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Michigan 4-H Today
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Welcome to Michigan State University Extension 4-H Youth Development!
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News Flash!
See the first article below for ways you can help improve Michigan's youth literacy.
Summer finally arrived and with it we are plunged into the very busy season of 4-H events and activities. We've already had a very successful Exploration Days and 4-H State Awards program. Upcoming events include several county 4-H Science Blasts, 4-H Dairy Days, 4-H Mentoring Weekend, Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp, the State 4-H Shooting Sports Tournament, the State 4-H Horse Show, the State 4-H Dog Show and many fairs. And, of course, it is that wonderful time of year when we celebrate our nation's founding, and we get to relax and visit with family and friends and, maybe, even take a little time off!
So, settle back, relax and read about what has taken place in Michigan 4-H and what is coming up, because we have a lot to tell you about what's going on in Michigan 4-H "to make the best (even) better!"
Julie Chapin
State Leader, Michigan 4-H Youth Development
Director, MSU Extension Children and Youth Institute
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Impact
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Free, New Books Coming to Michigan
During the week of August 8, at least 350,000 books, for youth between 0 and 18 years old, will be distributed to 4-H programs and other youth organizations across Michigan - for free. The massive distribution is thanks to a 4-H partnership with the organization First Book, a national nonprofit that provides new, age-appropriate books to children in need. To see if your group qualifies to receive some of the books, contact the 4-H staff in your county Extension office. Also, for volunteering opportunities with the distribution, see this flyer.
Hero Packs: A Way for Communities to Honor and Support Military Youth
Michigan Operation: Military Kids (OMK) is a 4-H program that supports Michigan military children and youth who are about to be affected by a loved one's deployment. Hero Packs are one of the ways communities can show support for military youth with deployed loved ones. Read more in the article
on the Michigan 4-H Youth Development Web site.
Barry County Extension 4-H Attracts and Educates 577 Youth in One Day
The 6th Annual Ag Awareness Day took place May 12, 2011 at the Barry County Expo Center. Participating in the event were 577 third-grade students from area schools, 115 teachers and chaperones, and 100 presenters and helpers. Find all the details on the Michigan 4-H Youth Development Web site.
Detroit Arsenal and 4-H Team Up for Success
For another story that describes the impact 4-H is making, read the CNN article about a partnership between Detroit Arsenal and Michigan 4-H in which young people learn life skills in a hands-on, interactive and fun way. The Military 4-H Club grant paid for Detroit Arsenal staff members to receive 4-H training, which they then implemented in their local community and with their military youth.
The grant is a partnership between national 4-H, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, divisions of the U. S. Army, Air Force and Navy. With the military branches committed to establishing 4-H clubs on installations worldwide and supporting military children in communities, the grant provides support to the state 4-H program to establish and sustain military 4-H clubs across the state, and to connect geographically dispersed military youth to 4-H clubs in their communities. Currently, Michigan sites that have received funding through the grant are located in Macomb, Kalamazoo and Crawford Counties, due to the high concentration of military families in these areas.
Making an Impact Through Community Service
Read here about how one Barry County 4-H club made a big difference and learned a lot in the process, while volunteering for Rays of Hope for Haiti
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4-H Highlights - Past, Present and Future
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Congratulations!
4-H and 4-H Precollege Programs Lead to Greater College Attendance
Additionally, 33 MSU students received Board of Trustees' Awards for having the highest scholastic average (4.0 GPA) at the close of his or her last semester in attendance at Michigan State University. This year's number of recipients is the most in the award's history, which dates back to 1921. Of the 33 students, 3 are 4-H alumni. Those 3 graduates are:
- Christine Bingham of Armada. Bingham is the daughter of Jean and Arthur Bingham. A member of the Honors College, Bingham double majored in packaging in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Spanish in the College of Arts and Letters. She graduated from Armada High School and was a 13-year member of Macomb County 4-H, including simultaneous membership in Ray's Riding Rascals, Northern Macomb, and K-9 and Kompany. In 2007, Bingham was one of the recipients of the MSU 4-H scholarships (see article below about this year's awardees). Recently, she began work as a Packaging Engineer for General Mills in Minnesota.
- Jenna Brown of St. Johns. Brown is the daughter of Ronald and Jane Brown. A member of the Honors College, she was a nursing major in the College of Nursing. Brown graduated from St. Johns High School and was a 6-year member of Clinton County 4-H, where she participated in sheep and was a member of Charlie's Gang 4-H Club.
