Happy Thanksgiving!

As the members of the 4-H staff and your Robeson County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service are at home today celebrating this holiday with our traditional families, we just wanted to let you know that our 4-H family is not far from our thoughts. We want you to know that we are thankful for each and everyone of you and hope that you have a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving.
We would also like to share with you a new blog that one of our colleagues started that is very appropriate for today. Janice Fields, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent started a holiday food blog. On it you can find safety tips and recipes for this holiday. Just click on this link and it will take you right to it.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday and we look forward to seeing you at our next big event...4-H Youth Achievement Night.

Always Something New at State Council Conference

It is time to start our 4-H year again and the best way we know how to do it is to send an incredible delegation to 4-H State Council Conference. Our four delegates, Aljaquan Nixon, Ashley Sealey, Kristen Sealey and Yazmin Washington travelled to Raleigh for the two day conference. The 4-H members took part in workshops that ranged in topics from flag etiquette, to diversity, to experiential learning and recycling.

In between workshops there were district and state meetings, the battle for the state spirit stick (South Central District came in second) and the unveiling of this year's state theme. This year's theme builds on our centennial theme of "We are 4-H". For 2010 our 4-H theme is "We Are 4-H...Then, Now, and Forever." During the lunch meeting our key note speaker, Edward Walker (of Trading Spaces Fame)
talked about setting goals and finding ways to meet them. He showed that his life is a daily example of this philosophy and served as an example for our youth to dream big and achieve your dreams.

During our evening banquet 4-H youth from across the state were recognized for their volunteer efforts and for their hard work achieving different levels in the ambassador course. Then the teens favorite part after the evening banquet is the dance. As they enjoyed the D.J., the music, and the friends they were making they danced the night away...at least until their curfew.

After a good night's sleep it was back to workshops, district meetings and the spirit stick competition. After finishing up at the state meeting we headed back to Lumberton, and our very well rested delegates (I believe they all slept on the way back) are now preparing to report on this event and our new state focus at our next County Council and Leaders' Association meeting in February.

Can't be Christmas without 4-H Green

I know, I know. Thanksgiving isn't even here yet and we are already talking turkey about Christmas. We can't help it though because Saturday was the annual Lumberton Christmas Parade and this year our 4-H volunteers and members got into the Centennial Holiday spirit in a big way.

With a last minute vehicle replacement courtesy of Archie McLean's plumbing...our incredible volunteer committee headed by Mrs. Libby Burney set out to decorate a pickup truck and trailer. It was an incredible site with metallic silver and green streamers hanging down and centennial banners and members of several 4-H clubs along for the ride. The volunteers and youth spent a couple of hours decorating our entry and those who helped got to ride while others walked along side.

We want to give a special mention to our volunteers who helped out with this grand effort; Mrs. Libby Burney, Missy McLean, Marilyn Merritt and Jane Hurst. Not to mention the clubs which had members and volunteers participate, the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club, The Horsin' Around 4-H Club, the "Dirty Rascals" Junior Master Gardener Club, The Lightn' Electric Club, and Young Leaders. Thank you for participating to show how we are 4-H proud and after 100 years still strong.

Celebrating History and Making History All at the Same Time

One of the best times of the 4-H year is when we have the opportunity to do something sincerely special for our 4-H volunteers to say thank you for all their work during the year. Our annual 4-H Volunteer Appreciation Banquet is that night we do all of this and this year's celebration was something extra special. Which seems appropriate for a group of extra special people.

