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Butler County 4-H News

Author: Charlene Miller

Youth Leadership Forum

Posted on by Charlene Miller

2018 Southeast Leadership Forum

January 20th, 2018
9:15 – 2:45
Lyon County Fairgrounds,
Emporia, Kansas

LEARN ABOUT LEADERSHIP!

SELF is a one-day event in January, where youth
(ages 12-18) and adults across the Southeast Region
come together to learn more about leadership, 4-H and
practice new skills.
• There will be workshops, new friends, hands
on learning and a great speaker, Jake
Worcester.
• Come join us for a great Saturday.
• Cost for the Day is $20 per person, it includes
all workshop materials, snacks and lunch.
• DEADLINE – By January 10, 2018, register
online and take your $20 payment into
your local Extension Office.
https://tinyurl.com/2018SELF

Through the generosity of Kansas Electric
Cooperatives, Inc. and CoBANK each registered
delegate will receive a copy of the book, “Find
Something To Do! No Prop Activities,” by Jim Cain. A
session will be offered for delegates to explore and
learn how to lead some of the activities outlined in the
book. Adults may purchase a copy of the book for $9
through the registration process.

Leader’s Lounge

Posted on by Charlene Miller

DECEMBER CHECK-UP

____Plan a Holiday gathering or community service project for the Holiday season

____Take time to Relax

____Encourage 4-H’ers to ask their friends to attend a meeting

____Ask your 4-H parents to encourage others to get involved

Review

____Read 4-H Forecaster for important dates.

____Review highlights from the 4-H Forecaster at your club meeting.

To-Do

____Make sure all families complete the 4-H Enrollment process

____Encourage Project Leaders to start conducting project meetings.

____Start generating ideas for the 4-H Fair Theme.

____Check club boxes at Extension Office.

____Plan Holiday party

____Have a Parents meetings

____Have a NEW parents meeting-welcome, encourage and let them know what to expect.

____Out of County Request to Join forms due before 4-H Enrollment accepted

____Hand out and return VIP Renewal Forms

____Have new volunteers contact the Extension Office to get the VIP Process started

Promote/Recruit

____4-H Day in February

____ CIA in February

Remember

____ Make it a Fun and Rewarding Year!

Tis the Season

Posted on by Charlene Miller

…to be busy, falalalala lalalala!! I don’t know about you, but this time of year seems to be the busiest: planning and getting ready for the Holidays, helping with school classroom parties, children’s Christmas program, sports, other family activities, school programming with Barb, 4-H Camp planning and planning for the new year 4-H activities! Since this is a very busy time of year for many, I’m going to keep this article short!

christmas line up

Don’t forget to complete the VIP process if you have not already done so, make sure the 4-H Online Enrollment done for volunteers and youth and also the Out of County Request for enrollment completed! Just remember as you go through the processes and have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! We are here to help! Until next month’s newsletter, I wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a safe, healthy and happy New Year!

~Charlene

4-H Council

Posted on by Charlene Miller

The 2016-2017 4-H Council Officers and meeting dates are as follows:

Officers are as follows:

President: Anna Kuestersteffen, EDB

Vice-President: Danielle Chilcott, HH

Secretary/Treasurer: Corbin Gauthier, FH

Reporter: Trena Garcia, CB

Executive Girl: Lillie Haller, BBB

Executive Boy: Trevor Johnson, PH

Fair Board Reps: Shelby Varner (TR), Elliot Merck (RHR)

Adult Advisers: Connie Chilcott (HH), Myron Willhite (FH)

The dates for the 2017 meetings include

4-H Council meetings are scheduled for the following dates in 2016:

Jan. 5th, Feb. 2nd, April 6th, Sept. 14th, Oct. 5th. All 4-H Council meetings start at 7:30 with Ambassadors and other committees being held prior to the start of the other meeting.

4-H Day 2017

Posted on by Charlene Miller

4-H Day will be here before we know it! 4-H Day is a great time to showcase your talents, get feedback on your presentations and learn from others about projects and topics you might not know about! The event will be held on February 4th, 2017 at the Butler Community College.

