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Saline County 4-H Connection

Monthly News for Saline County 4-H Members

December 2018/January 2019 To Make The Best Better!

What’s Inside?

2 - Merry Christmas!

3 - Federation Christmas Party

4 - Leader Information, Meetings 5 - Bell Ringers, Heaven’s Kitchen

6 - Handbook Cover Contest

7 - Pinterest, Citizenship

Washington Focus 8 - 4-H Online

9 - Salute to Excellence, SFI4-H

10 - Scholarships and Grants

11 - Calendar

912 S. Commercial, Suite 4

Harrisburg, IL 62946

618-252-8391

University of Illinois Extension

provides equal opportunities in

programs and employment.

Connie Beck

County Director

Melissa Wilson

Youth Educator

Nancy Lambert

4-H Extension Program

Coordinator

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Merry Christmas

Your University of Illinois Extension 4-H Staff sends

greetings to all of our 4-H families

for a very Merry Christmas!

And we wish you a Healthy and

Peaceful New Year!

If you need a reasonable accommodation to

participate in any of these

programs, please contact University of

Illinois Extension at 618-252-8391.

4-H Calendar December 2018

1 - Unit 24 Candle Making Workshop, 9 am - Noon, Carmi

3 - Federation Christmas Party, 5 pm, The Villas of Holly Brook

6 - Pinterest Holiday Workshop, 3:30 - 5 pm, Extension office

6 - Expansion & Review Meeting, 6 pm, Extension office

13 - Harrisburg Christmas Lights Parade, 6 pm

14 - 4-H Club forms and Committee forms due in to the Extension office.

24 - Jan. 1 - Extension Office Closed for the Christmas Holidays

25 - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

January 2019

1 - Happy New Year!

2 - Extension Office re-opens after Christmas

8 - 4-H Volunteers at Heaven’s Kitchen, 4:30-6:30 pm Presbyterian Church Annex

10 - Livestock Committee Meeting, 7 pm, Ext. office

21 - Extension office closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

26-27 - Youth Livestock Superhero Conference, Decatur

31 - Handbook Cover Entries Due by 4:30 pm

February 2019

2 - Beef Weigh-in (tentative date), 1 pm, Fairgrounds

4 - 4-H Federation Meeting, 5 pm, Extension office

4 - Management Committee Meeting, 7 pm, Extension office

7 - Pinterest Workshop, 3:30 - 5 pm, Extension office

14 - Happy Valentine’s Day!

22 - Unit 24 Cosmic Bowling (tentative date), 6-8 pm, Ross Cottom Lanes

23-24 - IL 4-H Jr. Leadership Conference, Champaign

FARM CREDIT ILLINOIS SCHOLARSHIPS High school seniors planning careers in agriculture may apply for a $2,000

scholarship. Farm Credit Illinois will provide 30 scholarships to youth who

live or farm in one of the 60 counties in their service area. The first $1,000

will be distributed for the Fall 2019 semester, and the second $1,000 will be

applied during the Fall 2021 semester. Apply online at farmcreditIL.com

before March 1. Are you going to University of Illinois College of

Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences? The college is

MATCHING this scholarship, dollar for dollar! Double your money while

getting a great ag education!

ILLINOIS 4-H LIVESTOCK SCHOLARSHIP This $1,000 Illinois 4-H Livestock Scholarship is open to members who

have demonstrated mastery in the livestock area and plan to continue their

education in the area of agriculture. Members must have been involved in the

livestock project a minimum of three years. You must have been a member

for at least 5 years and attending either a 4-year university, community

college, or trade school. The scholarship is open to high school seniors and

college freshmen. Applications are due March 1. Download the application

@ go.illinois.edu/4Hscholarships.

LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP Fifteen $1,000 Legacy of Leadership Scholarship are offered to members

who have demonstrated overall mastery and leadership in the 4-H program.

You must have been a member for at least 5 years and attending either a

4-year university, community college, or trade school. The scholarship is

open to high school seniors and college freshmen. Applications are due

March 1. Download the application @ go.illinois.edu/4Hscholarships.

Finalists must submit a video of your 4-H accomplishments.

---------------------------------------------------------

Get cash to help improve your community Looking for funding support to conduct community service outreach in your

community? Farm Credit Illinois is ready to help Illinois 4-H clubs and FFA

chapters bring positive and visible change to Illinois communities! Fifty $500

Community Improvement Grants are available. Clubs must be located in one

of the 60 central and southern Illinois counties served by Farm Credit

Illinois. Check if your club is eligible and apply today at farmcreditIL.com.

Be sure to contact your LOCAL EXTENSION OFFICE BEFORE

applying for this grant to ensure you follow all fiscal requirements!

