ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

2007 Youth Staff Retreat
Reminder: The 2007 Youth Staff Retreat is scheduled for September 18-19 at Grissom Air Reserve Base. This activity will once again include an evening session. We are working on plans for this event and additional information will be announced at a later date.

- Renee McKee

An Update from The Indiana 4-H Foundation

·        Order now!!! “I am the Face of 4-H” stickers and buttons and “I Believe in a Bright Green Future” t-shirt order form is available on the new website: www.in.4h.org  Remember…the Foundation is providing each county five FREE t-shirts for your use in helping us kick off our “Investing in a Bright Green Future” campaign. It is critical that we receive the sizes you need for these shirts ASAP! For more information, please contact the Foundation office at 317.692.7044, office@4h.org. Orders will be invoiced. Order forms can be faxed to the Foundation: 317.692.7042.

·        Join yourself and then help us promote the Bright Green Team, our new alumni and friends support group. Earlier we were calling this membership organization Clover Connection. Now in keeping with our branding campaign, this is the Bright Green Team. Membership levels start at just $25 and provide the opportunity for 4-H alumni to re-connect with 4-H friends and support the current 4-H program too. Join online at www.in.4h.org 

·        Help us promote the Bright Green Team Photo Flashback Contest! Alumni, friends and current 4-Hers are being asked to submit a favorite personal 4-H photo (old or new) along with a one-time, introductory membership fee of $15 to the Bright Green Team.  This will entitle the photo entry to be considered for Best of Show honors. Winners will be announced at the August 11 "Bright Green Eggs and Ham" breakfast. The top winner and one guest will be our guests. The top three photos will be featured in the Foundation booth throughout the state fair. All participants will receive an "I Believe in a Bright Green Future" t-shirt and a one-year membership to the Bright Green Team. Enter online at www.in.4h.org

·        The Inaugural "Bright Green Eggs and Ham" breakfast – Saturday, August 11th, Indiana State Fairgrounds, will be the official launch of the Foundation’s new marketing and development campaign – Investing in a Bright Green Future - to increase awareness and fundraising opportunities for the Foundation and the Indiana 4-H Youth Development program. The breakfast will be in the Farm Bureau Hospitality Tent, 7:30-9:00 AM. Tickets are $10 each and can be ordered through info@in.4h.org. Table sponsorships are also available. Hope to see many of you there to start a busy 4-H Day at the 2007 Indiana State Fair.

·        Congratulations to the newly elected 2008 State Junior Leader Council…and a special thanks to all those counties with Junior Leader participants in the 76^th annual State 4-H Junior Leader Conference in June.

·        Please visit the website and learn more about the Foundation staff: Executive Director, Beth Stickles McDaniel, exec@4h.org, 317.692.7046, Carrie Powell, office supervisor office@4h.org, 317-692-7047, and summer interns Kate Chapman and Emily Landis. They are eager to hear your ideas, comments or questions.

- Annie Watts Cloncs, President (765.522.2300; awatts@tds.net; www.in.4h.org

State 4-H Junior Leader Conference
Thanks to each of you who assisted with the promotion of the 76^th State 4-H Junior Leader Conference. 75 delegates attended this year’s conference at the University of Indianapolis, June 19-22. Please encourage those who attended the conference from your counties to share their experiences with others in the county. We want them to use the information they learned to help all Jr. Leaders and 4-H members benefit from this experience. Hopefully, this will help recruit additional participation in the future as well.

Delegates who were elected to plan next year’s conference as a part of the 2008 State 4-H Junior Leader Council are listed below:

The 2008 Council members will begin their work at the Indiana 4-H Congress on Saturday, September 22^nd.

- Steve McKinley

Taking the Heat
Extreme heat and high humidity can cause the heat index to soar during the summer months in Indiana. There have been several reports of 4-H animals that have expired during their stay at the county fair in recent years. Please be aware that the extreme heat can be very stressful and even fatal for some animals. Necessary precautions should be taken to insure the welfare of the animals and their exhibitors. Following are some suggestions: set-up extra fans, hook up misters to use in combination with fans, place “soaker hoses” on the roof of metal buildings (this will drop the temperature inside the building by several degrees), re-schedule shows for the “cooler” parts of the day, release non-sale animals to go home once they have been shown, encourage judges to handle the animals less than normal, have plenty of garden hoses available to wet down animals, be sure animals have plenty of drinking water readily available in their pens or cages, have bottles of water available for exhibitors.

Good luck with your fair. Keep cool and stay out of the heat!

