Dear co-workers:
Another new 4-H year is here, officially celebrated October 4-10. As we begin our 103rd year of existence as the youth development program of Cooperative Extension and the land-grant universities of Virginia Tech and Virginia State, the 4-H program has much to celebrate. New and exciting opportunities lay ahead for all of us-to meet the challenges of making differences in the lives of thousands of youth involved through 4-H. As we begin the new 4-H year, keep in mind that "4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills."
Dr. William E. Skelton, former State 4-H Leader and Director of Virginia Cooperative Extension, is commonly known as the "Father of Virginia's 4-H Educational Centers." Indeed, the development of our present six 4-H educational centers was a dream, beginning in the 1950's. Through his leadership, direction, and persistence, the six 4-H educational centers that exist today are his dreams come true. Thousands of youth, and adults working with these youth, participate in quality educational programs each year through 4-H camping programs, weekend educational events, and other learning opportunities that help them become better citizens through learn by doing programming. In honor of Dr. Skelton's vision, the Smith Mt. Lake 4-H Educational Center Board of Directors recently made the decision to rename this center. At a celebration of this honor conducted at the site on September 9, the name was officially changed from Smith Mt. Lake 4-H Educational Center to the W.E. Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center at Smith Mt. Lake. Dr. and Mrs. Skelton were guests of honor accompanied by numerous family members, friends, and donors. This is a well-deserved honor and the Virginia 4-H program is far better able to reach and involve countless youth annually in researched-based educational programs. Special thanks go out to Dr. Skelton for his dream and accomplishment.
Dr. Pat Sobrero, our new Director of Virginia Cooperative Extension, is on board and very busy getting to know staff throughout the state, both salaried and volunteer. Her vision, enthusiasm, and commitment to 4-H will greatly take us to a better position to reach new audiences and involve new stakeholders, as well as enhance our abilities to work with those already associated with Virginia 4-H. On behalf of the State 4-H Office staff, 4-H membership, unit staff, and membership, we are very glad to have Dr. Sobrero on board. As an alumni of 4-H in her native state, Dr. Sobrero greatly believes in the 4-H mission and is a supporter of what we do. Welcome aboard, Pat. We look forward to working with you in the future.
Best wishes for the new 4-H year. I look forward to hearing about the great differences you will make this year in the lives of Virginia 4-H youth.
Bob Meadows
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Check your 4-H Policy IQ
Policy Scenario:
A 4-H organization decides to conduct a fund raiser to support their members attending a national meeting. They purchase candy bars to sell in the community. The wholesale cost is 50¢ per bar and they plan to sell them for $1.00 per bar.
What are the tax-related requirements for the organization as the purchaser and the seller of the candy bars?
Policy Response:
The 4-H organization does not have to pay any sales tax on purchases to be resold. Their organization must submit form ST-10 to the wholesaler. When the 4-H organization sells the candy bars they must collect sales tax and send it monthly to the State Department of Taxation along with form ST-9. They must collect sales tax whether the candy bars are sold to the public or to their membership. The 4-H organization has two choices:
- Charge $1.05 per bar ($1 + 5.0% tax) and send $.05 to the State Department of Taxation.
- Charge $1.00 and send $.05 to the State Department of Taxation
(Joseph R. Hunnings)
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75th National 4-H Conference
April 1-6, 2005
Purpose of the National 4-H Conference:
The National 4-H Conference is a working conference in which youth and adults--at the invitation of the Secretary of Agriculture--assist in the development of recommendations to help guide 4-H Youth Development Programs nationally and in their communities. This event brings together youth, volunteer leaders, state, and county Extension staff members from across the United States, its territories, and the Canadian Provinces.
As the sponsor for this conference, the National 4-H Headquarters--located within the Families, 4-H and Nutrition Unit at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service--is charged with sharing the recommendations that emerge from the conference with the Secretary of Agriculture, national Extension Program Leaders, and others who determine 4-H programs. At the same time, we want to ensure that the conference is a rich and meaningful experience for the participants. The 75th National 4-H Conference dates are Friday, April 1 to Wednesday, April 6, 2005.
If you have youth who are interested and would be good representatives of Virginia 4-H, please nominate them to participate. Send your nominations to bcline@vt.edu. Virginia will send up to 6 youth and 1 adult.
(Bob Meadows, Ph.D.)