4-H Federation Christmas Party!

The Saline County 4-H Federation Christmas Party will be held on Monday, December 3, 2018, from

5 - 7 pm at the Villas of Holly Brook in Harrisburg.

Join us as we celebrate Christmas

with our 4-H family!

We plan to eat pizza and have a gift exchange.

We may even do a bit of Christmas caroling.

If you would like to participate in the gift

exchange, please bring a $5.00 wrapped

gift suitable for anyone.

Following our gift exchange, we will go to the

Holly Brook theater room to watch a

Christmas Movie!

Popcorn and drinks will be provided.

The Federation Christmas Party is open to all Saline County 4-H youth, adult volunteers and families.

You must RSVP by November 30 with your favorite pizza toppings.

___________________________________________

The next regular Federation business meeting will be held on

Monday, February 4, 2019, at 5 pm, (before the Management

Committee Meeting) at the Extension Office.

Bring a finger food, snack or dessert to share.

Leader Information

Club Enrollment forms, Club Report forms, with a list of Club

Officers and Goals, Committee forms, etc., are all due in to the

Extension Office by Friday, December 14.

If your club is paying the enrollment fee of $20 per member, and

you want to write one check, have your families indicate they

are paying by check in 4HOnline. New members may join 4-H

and enroll in a project any time before May 1 to be eligible to

exhibit in the 2019 shows.

Leaders, please bring in your driver’s license and insurance card so

we can make a copy for your file.

____________________________________

Livestock Committee Meeting

Saline County 4-H Livestock Committee will meet

on Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 7:00 pm at the

Extension Office.

All Livestock Committee members (newly appointed members from

each club) and others are invited to attend.

Agenda items will include electing officers and choosing

superintendents, setting dates for the Beef, Swine, Meat Goat, and

Lamb Weigh-Ins for the Rate of Gain Contest and reviewing the

livestock rules and the Livestock pages for the

2019 4-H Handbook.

____________________________________ Management Committee Meeting

Saline County 4-H Management Committee will hold its

first meeting of the year on Monday, February 4, 2019 at

7:00 pm at the Extension Office.

All Management Committee members and Federation

officers are encouraged to attend. All Saline County 4-H

members and adult volunteers are invited to attend as well.

In addition to electing officers, we will be discussing any changes

that need to be made to the 4-H Handbook for this year, as well as

looking ahead to the 2019 Saline County

4-H Shows and events. See you there!

Salute to Excellence 2019

VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION AWARDS

We are pleased to recognize the work of the amazing volunteers who support the Illinois 4-H program!

The National 4-H Council sponsors the Salute to Excellence Award Program that targets 4-H volunteers who demonstrate exemplary

service to 4-H, while promoting service through volunteerism as both an opportunity and a privilege.

Outstanding local volunteers can be nominated for consideration as the 2019 Illinois Salute to Excellence

Volunteer. If you are interested in nominating a volunteer for consideration, contact your extension office.

The award categories are: Volunteer of the Year – recognizing individuals who have served as

4-H volunteers for less than 10 years at the local, county, region, and state level.

Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer – recognizing individuals who have served 10 or more years at the local, county, region or state level.

Nomination criteria will be available at your local Extension Office. Nominations are due to the State 4-H Office by

Friday, December 14, 2018.

_______________________________________________

Spring 2019 Speaking for Illinois 4-H Training Be watching for upcoming Speaking for Illinois 4-H training dates after

January 1, 2019! Two more training opportunities will be scheduled in

spring 2019. We anticipate the spring trainings

to be held in central and southern Illinois

locations. Exact dates will be identified once we

have access to the 2019 Illinois Legislative

Calendar.

Why should you participate in Speaking for Illinois 4-H training? You’ll be

trained to effectively share your 4-H story with legislators, donors, 4-H

volunteers, and civic groups. You will also develop skills to explain the

impact 4-H has in your local community, across Illinois, and the world.

Training is provided by members of the Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership

Team. Those who complete training will be invited to attend the Spring 2019

Legislative Connection events at the state capital in Springfield.

Use the following link to register and get additional details:

go.illinois.edu/sfi4H.

- Parent & Leader News - I am continuing to give suggestions of how to

relate our events and activities to your 4-H Experience Awards Packet (records) for next year. We encourage families to pick

up a blank copy of the records packet from the Extension Office and begin to list your activities throughout the 4-H year rather than rely on memory. While the records packet may change slightly for next year, at least you

will have somewhere to start. Remember, you can use a 4-H event/activity only one time

on your 4-H Experience Awards application.