- Clint Rusk

4-H/FFA Dairy Goat Judging Event
The State 4-H/FFA Dairy Goat Judging contest will be held on the State Fairgrounds in the Blue Ribbon Pavilion Arena on Wednesday, August 1, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. Registration for the contest is due in the State 4-H Department by July 20. Coaches should use the registration form found on-line in the 4-H/FFA Ag. Judging Handbook
Link to handbook: http://www.four-h.purdue.edu/downloads/cde/handbook.pdf
Download registration form:

Coaches should check pages 43-45 in the Ag. Judging Handbook and page 161 of the 2007 Indiana State Fair 4-H/FFA Handbook/Premium List for details regarding this event. If there are questions, please call me at (765) 494-8427.

- Clint Rusk

State 4-H Fashion Revue Materials
The links for the electronic files containing participant information and registration materials for the 2007 State 4-H Fashion Revue are below:

Download a cover letter to educators with instructions for a set of materials for each of six (6) Fashion Revue entrants to which your county is entitled. Please note that each county may have no more than two entries per category for a total of six entries. Each individual may only be entered in ONE category.

Download State Fair Fashion Revue Program with dates/times of preliminary judging and final presentation at the Indiana State Fair;

Download State 4-H Fashion Revue Registration/Narration form that each participant should hand carry to the preliminary judging. This form needs to be printed on blue paper;

Download letter of procedures for Fashion Revue participants

Download State 4-H Fashion Revue Photo Information;

Please be certain to submit the State Fair Fashion Revue Entries to Richard Fox via ED by July 27. If you have no entries for 2007, please email Jane Robertson and let her know there will be no entries from your county. robertsonje@purdue.edu

- Renee McKee

Sportfishing
Volunteers Wanted - the IDNR Go FishIN program needs your help at the Indiana State Fair. The State Fair and the Department of Natural Resources have built a large fishing pond in the backyard area behind the Natural Resources Building. They hope to introduce nearly 10,000 youth to fishing during the two weeks of the State Fair. They are looking for volunteers to assist with the fishing experience (fish removal, baiting hooks, cane pole casting, etc), fish cleaning demonstrations, and registrations. If volunteer 4-H leaders and/or their 4-H sportfishing club members would be interested in being a volunteer fishing instructor during the fair, please contact Amanda or Pat at gofishin@dnr.IN.gov. All volunteers will receive free admission into the Indiana State Fair. Additional information about the Go FishIN program can be found at www.in.gov/dnr/nrec.

- Natalie Carroll

Indianapolis Indians to Host 4-H Event
There is a 4-H Night scheduled at Victory Field during the Indians’ upcoming season. The event is scheduled for Saturday, August 25^th at 7:00 in the evening when the Indians play the Toledo Mud Hens. That evening, the Indians will host a special performance by the wildly popular ZOOperstars (visit their website for more information:  http://www.zooperstars.com/main.asp).

• Tickets for the Indians game are offered at the discounted rate of $11 for box seats and $9 for reserved or lawn seats. In order to receive the discount, the tickets must be ordered in advance.
• Rowdy, the Indians’ mascot, will be making a special appearance at the 4-H Complex during the Indiana State Fair. Watch the CCC for more information about meeting Rowdy.

• The order form for the 4-H event at Victory Field can be downloaded at the links following this article or you can find them on the State 4-H Website.
  Download August 25 order form
  

International Programs in Agriculture
Every summer Purdue Agriculture hosts between five and seven Japanese college students from Iwate University and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology for a month long educational/experiential program. We would like to offer Indiana farm families the opportunity to participate in the home-stay portion of the program and host a Japanese student in their home for two and a half weeks this summer. These students are Agriculture majors, have basic English language ability, are both male and female, and range in age from 20-22 years old. The students hope to participate in typical Indiana family life. Other than a private room and meals no other accommodation needs to be made for their stay, although, special activities and trips are appreciated. This year’s home-stay program will be from August 30^th to September 17^th. If you would like more information or know of a family that would be interested in volunteering, please contact Jon Dillow, International Academic Programs Specialist for the Purdue College of Agriculture, by phone at (765) 494-8458 or by email at jdillow@purdue.edu.

- Lee Stanish, 4-H International Coordinator

Beekeeping

1. The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees and the American Beekeeping Federation holds a beekeeping essay contest for 4-H members each year. This year the essay topic is “The Results of Honey Bee Pollination in My Community.” Essays are accepted at any time, throughout the summer and fall, until January 15, 2008. The top Indiana essay will be forwarded to the national competition. Each state winner will receive a book from the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees and the top three national winners receive cash prizes.
   Download the announcement for the 2008 contest.
2. The Indiana Beekeepers’ Association has announced the 2007 Young Beekeeper of the Year Award competition for youth 12-22 years old. The deadline is September 1, 2007.
   Download form for more information.