Registration deadline is 5:00 p.m. January 20th. You can sign up online at: http://www.butler.k-state.edu/4-h/4hday.html

If you are looking for more information on 4-H Day and the different categories, make sure to visit www.butler.ksu.edu. There is a guidelines document under 4-H & Youth, 4-H Day. Other information can be found on the State website at: http://www.kansas4-h.org/projects/personal-development/communications.html.

Some divisions available are:

Public Speaking, Demonstrations, Readings, Gavel Games, Vocal and Instrumental Solos and Ensembles, Piano, Skits, Dance, and the list goes on! Your club leader can help you pick which divisions you might want to enter! Thee will also be fun events during the day like Pickle Power.

Please note, there is no Regional 4-H Day this year.

Good Bye 2016

Posted on by Charlene Miller

The 2016 4-H year is nearly over. As we wind
down with the currentbarrys_-_out_with_old-657x264 and get ready to gear up for the new, I encourage you take some time to look back and reflect over the past 12 months. If you could put a mirror on the wall for 2016, what would you see?

Highs and lows, happy and sad, trial and error, and
lessons learned may well be a few images you see.

All good things eventually come to an end and bad/sad/unhappy times serve as stepping stones to help us grow as individuals/families/clubs. As you take time to think about the reflections as you look in the mirror, take some time to write them down and use them as tools for 2017 and the years beyond. Use those tools to better yourself, get involved, help improve a system, practice servant leadership, and become a solution where a solution is needed.

If you worked hard, put your best effort forward, helped others, and were involved, you should be proud of your accomplishments!  out-with-old-in-with-newWhen I look in the mirror, I see 4-H’ers who have grown and matured over the last year, leaders who gave their heart and soul to their 4-H clubs and club members, parents who worked hard to help their children, 4-H’ers, leaders, and parents having fun, events that have taught us all lessons and provided us stepping stone, and situations that encourages others to get involved.

2016 is winding down and the next newsletter will be ringing in the new 4-H year. As you finish reflecting on 2016, imagine what image you will reflect in 2017. Let’s step into 2017 with both feet forward and arms open, embracing the new year!

~Charlene

Record Books, Pins & Awards

Posted on by Charlene Miller

It’s time Record Bookto get your record book, pin applications, club seals and scholarships on!

All KAP’s (record books), pin applications, club summaries, college scholarship applications, reporter and secretary notebooks, and special award applications are due into our office no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, September 23rd.
Don’t miss this deadline! All forms can be found online at http://www.butler.k-state.edu/4-h/recordsawardsetc.html

WANT TO HELP JUDGE RECORD BOOKS?

If you are interested in helping judge record book, we will be judging record books on Tuesday, October 4th starting at 6:00 p.m. Please RSVP to the Extension Office by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 30th if you will be able to help judge.

KYLF & KVF

Posted on by Charlene Miller

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Exciting News 4-H volunteers and Teens 14 & Older! The Butler County 4-H Council voted to pay for up to 5 youth (14 & Older) to attend the Kansas Youth Leadership Forum (KYLF) and 2 adult volunteers to attend the Kansas Volunteer Forum (KVF) Nov. 18-20th. More information on the event can be found here: http://www.cvent.com/events/2016-kansas-4-h-leadership-weekend/event-summary-affee4088ebe452893e1557d03b76de9.aspx

Royalty-free 3d computer generated people clipart picture image of a diverse circle of colorful people holding hands, symbolizing teamwork, friendship, support and unity.

Youth

If a youth (14 & older) is interested, they will need to fill out the 4-H Event Scholarship located here: http://www.butler.k-state.edu/docs/4h/scholarships_specialawards/Event%20Scholarship%20App%20DRAFT.pdf. If we have over 5 youth submit Event Scholarships, we will draw for the 5 names. Applications are due into the Extension Office at 5:00 p.m. on Sept. 23rd

Adult Volunteers

Adult volunteers must be a current VIP and have completed the full VIP training (Criminal Background Check and Child Abuse Neglect Registry Check) to be eligible to apply. If Adult Volunteers are interested in attending and applying for one of the 2 scholarships, they will need to submit a document that provides the following information:

  • Name, Club, Phone Number & Email
  • Describe your 4-H Volunteer role and activities within your club and at the County level
  • Why is 4-H Volunteering important to you.
  • Why should you be selected to attend the Kansas Volunteer Forum

This information can be dropped off at the Extension Office or emailed (as a separate attachment and not in the body of an email) to cmmiller1@ksu.edu. This information is due into the Extension Office by 5:00 p.m. on September 23rd. If volunteers have any questions as to if they have completed the full VIP process, please contact Charlene for verification.