We kicked off the event with Robeson County Extension Director Everett Davis bringing everyone together and getting the pledges underway with the help of our 4-H volunteer Deborah Mitchell and Tanya Underwood a 4-H volunteer and Chairperson of our 4-H specialized Committee. Then we cut straight to the sweet stuff. Our three tiered centennial 4-H birthday cake greeted our volunteers and guests when they entered the room. Our special guests from Raleigh and here at home did the ceremonial lighting and cutting of the cake to kick off our celebration. Our District Director Clinton McRae, Sharon Rowland with the Development Fund, Everett Davis our Robeson County Extension Director and Dr. Marshall Stewart, Department Head, State Program Leader, Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family & Consumer Sciences had the honor of slicing into the cake. "Oh, it's a real cake," exclaimed Everett Davis as the knife sliced into the bottom tier. After some special introductions of people it was off to the buffet line to get the food catered by Kay's Catering in Pembroke. Our menu included baked chicken, ham, string beans, rice pilaf, yams and assorted desserts. Of course our volunteers and guests also had the opportunity to partake in our extra special homemade birthday cake, baked and decorated by our 4-H Agent herself.

After dinner it was time for greetings from N. C. State and N. C. A&T Universities delivered by our District Director Clinton McRae. And Commissioner Hubert Sealy brought greetings on behalf of the Robeson County Commissioners. Clinton McRae introduced our special speaker for the evening Dr. Marshall Stewart. Dr. Stewart spoke to our volunteers about the importance of what they do for our youth in the county and expressed to them that giving their time is one of the greatest gifts they can give to our youth because they are providing them opportunities that the youth would other wise not experience. These experiences are shaping their futures and providing them them positive educational opportunities that will make a difference in their lives.

After feeling motivated and receiving inspiration from the speech it was time for another history making motivator designed expressly for our volunteers. Everett Davis announced the Dr. Eddie and Mrs. Brenda Locklear 4-H Endowment. This endowment is named for Dr. Eddie Locklear who is a past Robeson County 4-H Agent, went on to become a specialist at the state level and is currently working on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curriculum areas on the national level. It is also named for his wife Brenda who has sacrificed and supported him through his career and he says he would not have accomplished all he has if it had not been for her and her support. This endowment will support the Robeson County 4-H Volunteer Hall of Fame. Each year one deserving 4-H Volunteer will be chosen to receive this honor, from nomination forms received during the year. Their photo and a plaque, describing their accomplishments, will be posted in our Hall of fame. The wall will be able to hold 30 years worth of recipients and then we hope to expand to the next wall. Along with this honor the recipient will receive a check and plaque for this honor. Dr. Locklear and his wife Brenda said hat they could not think of a better way to support the program than giving back to our volunteers because without them we would not be able to do all that we do. He thanked the staff and his numerous family members who were there to share in this historic occasion with him. Sharon Rowland then brought everyone forward for the official signing of the endowment. Mr. Bill Willford, past county director who actually hired Dr. Locklear as the 4-H Agent and helped raised some of the funds that are being used for this endowment also joined us on stage, for photos. If you would like to support this endowment please contact the 4-H office at (910) 671-3276 for more information.

Then it was time for the real reason for the evening the honoring and saying thank you to our volunteers. We called our volunteers up by their years of service and gave them certificates, 4-H calendars and a small gift with the centennial logo on it. We also gave special gifts to those recognizing their milestone years of 5, 10, 15 and 20 years.

We hope our volunteers had a wonderful evening and want to thank all of our guests for attending. The support of the Locklear family and the thanks shown to our volunteers this night was incredible. Thank you to everyone for making this a history making event.

Having Fun Learning...the Adults that is.

