUNTY 4-H UPDATES
2021 4-H Calendar Available
Mark your calendar and save the dates now for important county events and deadlines! Updates will be added to the website and this calendar as we receive them, as well as emailed to all 4-H families.
Please note: dates, times, and locations, and format are subject to change based on OSU and county health and safety guidelines. We will keep you informed as time progresses.
A printable calendar can be found here.
End-Of-Year Award Applications and Forms available – Due September 30th
Want to be recognized for your 4-H accomplishments? Nominate an outstanding member or friend of 4-H? All end of year award applications are due September 30th to the OSU Extension office or emailed to duffey.2@osu.edu. Awards are annouced at the end of year banquet in December. You can find all the forms below or linked to our website here.
- Jr Honor Member Award (Ages 8 and in the 3rd grade to 13 years)
- Teen Honor Member Awards (14 & up)
- Cloverbud Member Activity & Participation Sheet (Ages 5 and in Kindergarten to 8 years)
- Outstanding 4-H Member Nomination form
- Volunteer Honor Award (Adult Volunteers)
- Community Service Award and suggestions for community service projects
- Honor Club (For advisors)
- Friend of 4-H Award
2021 Camp Counselor Applications Due November 2
We want to make sure individuals interested in applying for Madison County 4-H Camp Counselor have plenty of time to work on and submit their applications! We’re trying to be optimistic and eager for 2021!
Help us plan to 2021 Madison County 4-H Camp! Applications are due November 2.
For more information, tentative meeting dates or to apply visit: go.osu.edu/madco4hcampcounselor
Thank You Notes
Now that fair is over, please make sure that you take the time to write a thank you note to the sponsors of your awards and buyers. It is very important to show appreciation to these supporters! While you are at it, feel free to write a letter of appreciation to others that helped make your 4-H year memorable and possible. This could be your parents, club leaders, volunteers and fair, and older youth member, etc.
The buyers list of addresses from the 2020 Jr. Fair Livestock Sale is available here!
Remember, the sponsors of awards and buyers did not have to do this for you. Please do these thank you notes in a timely manner to show your appreciation!
When writing a thank you note, remember to include the following:
- Greeting (Dear ____,)
- Express your gratitude (Thank you so much for sponsoring ___ award OR thank you so much for all your help with my project)
- Discuss Use (Say something nice about what you got and how you will use it/what it means to you!)
- Grace (Thanks again for your support)
- Regards (Sincerely)
For additional help writing a thank you note and to see a sample, click here!
Congratulations to the 2020-2021 Junior Fair Board Members
Congratulations to all of our Junior Fair Board members for this coming year! Listed above: Jayden Baker, Allison Barker, Emily Barker, Maya Berkey, Allison Dudgeon, Luke Furbee, Hannah Green, Ellie Heisler, Kaiden Howard, Anna LeGault, Macy Miller, Kinsey Null, Luke Peart, Brianna Peterman, Sierra Schlosser, Cade Smith, and Amara Suchy.
Jr. Fair Results
Congratulations to all who exhibited at the 2020 Madison County Jr. Fair! To view results from livestock classes and special interest awards, as well as the project showcase for special interest, click the links below!
- Special Interest Award Winners
- Livestock Show Results
- Showman of Showman, Scholarship, and other Fair Awards
- Equine High Point Awards
*There are some awards that need claimed in the Extension Office. If you are waiting for a banner/plaque, please call ahead to make sure it is in before making a trip to the Extension Office!
OSU Extension Office Hours
Office Hour Update: As a reminder, our office is open on Monday-Wednesday, 7:30am-4:00pm for open hours and Thursday and Friday by appointment only. Please continue to call ahead before coming into the office, wear your mask when inside, and stay home if you are sick.
In-Person 4-H Meetings and Events Update
As we head into fall, we want to take a moment to thank you for remaining flexible as we work together to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. By following recommended guidance, we’re helping to keep our families and friends safer, our kids learning, and our economy going. We also want to take a moment to share updated in-person 4-H meeting requirements and a reminder to continue to follow our 4-H guidelines.
Updated information, effective as of September 1, 2020 includes:
- Hosting virtual meetings and events is preferred.
- If activities are critical/essential and are in-person, they must be education-focused.
- Group cannot be larger than 50 people, including adults, youth, presenters, etc.
- This directive is dependent on local health department guidelines.
- The group size may need to be reduced to 10 (or other amount), based on the directives of your local health department.
- Face masks are required.
- This includes inside AND outside at all times.
- Program participants and parent/guardians ages five and older must wear a mask.
- The exception is shooting sports where safety is a concern when on the line. Refer to the full guidance document online for additional shooting sports guidance (link below).
- Medical conditions or disability exceptions are also permitted.
- Potlucks and buffets are not permitted
Any time our county is designated a Level 4 Public Health Emergency (color-coded purple) by the Ohio Department of Health, all in-person 4-H club meetings and events must be held virtually or postponed until the designation changes to Level 3 or below.
Ohio’s Public Health Advisory System updates are at https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/publichealth-advisory-system/
All other guidance we provided July 22 is still in effect. That information, along with these new updates, is at https://ohio4h.org/families/stay-connected.
Statement on 4-H Membership Eligibility
Ohio 4-H membership begins with Cloverbuds when a child is five and ends on December 31 of the year they turn 19. Due to cancellation of activities in 2020, there have been requests to extend a year of eligibility for 4-H members. This was given strong consideration at the national and regional levels. The decision was made that national 4-H programs will follow existing age requirements and another year of eligibility will not be granted. Following conversation with our 4-H professionals, Ohio will follow that policy.