 

48 Hours of 4-H

Posted on by Charlene Miller

I since484Hrely hope every 4-H Club in our county will join in this fall in seeing just how much we can give back to our communities! The weekend after National 4-H Week, is the perfect opportunity to setup a service project. Invite your friends, clubs, adult volunteers and 4-H Alums too! Find all the information on the state 4-H website and start planning your projects.

If your group wants t-shirts they must be ordered online by September 19. Lots of information can be found online at: http://www.kansas4-h.org/events-activities/conferences-events/48-hours-of-4-h/index.html

48 Hours of 4-H will be on Oct. 8th & 9th. In conjunction with 48 Hours of 4-H, the 4-H Ambassadors will be hold a 4-H Expo for those who are interested in learning more about 4-H. They will also be holding a community service project in conjunction with it.

 

 

 

Join the 4-H Ambassadors

Posted on by Charlene Miller

4-H Ambassador’s—What are they? They are a group of 4-H’ers between the ages of 14 & 18 (as of January 1) who are interested in being the face and voice of promotion for Butler County 4-H Activities.

They participate in and host events. Some events include Ambassador Day Camp, Barnyard Olympics at the Fair,  Mini-Fair, help with the achievement banquet and officer training. They also help promote   4-H and help deliver promotional material to every third grader enrolled in school! They have a lot of fun!

If you are interested in applying to become a member of the Butler County 4-H Ambassadors, applications are due in the Extension Office on September 23rd by 5:00 p.m. The Ambassadors are an energetic, fun group to be a part of. The application can be found online at www.butler.ksu.edu oryou can pick one up at the Extension Office. Join this fun group today!

 

 

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IMPORTANT – Kansas State Fair – IMPORTANT

Posted on by Charlene Miller

graphic-pig

 

The Kansas State Fair is just around the corner!

REMEMBER, if you want Charlene to take your 4-H exhibit to the State Fair: You  need to bring your item to the Extension Office between the hours of
1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 8th. Items cannot be accepted before 1:00 p.m. When you bring your items this day, there will be State Fair paperwork for you to fill out and attach to your items. Please allow plenty of time to do this. If you are sending someone else with your projects, please make sure to read through the State Fair rule book so you know what information they will need to have with them to complete the paperwork. http://www.kansas4-h.org/events-activities/fairs/kansas-state-fair/index.html

Also REMEMBER:  (SMALL, NON-BREATHING ITEMS  ONLY! Due to limited space—anything requiring boxes or extra support cribbage to transport cannot exceed 12”x 12”x12” This does not include poster boards that can lay down flat)

 

Important News and Deadlines

Posted on by Charlene Miller

August 18, Thursday – Third and Final Record Book Class – 6:00 p.m.

September 8th,Thursday — Bring small, non-breathing items to the graphic-pig
Extension Office for Charlene to take to Kansas State Fair.
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

September 9—18—Kansas State Fair

September 23, Friday – All KAPs, Scholarships, and Special Awards due into the Extension Office.

September 30, Friday —End of 2015 4-H Year

Sept. 30 – Oct. 2—Kansas Junior Livestock Show in Hutchinson

Oct. 1st, Sunday – Happy 4-H New Year

Oct. 6th, Thursday – 4-H Council

Oct. 15, Saturday – 4-H Officer Training and Family Fun Event

Fair Reflection

Posted on by Charlene Miller

Work hard

The 2016 Butler County Fair has ended. I hope that everyone is recouped from the heat and exhaustion and ready to set sail into the 2016-2017 school year!