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Newsletter Reminder
Subscription System
The Virginia 4-H Information Letter is a FREE monthly newsletter with information for staff, volunteers and youth from the 4-H Department of Virginia Cooperative Extension. It is archived on the Internet at http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/infoletter/.
Subscribe to a monthly reminder of its availability. http://info.ag.vt.edu/vce/4hnewsletter/index.cfm
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Virginia Association of Adult 4-H Volunteer Leaders, Inc.
Fall Conference
November 20-21, 2004 at the Holiday Inn Airport, 5203 Williamsburg Road, Sandston, VA (for room reservations call (804- 222-6450). More information about the conference and registration procedures are located at http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/2004fallconf.pdf - PDF
(Lloyd Hicks)
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Experiential Learning in a Nutshell
Experiential Learning is a process where a learner "does" something, reflects upon what s/he does, and gains new insight or learning. The experiential learning model used in Virginia 4-H is based on the five-step model adapted from Kolb (1971) by Pfeiffer and Jones (1976). This approach allows youth to experience something with minimal guidance from an adult. Learners are presented with a problem, task, situation, or activity. They "make sense" of the challenge and act upon it. Youth then write answers to questions at each stage of the model and discuss them: What happened? What did you do? What was important about what you did? How does what you did relate to your life, the skills practiced, and your future? How would you use the skills (life skills and project skills) you have practiced in your future? It is this reflective processing that takes place after the "doing" that sets experiential learning apart from simply "experiencing" or "doing" an activity. This process is intentional, requires a facilitator (who often becomes a co-learner).
(Kathleen Jamison, Ph.D.)
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State 4-H Horse Show Results
Results from the State 4-H Horse Show including winners of each class (first place only) are part of the District Challenge Results found at http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/horse/index.html Horse show results along with other horse contest results and the district challenge point summaries are all listed.. A total of 2585 volunteer hours were documented on the district challenge cards and I wish I could say that was a real total...but there were many hours put in by volunteers who did not fill out cards...so please extend my thanks to EVERYONE who had a hand in making this show a success.
(Dr. Julia S. McCann. State 4-H Horse Show Coordinator)
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Virginia 4-H Dog Show
Thanks and appreciation to Gwen Anderson and her team of volunteers for the hard work and dedication displayed on behalf of the State 4-H Dog Show. Gwen is a volunteer from Henrico County and served as Superintendent of this year s State 4-H Dog Show.
The event was conducted on Saturday, September 25, at the Pole Green Park near Mechanicsville and the youth and volunteers were very actively engaged in the various features of the show including Agility, Showmanship, Obedience, Free Style, Poster Contest, and Cloverbud Arena. Results will be shared in next month's information letter.
(Lloyd Hicks)
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IFYE Reports
Attached are reports from IFYE's during the past month.
(Dottie Nelson)
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CWF (Citizenship Washington Focus
July 10-16, 2005 Mark your calendars now and watch for more information
(Jewel Hairston)
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2005 4-H Day at the State Capitol
February 17, 2005
Mark your calendars. More information will be coming in the next few months.
(Jewel Hairston)
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Tree Planting Projects
Last year Virginia 4-H members planted 74,000 pine seedlings and 16,000 hardwood seedlings as part of a 4-H project. Now is the time to plan your county's planting projects for the spring of 2005. Please see http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/environment/pineseed/ for leaders' guide, SOL fact sheet, seedling order form for details. Tree planting is one of the most positive and unselfish things a person can do for their environment and future generations. More information can be found at
(Jeffrey L. Kirwan, Ph.D)
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4-H Shooting Education
Instructor Certification
The deadline for the 4-H Shooting Education Instructor Certification scheduled at Holiday Lake the weekend of October 15 - 17 is rapidly approaching.
For a Fact Sheet (including a schedule), Registration Form, and Advanced Shotgun Questionnaire go to www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/environment/shootinged
Senior 4-H members, ages 16 and older, can be certified as apprentice or assistant instructors
Please note that the Coordinator certification, the 4-H Advanced Shotgun training, the NRA Pistol Coach Training School, and the NRA Rifle/Air Rifle Coach Training School start Friday night.
First time certified volunteers interested in participating in the 4-H archery, 4-H rifle or 4-H shotgun certification will also start Friday night.