- Bryan Lenneman of Corunna. Lenneman is the son of Erwin and Michele Lenneman. A genomics and molecular genetics major in Lyman Briggs College, Lenneman graduated from Corunna High School. He was a member of Shiawassee County 4-H, including membership in Dairy Go Getters, Resting Resource Leaders and Shiawassee Pork and Beef Masters.
State 4-H Awards Program
This year, 146 Michigan 4-H'ers, 13 years of age and older and who had at least 3 years of 4-H experience, competed in one of 31 project areas (28 individual areas and 3 group areas) for the honor of being recognized as Michigan 4-H's best. On June 23, at the Michigan 4-H State Awards Celebration, the winners and honors' delegates were announced. For a complete listing of the winners, honors' delegates and their counties, press the link listed above.
 The State Award delegates were chosen through a county and regional selection process including a review of their written portfolios. During their 2 days on campus, the award delegates participated in the 4-H Awards Assembly which included special activities and speakers. They had further review of their awards portfolio and interviews by the selection committees in their chosen award area. Regional winners received certificates of accomplishment, and state winners received $100 cash awards and plaques. In addition, 38 young people won the Mark of Excellence Award. Click here for the list of those results.
Each year, the 4-H State Award delegates participate in a community-service activity. For this year's project, entitled Patience for Patients, the award delegates brought items such as crossword puzzles, books, nonperishable snacks and personal-care items with them to the State 4-H Awards Assembly to create care baskets for children and adults who are patients in medical rehabilitation and long-term care facilities across Michigan. The delegates attached notes to the baskets sharing words of encouragement and hope. Representatives from around the state attended the 4-H Awards Celebration to pick up the care baskets which they then delivered.
2010-11 MSU 4-H Scholarship Winners
Each year, MSU awards 6 - $10,000 scholarships ($2,500 annually for 4 consecutive years of full-time study at MSU) to 4-H members who are high-school seniors. This year's winners are:
- Veronica A. Crawley - Monroe County (pictured)
 - Lynette Jackson - Tuscola County
- Dakota Ann Riehl - Ingham County (pictured)
- Molly Robbins - Oakland County
- Garrett Slavik - Gratiot County (pictured)
- Andrew Weaver - Midland County (pictured)
The selection committee bases its decisions on scholastic excellence, 4-H involvement and achievement (including at the county, district, state, national and international levels; and in a broad range of 4-H experiences and projects) and leadership and citizenship contributions within and outside of 4-H. Applicants must also have applied to MSU (and meet the standard admissions requirements of the university) and submitted the scholarship application to the MSU Office of Admissions by November 1 of their senior year.
Do you know individuals who might qualify for this or other Michigan 4-H scholarships? If so, have them check the link above. Future MSU students can also review the broad spectrum of scholarships available on the MSU scholarships database.
2011 Horse Bowl Results
 For the second year in a row, the Marquette County 4-H Junior and Senior Horse Bowl Teams won the state championship. Both teams were undefeated with the the junior team winning by 57 points, while the senior team had a 22-point lead. The senior team is now eligible to compete at the 2011 All-American Quarter Horse Congress, to be held in Columbus, Ohio, in October. The Leelanau County 4-H Junior and Senior Horse Bowl Teams were the Reserve Champions.
Wayne County 4-H Tech Wizards Receive Award
In June, the National Association of Counties (NACo) presented Wayne County with a 2011 Achievement Award for Tech Wizards. The annual award recognizes innovative county government  programs. Wayne County Children and Family Services and Michigan State University Extension established a youth-mentoring program to serve adjudicated and at-risk youth throughout Wayne County. In turn, the Wayne County 4-H Mentoring Program began 4-H Tech Wizards, a group-mentoring program that matches professionals who work in science, engineering, technology and math fields with youth in Wayne County. 4-H Tech Wizards addresses the need for youth at risk for involvement with the juvenile justice system to engage in activities that will expose them to technology and technology-related careers. The program also involves the youth in community service using technology to address a local need. It puts an emphasis on building family and community supports that promote college access for youth.
Extension Receives $185,000 Grant for Detroit-Area 4-H
The New York Life Foundation and the National 4-H Council awarded the MSU Extension Children and Youth Institute a $185,000 grant. The grant is part of the Metro Youth in Governance Project and the grant funds will be used to: (1) start new 4-H clubs in the Detroit area, (2) expand the number of youth from underserved neighborhoods in community-engagement activities, (3) increase the number of volunteers working with youth in metro Detroit and (4) provide opportunities for youth from these clubs to participate in the Citizenship Washington Focus program.