When reflecting back on this year’s Fair, many thoughts surface! There were certainly some “hiccups”, but those come with just about anything we do. I prefer to call them opportunities for improvement or stepping stones. Maybe it’s double checking our paperwork, rules or our enrollments. Maybe it’s readjusting or revisiting our feeding program for our livestock to make sure they are at the right weight/spot/condition for fair. Maybe it’s adjusting our livestock selection techniques to achieve the goal we set out to achieve. Maybe it’s making sure there is a family member, friend or neighbor who can help your child out when you’re busy. What ever it is that may have took a smile off your face or resulted in your head hanging a little low, ask yourself “What can I do to make it better next time?”

Despite these, there are many smile worthy moments that occurred at Fair! Set-Up on Friday the 29th and clean up on the 4th went very well! The volunteers who helped out and created positive learning moments were incredible! I really enjoyed watching the those volunteers who uplifted the 4-H’ers, mentored and did what they could to help others out. To you all, I say THANK YOU!

I also witnessed many 4-H’ers, from younger to older, helping out their fellow friends and 4-H’ers. Whether it was helping carry items in the buildings or helping them with animals, it was wonderful to see so many helping each other out. Laughter could be heard throughout fair and smiles could be seen no matter where you looked.

The FairBoard also deserves a THANK YOU! The fair would not happen without them. They are the ones that coordinate, organize and make the decisions of the Fair; not the Extension Office staff nor the agents. The Extension Office staff and agents are there to assist and provide support. The FairBoard works year round to try and put on the best fair for all of you. If you happen to see them around, extend them a Thank You for their time, dedication and hard work.

As you and your family take a moment to reflect back on the year, please take time to thank those that have helped and supported you along the way; before, during and after fair. Friends, family and volunteers all make the 4-H program successful. The program wouldn’t happen without each and everyone of you! THANK YOU!

~Charlene

Fair Thank You’s

Posted on by Charlene Miller

Fair is over and the dust has settled. The Fair takes a plethora of volunteers and support from buyers to make it successful. Have you sent your Thank You notes? Do you know who to send Thank You notes too? Here is a list of suggestions that we strongly encourage you to write a note of Thanks. Without the support of these individuals, the Fair would not be as successful as it is:

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  • Food Buyers (we will have a list available of those who purchased food. Even if you don’t know who bought your food – you are encouraged to pick out 4 or 5 random names and write notes of Thanks. DID YOU KNOW – the food auction helps support scholarships for you to attend 4-H Camp, other activities and other 4-H Scholarships.
  • Livestock Buyers – You are required to get the buyers signature on a card if you wish to participate in next year’s event. How many of you went out into the crowd, found the buyer of your animal and said THANK YOU immediately following your animal exiting the sale ring and/or even offered to get them a drink? Our buyers are our heart and souls. Without them, the premiums won’t be there. Did you have an add-on when you picked up your buyer’s card? If so, you need to write a Thank You to them as well. If you need addresses, please contact our office – we can help you out
  • Superintendent’s – I encourage you to write a Thank You note to the Superintendent’s of the Division’s your child participated in. Need their address…call our office. Volunteers are a critical aspect of the Butler County Fair.
  • Fair Board and Executive Committee – These are the shakers and doers of the Fair. Without them, well, we wouldn’t have a Fair. Let me tell you, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes getting everything ready for the Fair, A LOT.
  • Jacob Cooper for donating and maintaining the new signs for the Champion and Reserve Champion Livestock projects.
  • The Extension Office staff – these individuals work year round to help the 4-Her’s out.
  • Auctioneers – Our auctioneers at the Fair do a fabulous job getting the most they can for the youth and the projects. We need to let them know our Thanks!
  • Judges – Why not write a letter to the judge and thank them for helping out, even if you aren’t happy about your placing! Without judges, we wouldn’t have a Fair!
  • Project Leaders and Community Leaders – need I say more?
  • Butler County Board of County Commissioners – they support our program. We need to let them know just how much we appreciate their support.

 

Don't Forget to Visit: www.Butler.KSU.EDU