Calling all creative 4-Hers!

We are looking for a fresh t-shirt design for our county 4-H program! Got a great idea? Submit your design by November 20th, 2022 at www.go.osu.edu/madco4hshirt! Your design could be chosen for our 2023 Madison County 4-H T-Shirt!

Contest Rules are listed below. Submissions are due November 20th with voting during the 4-H Banquet in December. Winner will receive a FREE t-shirt and recognition as the winning artist! Get your creative wheels turning!

Submit your design here: www.go.osu.edu/madco4hshirt

4-H T-Shirt Design Contest Rules

1. Contestants must be enrolled as a current 4-H member or adult volunteer in Madison County
2. Design must be the work of a 4-H member or volunteer, not a commercial design
3. Designs may be hand drawn or computer graphics
4. Madison County must be included in the design in writing
5. The 4-H Clover must be used in the design according to these rules: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2070/2013/07/4H-Emblem-Quick-Ref.pdf
6. Designs should be all encompassing and inclusive of what 4-H is in Madison County (i.e. not specific to a certain project)
7. Designs will be printed on either White, Black, or 4-H Green T-Shirt
8. Designs should be submitted at go.osu.edu/madco4hshirt. All designs should be received by November 20^th,
9. Designs will be judged by the 4-H Committee
10. The winning design will be used as the official design on the county 4-H t-shirts which will be available for all 4-H members, volunteers, and supporters and may also be used on official flyers, posters, banners, etc. advertising 4-H!

The winner will receive a FREE T-shirt as well as recognition as the winning artist.

Anyone that has participated in 4-H can attribute some skill back to something they learned in 4-H. Whether it is public speaking, finding their love for a certain career topic, organization, running a meeting, or more. Check out these stories from recent 4-H alumni as they share how they got their start in 4-H!

Marina Sweet, Madison County 4-H Alumni and DVM Candidate

If you met me today, you probably would never guess I grew up in a Detroit suburb. My family moved to London, Ohio when I was ten years old and being an animal loving child, joined 4-H in Madison County as soon as I could. My 8-year 4-H career began with six Buff Orpington hens that had individual names and would eat out of my hand. By the end of my time in 4-H, I had raised chickens, turkeys, goats, sheep, dairy heifers, and a hog in addition to several special interest projects. I was a camp counselor and served on Junior Fairboard, among other volunteer opportunities.

To say 4-H changed my life would be an understatement! When I first joined, I was terrified of speaking in front of others and knew very little about farm animals. 4-H brought me some of my most cherished friendships, reinforced my work ethic, showed me that I love public speaking, and perhaps most importantly of all, founded my passion for livestock and agriculture. Because of my years in the program, and one particular year raising a market wether that required veterinary attention at Ohio State, I realized my life’s calling in food animal veterinary medicine.

Thanks to 4-H, I received several scholarships to attend The Ohio State University for undergrad where I majored in Animal Sciences and furthered my passions, particularly with dairy cattle. Today, I am a third year veterinary student at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and begin clinical rotations in just a few months. I truly owe almost everything to the 4-H program and agricultural community for building me into the person I am today while giving my life a greater purpose in providing veterinary care to help farmers and hobbyists raise healthy livestock and thus a safe food supply.

Haylee Henry, 4-H Alumni & Student at South Dakota State University

Growing up, I was always looking for what my purpose was going to be in life. It wasn’t until I found myself in my first official 4-H meeting in Speedy Spurs Livestock 4-H club that I felt like I belonged somewhere. I can remember that feeling of acceptance that I had sitting around a table full of my friends that had similar interests to my own. Through my years in 4-H I found myself getting more and more involved in things outside of my own 4-H club and interacting at the state and national level. 4-H taught me many life lessons throughout the years. 4-H taught me how to be a Leader, how to Communicate with others and how to be Kind. I will cherish the time I had growing up in 4H and finding the courage I needed to branch out of my comfort zone.

Fast forward to now I am currently a sophomore at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. I am studying Agricultural Communications and Agricultural Leadership; I hope to use my degree to help develop youth programs in the Agricultural industry and offer opportunities to youth today, to prepare them for their future. Growing up in the a very supportive community inspired me to leave what I have always known and branch out to another part of the country and gain a new perspective on what the world looks like. I hope to gain the skills I need to help develop and shape the future leaders of our industry. And always remember, Communicate, Lead and Be Kind.