Michigan 4-H Receives a $65,000 Toyota 4-H2O Grant for the Fourth Year in a Row
 Students across the state will have the opportunity to participate in real-world, water-quality education during the 2011-12 school year, because Michigan 4-H received a Toyota 4-H2O grant for the fourth consecutive year. The grant is divided in two ways, with $50,000 allocated to continue the year-long 4-H2O projects in Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties and a cluster of counties in northeastern Michigan. The remaining $15,000 will support the 2011 4-H National Youth Science Day activities occurring throughout Michigan in early October. Read all of the details here.
Tractor Supply Company (TSC) Paper Clover Promotion Results
Congratulations to all participants for raising $23,037 for Michigan 4-H in just 10 days! Once again, Michigan was the top state nationally. The top 5 Michigan stores were:
- Caro (Tuscola County) #3 nationally
- Mt. Pleasant (Isabella County) #10 nationally
- Charlotte (Eaton County)
- Howell (Livingston County)
- Alpena (Alpena County)
The top 5 Michigan counties were (note that some counties have multiple stores):
- Tuscola County
- Eaton County
- St. Joseph County
- Isabella County
- Jackson County
Papers Presented at National Event and Published
Karen Waite, MSU Extension's equine specialist, presented two papers - one of which was cowritten with Taylor Fabus, a visiting equine instructor - at the national 2011 Equine Science Society Symposium. The abstracts were then published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.
Extension Educator Chosen as a High School Commencement Keynote Speaker
Students at Cooley High School, Cadillac's alternative high school, chose Wexford County Extension Educator, Sara Keinath, to deliver the keynote speech at their graduation.They did so because during the past two years, she has developed a special relationship with them, while teaching the Going Solo 4-H youth-entrepreneur curriculum there in partnership with the Cadillac Area Chamber of Commerce.
4-H Exploration Days
 At this year's 4-H Exploration Days - held on the MSU campus from June 22 to 24 - 4-H hosted nearly 2,600 young people, chaperones and resource people from 79 Michigan counties. Female youth accounted for more than 1,300, while more than 650 male youth attended, and 16 percent of the young people were persons of color. The nearly 200 action-filled classroom and field-trip sessions were taught by more than 300 content and youth-development experts (of which more than two-thirds were adult and teen volunteers, and outside resource people).
Just a few of the many and varied career possibilities, hobbies and global interests available to young people were:
- A behind-the-scenes look at a world-famous lab where researchers accelerate and then smash atoms
- What it takes to put on television broadcast both behind and in front of the camera
- How spas create fragrant scents and soothing oils
- Chess' basic rules and game strategies
- The similarities and differences in the culture, language, food and history of the Caribbean islands
 As Judy Ratkos, senior Extension program leader, describes it, Michigan 4-H's premier precollege experience gives youth an opportunity to "play mini-college student" through hands-on learning and all the fun activities of a summer camp, including living in the dorms, exploring the campus, going to a dance and taking part in other social gatherings.
Now in a Community Near You! Moving Michigan: 4-H Healthy YOUth Initiative
Take the President's Challenge and start moving now! Check out this opportunity for youth, families, clubs and communities to have fun while improving overall health and fitness. Find out how to earn a Presidential Active Lifestyle Award by going to this Web site and filling out the registration form. Then join our group: "Moving Michigan: 4-H Healthy YOUth Initiative." Stay connected on Facebook by searching "Moving Michigan: 4-H Healthy Youth Initiative."
A Little Farther Down the Road
Michigan 4-H State Shooting Sports Tournament
For more information about the tournament (including a tentative schedule of events, lodging and camping, registration, rules, relays and squads), go to the tournament Web site listed above.
 4-H Evening in the Garden
For a fun time in the Michigan 4-H Children's Garden, put August 16, 4 to 7 pm in your schedule. The main objectives of the 4-H Evening in the Garden will be to (1) showcase 4-H programs to non4-H kids, (2) celebrate being a 4-H member and (3) enjoy the 4-H Garden with some fun stuff to do! For more information, contact Dixie Sandborn. |
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Upcoming Events
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July - October 2011
Ongoing
April 1-September 30
4-H President's Active Lifestyle Award Challenge
Nationwide
April 1-October 31
Michigan 4-H Children's Garden outdoor open (dawn till dusk)
East Lansing
July
July 6-August 4
Outgoing Japanese 4-H Exchange
Japan
Mid July-Early August
Outgoing Belize 4-H Exchange
Belize
July 19-21
4-H Dairy Days & Michigan Dairy Expo
MSU Pavilion
July 19-21
Ag Expo
MSU Campus
July 20
Hillsdale County Science Blast
Hillsdale College Children's Garden and Slayton Arboretum
Crawford County Science Blast
Nature Center, Grayling
July 22-24
4-H Mentoring Weekend
Kettunen Center, Tustin
July 23
4-H Judging Clinic 201
Kalkaska County Fairgrounds
July 24-28
National 4-H Forestry Invitational
Weston, WV
July 24-August 2
Incoming Japanese 4-H Exchange
Statewide
July 28
Allegan County Science Blast
Allegan County Fairgrounds
July 31-August 6
4-H Great Lakes & Natural Resources Camp
Camp Chickagami, Presque Isle
August
August 6
Michigan 4-H State Shooting Sports Tournament
Centerline of Calhoun County, Inc.