Current 4-H Instructors, wishing to be certified in an additional discipline, can elect to join us on Saturday morning. Thanks for promoting the 4-H Shooting Education Program,
(Jinx Baney, Coordinator)
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2005 4-H Essay Contest
Sponsored by The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees, Inc.
The essay topic is "Use of Honey Bees and Honey in Symbolism". Honey bees and honey have been used symbolically throughout recorded history. Utah is the Beehive State; its motto is "Industry." Napoleon had bees on his throne and robes to symbolize that the emperor was working hard. "As busy as a bee" is part of our language, as is "honey of a job" and "Honey, I'm home." The U.S. Navy Construction Battalion, was tagged "The Sea Bees;" they became known for their ability to work under adverse conditions with few resources and used machine gun-toting bees in their emblem. Bees are inscribed in ancient Egyptian tombs - and so on. See how many symbols you can list and determine why bees and honey are so used.
Top 3 winners will receive cash prizes:
1st - $250, 2nd -$100, 3rd- $50
For contest rules and to learn more about this great opportunity for active 4-H members contact Sandra Fisher at the Southwest Va. 4-H Educational Center at 25236 Hillman Highway, Abingdon, VA 24210 or email safishe3@vt.edu, or call 276-676-6180. Deadline for entries is February 1, 2005.
(Sandra Fisher)
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Cloverbuds Cook with Pyramid Chef
The leader's guide and evaluation forms for "Cloverbuds Cook with Pyramid Chef" can be found on this intranet site.
There is a training tape available that provides training for Cloverbuds Cook with Pyramid Chef. If you are an agent who has received the training tape in the last 6 months, please return the tape. They are needed for other agents. If you want to use this Cloverbud program in your community, please contact Tracy Sebring to receive the training tape. She will add your name to the list of trained individuals. Trained individuals can access the publication from distribution. Questions can be addressed to Tracy Sebring, 540-231-6372.
- Cloverbuds Cook with Pyramid Chef (PDFs)
- Leader's Guide: Cloverbuds Cood with Pyramid Chef
- Lesson 1: Eating and Growing Grains in VA youth survey | helper's survey
- Lesson 2: Eating and Growing Vegetables in VA youth survey | helper's survey
- Lesson 3: Eating and Growing Fruits in VA youth survey | helper's survey
- Lesson 4: Eating a Variety of Dairy Foods and Raising Dairy Cows in VA youth survey | helper's survey
- Lesson 5: Eating a Variety of Beef Foods and Raising Beef Cows in VA youth survey | helper's survey
(Kathleen Jamison, Ph.D.)
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What is LionShop & Share?
LionShop & Share is the easiest, most convenient way to raise money for your local not-for-profit organization. Each time you shop at Food Lion and use your MVP card, a portion of your total grocery purchase will be donated to the school, church or other local not-for-profit organization you have selected. Food Lion knows it is important to be involved in the local communities in which it serves, and Lion Shop & Share is our way of helping you help your community grow and prosper. To learn more and to register your donations, go to http://www.foodlion.com/IntheCommunity/ShopandShare/FAQs.asp
(Tracy Sebring)
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The 4-H Name and Emblem Graphics
The 4-H name and emblem graphics can be downloaded from the National 4-H Headquarters Web site at
http://www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/4h_name.htm.
( Bob Meadows)
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Programs of Distinction
The web-enabled data base has been completed, the reviewers have been named, and we are looking forward to receiving your Programs of Distinction manuscripts. There is no deadline! Manuscripts are accepted on a continuous basis.
As a reminder the 4-H Programs of Distinction can be submitted two ways:
- Submitted directly from the author or
- By recommendation from the State 4-H Program Leader
All submissions must be submitted electronically to Barbara Stone: bstone@csrees.usda.gov
Please type "POD Manuscript" in the message line. Programs of Distinction information can be found at www.4h-usa.org under National 4-H Headquarters, "New to You", or go to:http://www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/
(Bob Meadows ,PhD)
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Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
October 29 is the deadline for nominating middle and high school students across Virginia for helping less fortunate, promoting health and safety, protecting the environment and serving their communities through many other volunteers' activities.
Unit 4-H offices along with schools, Girls Scouts, Red Cross, YMCA and other similar organizations are eligible to nominate 1 youth per 1000 members. For more information and registration forms, go to www.prudential.com/spirit
(Bob Meadows)
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Director's Letter
Calendar of Events