Information is attached and at www.four-h.purdue.edu/staff.home/natalie/Projects/beekeeping/.

- Natalie Carroll

Shooting Sports
Fall Workshop: September 7-9, 2007. Registration deadline is two weeks before the workshop begins. You can get the registration form and IDNR health form from the 4-H Shooting Sports leader webpage (www.four-h.purdue.edu/shooting_sports/). See Indiana Certification Workshop for the registration and health forms and a link to the IHEA website. Or, you can go to the Indiana Hunter Education Association (IHEA) website (http://www.inhea.com/) An agenda for the weekend is available at the IHEA website (to help attendees plan).

Reminders –

• The Shooting Sports Coordinator training is offered in the fall only. We must have at least five participants to hold the class.
• The hunting discipline introduces a wide variety of topics and is recommended, particularly for the younger 4-H members. It is a great way of introducing youth to the outdoors and the wildlife that we enjoy in Indiana. Hunting does not need to be the focus of this discipline. This discipline is also an excellent one for the older 4-H members to help as assistant teachers and mentors. The hunting discipline may be used for the first year or two of shooting sports if your instructor team prefers not to have third graders in the shooting disciplines.
• Purdue policy states that any 4-H shooting sports education leader must have successfully completed a certification workshop, in addition to the usual county volunteer leader screening.

- Natalie Carroll

Operation: Military Kids
County-Sponsored Events
Funds are available for County-Sponsored events that support children from military families. Information to apply for these funds is available upon request. Funds from this year’s grant must be expended by the first of September.

Speak Out for Military Kids
Speak Out for Military Kids (SOMK) is a speaker’s bureau for students in grades 7-12, with or without a military background. The next SOMK training session is scheduled for September 14-15, 2007, at the armory in Evansville, IN. During the training, students will have the opportunity to learn more about challenges that military children face and methods by which they can share these experiences with their home communities. We would appreciate your assistance in identifying individuals who would be strong SOMK candidates. Questions regarding SOMK may be directed to Carla Kidwell (kidwellc@purdue.edu), Randy Brown (browngr@purdue.edu), or me.
Download invitation cover letter
Download brochure and interest form

If you have questions regarding OMK, please ask!

- Steve McKinley

Indiana 4-H Youth & Adult Congress, September 22, 2007
Indiana 4-H Congress will be held at the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds on Saturday, September 22, 2007 for seminar tracks for both youth and adults. (Please note the change in location from that which I previously announced.)  Directions to the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds may be found at: http://www.4hcomplex.org/directions.html. Thank you for helping to promote this event to your 4-H Members and Adult 4-H Volunteers.
Download updated adult promotional flyer
Download updated youth promotional flyer
Download registration form

- Steve McKinley

PROJECT CURRICULUM AND RESOURCES

Youth Garden Grants Program
The National Gardening Association is delighted to announce that The Home Depot has returned as our Youth Garden Grants sponsor for 2008. NGA awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs. Indiana received 2 of these great awards in 2007, a group in LaGrange and a group in Bloomington. 150 awards will be given this year.

Who should apply: Schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, and intergenerational groups throughout the United States are eligible. Applicants must plan to garden with at least 15 children between the ages of three and 18 years.

Application deadline: November 1, 2007. Early Bird Incentive - If your application is postmarked by October 1, 2007, you will be entered in a drawing for a $100 gift certificate to NGA’s Gardening with Kids store and catalog. Drawing date: October 12, 2007.

DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION  (http://kids.garden.org/grantInquiry.php?grant=Y

- Kathryn Orvis

VOLUNTEER DEVELOPMENT

Adult 4-H Volunteers’ Day
In the electronic version of the June 2007 CCC, links were included for you to download information regarding the Indiana State Fair 4-H Adult Volunteer Day, which will be held on Saturday, August 11^th. If you have not already done so, please print and distribute this information to your 4-H Volunteers. Volunteers may also ask you for an admission ticket to the Indiana State Fair. These may be taken out of the allotment you receive from the Indiana State Fair after you have distributed tickets to your 4-H members with State Fair entries in non-livestock projects.

- Steve McKinley

2007 North Central Region Volunteer Forum
The 2007 North Central Region Volunteer Forum will be held October 12-14, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Forum brochure is located on the Wisconsin 4-H website at:  http://www.uwex.edu/ces/4h/ncvlf/index.cfm. On-line registration for the conference is now open.

- Steve McKinley

4-H Volunteer Vision
The July “4-H Volunteer Vision” is available here for use with your 4-H Volunteers.

- Steve McKinley