August 8-12
First Book Free Book Distribution
Waverly Warehouse, Lansing
August 9
Kalamazoo County Science Blast
Kalamazoo County Fair
August 12-14
State 4-H Horse Show
MSU Pavilion
August 13
Kettunen Center 50th Anniversary Celebration
Kettunen Center
August 16
Crawford County Science Blast
Nature Center, Grayling
4-H Evening in the Garden (contact Dixie Sandborn)
Michigan 4-H Children's Garden, East Lansing
August 20
State 4-H Dog Show
MSU Pavilion
For a list of Michigan 4-H events in October, go to Upcoming Events.
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Resources
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Do You Know an Amazing Volunteer or Program Deserving of Recognition?
The Michigan Community Service Commission is accepting nominations for the 2011 Governor's Service Awards. These awards are given annually to individuals, organizations and businesses committed to service and volunteerism in their communities. The awards provide a wonderful opportunity to recognize individuals and tell others about the important work that we do. To learn more and download the nomination form, visit the Web site listed above.
New Michigan 4-H Web Site
Have you checked out the updated Michigan 4-H Web site yet? It's a great tool for all 4-H volunteers because it's loaded with information all volunteers will find helpful. From the home page, click on the "Volunteers" link and scroll down to the list of "Resources." It contains everything from the "Michigan 4-H Cloverbud Policy" to a "4-H Promotional Toolkit," from a "County 4-H Volunteer Handbook" to almost anything else you can think of.
Upcoming E-Conference
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Help Wanted
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Help Launch the 1908 Club
Join the Launch Committee for a proposed new Michigan 4-H Alumni Association - The 1908 Club. The Michigan 4-H Foundation is seeking 12 - 4-H volunteers or adult 4-H alumni members to represent the current Michigan 4-H program districts or 6 state regions. For more information, check out the flyer.
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Submission Guidelines
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This is a newsletter for and about Michigan 4-H Youth Development. It is a means by which we can communicate with one another and promote our great program impacts, showcase resources, spotlight staff, volunteers, members, alumni and curriculum. Therefore, we want articles that are not only pertinent to Michigan 4-H, but which have the most complete information possible and that will capture the reader's interest.
To that end, we are asking you to submit articles that are concise and contain answers to the questions who, what, where, when, how and why. We will be happy to include Internet links that will take the reader to the pertinent information. Therefore, please make sure links are live and take the reader right to the spot with the information not to a general Web page where the reader will have to hunt to find the information. To help highlight articles, we would like to include pictures. So, send us a few pictures with your article.
Ideas for article content might include those that feature:
1. Programs (One that is upcoming or has been successfully completed)
2. Grants (Possibilities, already funded and running or successfully completed)
3. Scholarships (Possibilities or winner announcements)
4. Resources (New or updated curricula)
5. Honor, Awards
So we can meet publishing deadlines, please email your articles in Word or WordPerfect (no PDFs) to Priscilla Martin by the 15th of each month.
Note: To print a copy of this newsletter complete with formatting, prior to printing from Internet Explorer, go to:
1. Tools
2. Select Internet Options
3. Press Advanced
4. Scroll down to Printing and check "Print background colors and images"
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Contact Information
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Michigan 4-H Today is a monthly newsletter for all those interested in 4-H Youth Development programs including its members, parents, volunteers, staff, alumni and retirees. It is published by the Michigan State University Extension 4-H Youth Development office and it is distributed online.
Please contact Michigan 4-H Today:
Priscilla Martin, Editor
160 Agriculture Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Phone: 517-432-7635
Email: pjmartin@msu.edu
Fax: 517-353-4846
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MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thomas G. Coon, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. The name "4-H" and the emblem consisting of a four-leaf clover with stem and the "H" on each leaflet are protected under Title 18 U.S.C. 707.
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