Rachel Garrison, Madison County 4-H Alumni and Program Coordinator at American Farm Bureau Federation

“I started my 4-H career at the young age of 6 as a Cloverbud. My project was cattle, and my first heifers name was Star, she was sweet yet feisty. I continued showing cattle until my last year in 2015. I took various other projects throughout the years like gardening and creative writing as well as joining the Junior Fairboard. I loved taking these projects and cherish the time I spent on the farm. I love that 4-H has so many aspects and found that I especially enjoyed working with my club members to give back to our community, creating lifelong friendships, preparing for skill-a-thon and club demonstrations just as much as being in a show-ring. The community of friends and mentors I found through Madison County 4-H is something I continue to use and value more every year.

My years in Madison County 4-H sparked my interest in agriculture and lead me to my career as a Project Coordinator for American Farm Bureau Federation. I get to work every day at an organization that supports and values America’s farmers and ranchers. The move from Ohio to Washington D.C. was big for me but I’ve found that my 4-H experiences have set me up to run headfirst with a helping hand and smile into anything. Madison County 4-H opened up my world to all aspects of agriculture and the world beyond. I consider my time in the program one of my most valuable assets in life.”

Interested in becoming a 4-H Volunteer? Check out these testimonials from just 2 of our 130+ amazing volunteers! Contact the Madison County Extension Office to learn more about the volunteer selection process and opportunities available!

Savannah Brock, Madison County 4-H Alumni and Volunteer 

I fell in love with 4-H in 1991 when I moved to Madison County. I was from the city but my dad grew up on a small family farm and he wanted us to have the same experience that he did. I sure am glad I moved out here and joined 4-H. I took many projects over my years in 4-H some I liked more than others but working with my animals and fair were the highlights of the summer every year. I have also had many roles as a volunteer, I can’t say which one I liked the best as I have loved them all. I loved being a volunteer with 4-H camp and with junior fair board. It was always so awesome to see the youth plan from the ground up for camp and fair and make it a huge success. I have learned so much from 4-H. I have learned about all of the projects, how to care for animals, how to show animals, but most importantly it taught me valuable life skills. Some of the life skills, I am most thankful for are responsibility, hard work, and people skills. I have also made some pretty amazing friends along the way. It is hard to believe that this is my 30^th year! Time flies when you are having fun! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for my kids, my club, and myself. If you are on the fence about joining or volunteering, I say go for it. Try it out! I promise you will not regret it. 4-H has something for everyone!

Valerie Peart, Madison County 4-H Alumni and Volunteer

When asked to write about being a 4-H volunteer my fist thoughts were of my time as a 4-Her.  Some of my best friends and memories are around 4-H, camp, junior fair board, and fair.  When my oldest daughter was five I heard about clover buds and signed up, the club we joined said sure, but we need an advisor.  That was 16 years ago and the next year we started our own club, the Prairie Raiders.  In 2006 we were all clover buds, this year, my son will graduate high school, it’s been a wonderful experience.

Volunteering with your kids and their friends with a program that I believe in so deeply has been just as rewarding to me as to the 4-Hers and their families.  There are so many programs available and as an advisor it is great to experience projects with the youth.  In our club we have had cooking, sewing, hogs, ducks, bees, woodworking, muskrat trapping and all things in between. It seems the ideas for a project are limited only by your imagination.

As a volunteer it has also been great to meet and work with other volunteers on the 4-H committee or in the extension office.  Each of us are committed to making the best better and let’s be honest, continuing to be a 4-Her is one of the best benefits to volunteering.

Gather your family and start decorating! Submit your family’s BEST carved or painted pumpkin picture by October 25 for chance to win! Photos will be shared to Facebook via an album and the MOST LIKES in each category by November 1 will win a special 4-H prize!

Submit your photo at go.osu.edu/madcopumpkin!

Categories include:

• Scariest Pumpkin
• Funniest Pumpkin
• Most Original Pumpkin
• Most 4-H Spirit!

Order your 2020 Madison County 4-H Shirt! Proceeds will go to help fund 4-H Camp Clifton through the Madison County 4-H Committee!

Orders can be placed at pounceonline.com through Pounce Signs and Printwear, and click on the 4-H Shirt Design! Click here for the direct link: Madison County 4-H Shirt Order Form

Design was created by Madison Estep, Helping Hands Happy Hearts 4-H Club!

Shirt orders are due by June 24th. After the final order date, shirts will be printed and shipped out by July 12, just in time for the Madison County Fair!

Shirts are $20.00 each plus sales tax. Part of the proceeds go to 4-H Camp Clifton through the Madison County 4-H Committee! The more shirts we sell, the higher donation to camp per shirt!

Shirts are Kelly Green color, 50/50 pre-shrunk cotton/polyester

You can order as many shirts as you would like in Youth and Adult sizes!

Any other questions, feel free to contact Frances Nicol, 4-H Educator, at nicol.115@osu.edu or 740-852-0975.