Changing the policy would set an unsustainable precedent for youth participation for years to come. It would create increased unfairness when considering competitive events with the cascading impact on those who would have aged out taking spots of current youth down the line. COVID-19 has created a loss of experiences for everyone however, I am confident in the resiliency of our youth. Over the past few months, their ability to adapt and willingness to persevere has been evidenced by their participation in virtual camps, meetings and other 4-H activities.
Ohio 4-H is proud of how our volunteers and young people have adapted in this unprecedented time.
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 30 – Honor Club Apps, Community Service Club Awards, Jr. and Teen Honor Member Forms, Outstanding Member Nomination forms, Cloverbud, Volunteer Honor Form, and Friend of 4-H Nomination forms due
October 5 – 4-H Committee Meeting @ 6pm
November 2 – Camp Counselor Applications due
November 2 – 4-H Committee Meeting @ 6pm
November 11 – Veteran’s Day – Extension Office Closed
November 26-27 – Thanksgiving – Extension Office Closed
CLUB/VOLUNTEER UPDATES 
Volunteer Trainings: All club volunteers need to complete 2 trainings for 2021 4-H year. Attend 2 mandatory 4-H Volunteer training or opportunity at the county, district, or state level or a non-4-H training that relates to your work as a volunteer. This is a new requirement from the state level. To help meet this, Frances will be hosting several volunteer training dates from December-February (mostly virtual) with a variety of topics. Watch your emails for more information on topics, registration, etc.
4-H Club Update Event: NEW for 2021, we will be having a 4-H Club Update on January 20th. There will be a 10:00-11:30am time and a 7:oo-8:30pm timeslot. This will cover any updates for 4-H for the year (calendars, policies, new events, fair updates, etc.) so that the volunteer trainings can focus on more educational and applicable topics that will help you as volunteers. We will require at least 2 representatives from each club to attend – either 2 adult volunteers or 1 adult volunteer and 1 teen leader representative. This will count as a training opportunity for volunteers as well. This will most likely be held virtually. More information will be shared soon!
Club Achievement Packets: Make sure you are picking up your club achievement packets at the extension office! If you plan to meet with your club, be sure to follow the Ohio 4-H Guidelines. Contact Frances with any questions. This goes for any meetings, fundraisers, community service, and other get-togethers!
Background Checks: If you are up for a background check this year, you will receive notice in the next month or so via mail and/or email. Please get that done sooner rather than later!
4-H Online Update: This fall, we will be switching to a new version of 4-H Online, which is the system we use for enrollment. Don’t fret – it is much more user friendly! We will be offering some trainings this winter as well and plenty of tip sheets and videos to help families with the enrollment process in the Spring.]
New Volunteers: If you are adding someone to your club as a volunteer, make sure they fill out a new volunteer application ASAP to get the process started! Contact Frances for more information
STATE 4-H OPPORTUNITIES
Be sure to check Ohio4H.org for the most recent state 4-H information and follow the “Ohio State – 4-H Youth Development” Facebook page!
Ohio 4-H Foundation Celebration of Youth
Join the Ohio 4-H Foundation for this year’s Celebration of Youth event on Thursday, November 5 at 7:00. This year, for the first time, the virtual event is open to everyone free of charge. Participants will enjoy a program featuring many Ohio 4-H members and an online auction. Funds raised from Celebration of Youth support Ohio 4-H programming and operations to help engage youth across Ohio’s 88 counties. Please visit go.osu.edu/COY for event details, sponsorship information, and registration for the event.
Blast Off to Mars with Ohio 4-H and join the 4-H STEM Challenge!
We’re launching a trip to Mars Base Camp and want to help you get there! The 2020 4-H STEM Challenge explores sending a mission to Mars and what it takes to sustain life in space. The Mars Base Camp kit includes activities that use STEM skills like mechanical engineering, physics, computer science, and agriculture.
We want Ohio 4-H families to join in and thanks to the Ohio 4-H Foundation and Google, you can receive an $8 discount on the Mars Base Camp family kit. The family kit is available at shop4-h.org for $15.95, plus shipping, but with the Ohio 4-H discount and the $5 discount available on their website, your final cost is just $7.80 + tax.
Want to learn more?
- Find 4-H STEM Challenge details at https://4-h.org/parents/4-h-stem-challenge/#!2020-challenge
- Get your discount code at go.osu.edu/2020ohiostemchallenge
- Participate online with a coding challenge at Insight from Mars
And to help you on your Martian journey, the Ohio 4-H STEM Team is hosting a week of virtual, space activities from Oct. 4-10. Details at https://ohio4h.org/statewide-programs/4-h-science/mars-base-camp-4-h-stem-challenge . Get ready to blast-off!
Ohio 4-H Teen Survey
Ohio 4-H is seeking input from 4-H teens to help us design virtual programming that would be specific to ages 13-19. We know that during a time of distance learning and modified 4-H programs, that there are many new opportunities to explore! With your feedback to a short survey, Ohio 4-H intends to use your thoughts and ideas in offering more teen-specific programs that can be accessed virtually! Please visit www.go.osu.edu/ohio4hteeninterest and respond to the survey questions by October 16 to have your feedback shared! If you received this survey from another source, you are only asked to complete it once. Thank you in advance for taking a few moments to complete this survey!
Tractor Supply Paper Clover Campaign – October 7-18
It’s time for the fall Tractor Supply Paper Clover Drive! Purchase a clover in-stroe or at checkout to support 4-H camp and leadership opportunities in Madison County. Head to TSC in London from October 7-18 and purchase a paper clover!
National 4-H Week: October 4-10, 2020!
Happy #National4HWeek! Madison County 4-H is proud to support #Opportunity4All kids, and we invite you to celebrate with us by showing your 4-H spirit on social media and in your community!