________________________________________________________

Enroll Now If you haven’t done so yet, youth and adults are encouraged

to enroll or re-enroll in 4-H as soon as possible. This year,

due to changes in the insurance coverage, youth and adults

are not fully covered until they enroll/re-enroll.

Therefore, youth and adults are not permitted to attend any

4-H club meetings or events, 4-H county events or 4-H

multi-county or beyond events until the enrollment process

is complete, including payment.

As you can see in this newsletter, we have many events and

activities planned. We want all youth and adults to be able

to attend. So...we hope that one of the “Places You’ll Go” is

to 4-H Online!

To get started, go to our Saline County 4-H website:

http://web.extension.illinois.edu/ghhpsw/saline4h/2771.html

Scroll down to New Member “How to Enroll Through 4-H

Online” or Returning Member “How to Enroll Through 4-H

Online” to get all the details.

To re-enroll, go to: https://il.4honline.com Put in your email and password.

Community Service

Salvation Army Bell Ringers

The Salvation Army needs volunteers to ring bells in Saline County.

They will be ringing from 9 am to 8 pm daily (except Sundays)

starting November 16 through December 24 at Kroger and Black

Friday through December 24 at Walmart in Harrisburg. You can ring

individually or with your club. Time slots are just one hour! Wear

your 4-H shirt!

This is a great opportunity for members to give an hour of their time

and spread some Christmas spirit. All the money raised stays in Saline

County and goes for rent and utility assistance. Please contact Kacie

Patterson at 618-926-0604 or kpatterson@eldorado.k12.il.us

to register. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heaven’s Kitchen Friends, Saline County 4-H has secured an evening to volunteer at Heaven’s Kitchen in Harrisburg. We have the opportunity to put our “Hands to Larger Service” and serve a meal to those in need. Youth ages 8 and up and adult volunteers, please join us as we help our community on Tuesday, January 8, 2019, from 4:30-6:30 pm, at the Presbyterian Church Annex, W. Locust Street in Harrisburg. We will be serving dinner, clearing plates, filling drinks, etc. Call by January 2 to volunteer. Wear your 4-H shirt!

Volunteering with either event - ringing bells for the Salvation Army or

helping at Heaven’s Kitchen - can count on your 4-H records in the

Community Service section as “Participated as a 4-H representative in a

service activity organized by another community organization or

group.” (Individual)

4-H Handbook Cover Contest

4-H members of all ages… It’s time to start your design for the

2019 4-H Handbook Cover Contest.

We are asking that entries be turned in to the Extension office by 4:30 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2019.

The entry rules for the contest are:

1. Submit original design on white paper only (8 1/2 X 11 in).

2. Leave 1-inch margins on all sides.

3. Use ONLY black ink or black marker.

4. Use the words “Saline County 4-H” and the year “2019”

somewhere on your design.

5. Put your name on the front of your entry.

6. Entry should reflect 4-H in Saline County.

7. If you want to use a clover in your design, we request that

you use the official 4-H emblem. Contact the Extension

office and we will print out a 4-H Clover for your use.

8. One entry per 4-H member may be submitted.

9. Entries must be received by 4:30 pm on Thursday,

January 31, 2019. No Exceptions!

Please submit entries with your name, club,

and age. Remember, there is a monetary prize at

Achievement Night for the winner.

Good Luck!

Participating in the Saline County 4-H Handbook Cover Contest can count

on your 4-H records in the Participation section as “Participated in one

county 4-H activity or event.”

Pinterest Holiday Workshop

We will be meeting at the Extension office

from 3:30—5:00 pm on Thursday,

December 6th for a fun Holiday Workshop!

This group is limited to 20 participants so

call today to reserve your spot! This is the

first of a series of Pinterest

workshops. The other dates are February 7 and

April 11, 2019. There will be a one time $5 fee to

attend the workshop series to help with supply

costs. Please call the Extension office at 252-8391

to RSVP as soon as possible. Happy Pinning!

Participating in this workshop series can count on your 4-H records in

the Project Learning section as “Participated in a county workshop or

other learning opportunity related to my project.”

_________________________________________________

Attention: High School 4-Hers

Join us for Citizenship Washington Focus! Many say it’s the best trip of their 4-H career. The national conference is open to 4-H members age 14-18 by May 1, 2019. The trip is June 8-15, 2019. Teens explore the federal legislative process through workshops and hands-on sessions, tour historical sights and museums, provide youth voice on issues that concern them, visit federal legislative offices, and meet teens from other states. The 2019 cost is $1,400, with financial assistance from the Illinois 4-H Foundation. Register to attend NOW at go.illinois.edu/4HCWF. Participating in Citizenship Washington Focus can count on your 4-H

records in the Leadership section as “Attended a 4-H leadership training

or event at the national level.”