Written by Olivia Rinesmith, Camp Counselor Alumni

When you go back to school in the fall, everyone asks you “where did you go this summer?”, most kids say the beach, vacation, the pool or hanging out with friends. I always said, “I went to 4-H Camp!” Growing up I saw it as an opportunity to get away from home and have some fun. Little did I know what kind of impact it would have on me.

Ever since I was a Cloverbud, I have gone to 4-H Camp Clifton every single year. It was the highlight of my whole summer. I loved packing my clothes and swimsuits, shopping for outfits for the “dress up dinner” and loading up the car. I always loved picking workshops like canoeing and hiking even though my mom wanted me to do crafts. I loved being with other campers from my club, as well as meeting new campers through sharing cabins, tribes and workshops.

As a camper, I had the best experiences because of the counselors that I had. They made everything so much fun as well as educational and safe. To this day, I still remember the bus rides to go canoeing, screaming campfire songs and the on-going competition on who could hold their breath the longest in the gorge. The camp staff was absolutely amazing. They have so many talents, from caring for all the campers to fighting off “Coon-zilla” from the girl’s cabin area. From learning line dances, worrying who I was going to the dance with and when FOB, “Flat On Bunk” was, I loved every second; until I had to leave.

Once I outgrew the age of a camper, I knew I wanted to be a counselor. I was ready to be that role model to my campers, and I definitely was not ready to leave camp. Those years of being a counselor were the best four years of my life.

Based on my past experiences with camp, I knew that I wanted to make each and every moment with the campers’ days of their summer they would never forget. The best feeling for me was decorating the cabin for my campers and seeing them all arrive. They were all so excited with big smiles on their faces. As I saw all the campers come, I saw myself in them. Oh, what I would give for one more canoe flip, polar bear swim, and campfire skit!

Each year came with trials and tribulations through the planning process as well as executing the best camp possible. I truly do not think that I couldn’t have done it without my fellow counselors. Throughout each of my years, each group was diffenent. This past year, the group was very special. We all had gone to camp together and grown up in those cabins and the lodge together. We all created a bond that was so much more than a team; and that is what camp is all about. I consider each and every one of them one of my closest friends and they have a special place in my heart, along with the Oreo pudding!

At the end of camp, we sing a song. “Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold. A circle’s round; it has no end. That’s how long I want to be your friend.” Looking back, I am so blessed that I had the experiences I have created as a camper and counselor. I have met some of the best people, made amazing friendships, and became a role model for the campers I have been with along the way. I will cherish these memories for a lifetime. 4-H Camp has shaped me to the caring, responsible, and passionate leader that I am today I wish that the future generations get to have the experiences that I was so lucky to create.

4-H Camp Clifton Buckeye Funder was created as an emergency response to the unprecedented COVID-19 needs. How are you giving back in honor of your own camp experience? Share and inspire others to give together, even when we’re apart. Now more than ever,4-H Camp Clifton need your support. Your gift today helps us to make it through this storm to welcome campers back next summer.

For decades, 4-H Camp Clifton has helped to grow leaders and make the best better. Show your camp love by supporting this program to ensure they are still here next year to welcome our 4-H youth and continue the tradition of excellence.

Donations are accepted at buckeyefunder.osu.edu/4hcampclifton via credit or debit card. Checks or cash gifts can be mailed to the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, C/O Ohio 4-H Foundation at 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43210 and made out to Ohio State University with the memo: “BuckeyeFunder, 4-H Camp Clifton”. Thank you in advance for your support!

The Madison County 4-H Committee is sponsoring a T-Shirt Design Contest for 2020!

Printable rules are available here: T-Shirt Contest Rules

Rules:

1. Contestants must be enrolled as a current 4-H member or adult volunteer in Madison County
2. Design must be the work of a 4-H member or volunteer, not a commercial design
3. Designs may be hand drawn or computer graphics
4. Madison County must be included in the design in writing
5. The 4-H Clover must be used in the design according to these rules: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2070/2013/07/4H-Emblem-Quick-Ref.pdf
6. Designs should be all encompassing and inclusive of what 4-H is in Madison County (i.e. not specific to a certain project)
7. Designs will be printed on either White, Black, or 4-H Green T-Shirt
8. Designs should be submitted at go.osu.edu/madco4hshirt. All designs should be received by June 1st, 2020 
9. The designs will be judged by a local artist
10. The winning design will be used as the official design on the county 4-H t-shirts which will be available for all 4-H members, volunteers, and supporters and may also be used on official flyers, posters, banners, etc. advertising 4-H!

The winner will receive a FREE t-shirt as well as recognition as the winning artist. All designs will be displayed at the 2020 Madison County Fair and electronically.

Designs are due June 1, 2020 to go.osu.edu/madco4hshirt!