Did we have jealous youth on Tuesday night? You bet we did as it was the volunteers turn to come in and do the ever incredible make and take projects as part of their volunteer leaders training. Our idea was to set up tables around the auditorium and introduce our volunteers to enough activities that they could go back and use one for each of their club meetings in 2010. All in all we had 6 people set up offering more than a dozen projects that could be done with their club.
Bobby Rogers set up a table and showed the different woodworking projects he could do with youth. There was everything from recycled soda can bird houses to magazine racks, shelving units and a gumball machine (that was really cool). All of his projects are a very small cost and he is wonderful about making them youth friendly and will come work with the youth in putting them together. For many of our youth it is the first time they have ever held a hammer or nailed something into place, which is always very exciting.
Kerrie Roach set up and showed off some of the most personality laden grass heads ever made in our office. We actually have a grass head kit that clubs may check out to use. This project is a great horticulture project because the youth learn about plants, alternative planting methods, science, and get to take home something they made and watch it grow.
Jessica Drake set up a table with all sorts of great inexpensive craft ideas. Volunteers could make self esteem mirrors, where they cut out words about themselves and positive saying to collage a small piece of wood. Then they glue a small mirror on the front. The pocket or purse mirror gives you a boost of self confidence every time you pull it out to use it because you see all the wonderful things on the background of the mirror. She also showed the volunteers how to make a Christmas ornament with a foam ball, sequins and straight pins (they really are neat and would take an entire club meeting or more to finish). Also she brought out the looms, you remember the looms where you weaved very colorful potholders for your parents back in the day? They are very inexpensive and we had some expert weavers going at it during our two hour session remember days of old and having a really good time.
Missy McLean offered some really cool ideas for fun club/party crafts. For just a few cents you can make some really cool paper lanterns using Popsicle sticks, tissue paper and play dough. Also she showed us a fun way to make Christmas tree ornaments using twine, glue and glitter. When they dry they are unique and awesome. Would make a great Community Service Project to make ornaments for people and brighten their day.
Aggie Rogers set up a table for two of her favorite activities pasta art and greeting card placemats. The premise for pasta art is that youth use different types of dry pasta and glue them down to create a design and then when they are done you spray paint the design and it takes on a whole new look. It is inexpensive and fun to do during a club meeting. Greeting card placemats recycle old greeting cards into a festive placemat that can be used for special occasions and holidays.
To round it all off Shea Ann DeJarnette had a table introducing Volunteers to all the kits that we have in the office that they can check out for club meetings. There is the 4-H bracelet kit which offers leaders a fun way to teach youth the 4-H pledge, colors and motto. There is a team working kit that includes activities, games and fun candy personality tests. There is also the smell game kit which teaches youth about using other senses and disability awareness. We also have an ice cream in a bag and hot chocolate mix kits which help youth with match and fractions not to mention learning about chemical reactions...science is all around us.
Overall we had a great time creating, crafting, and celebrating all that we do in 4-H. For more hands on trainings stay tuned to our 2010 4-H year which you can find on google calender.

Battle after Battle Rowland Norment Students Win Hands Down

We're Back! That's right, we made it back it back to Rowland Norment School and had a blast working with the second and third graders this time. Kim Long invited us back to work with the second graders on hand washing in the mix of all the media attention paid to H1N1 and other flu strains. In talking with the youth we found about 80 percent of the youth had missed at least one day due to illness since the beginning of the year less than two months ago. We worked with the youth on proper hand washing techniques and showed them the germs on their hands with our special glo-germ lotion. By the end of our time with them we were able to certify each student as an official hand washing expert and charged them with the task of helping others to properly wash their hands and help stop the spread of germs that cause illness.

After working with the second graders the third grade teachers (actually Mrs. Browning) asked for a refresher course for their students. As we went in we were greeted with the salutation of, "I remember you, you're the germ lady!" Although it might not how I would normally like to be greeted in this instance it was music to my ears. Most of the students remembered the basics but admitted they might have gotten a little slack in their practices. When I explained that the first and second graders were now ready to catch them in the act of slacking off on their hand washing responsibilities, they all quickly promised it would not happen. We ran them through the lotion and black light to let them see the germs and they all did an excellent job of washing their hands afterwards.

Hopefully with this little reinforcement the students at Rowland Norment School are ready to take on the germs and fight back. If they do it right it could mean more days in school and a higher level of learning, which is what we are all hoping for.

The Votes have been Counted and the Winners are...

November is traditionally the month for elections. Our 4-H members and volunteers had the opportunity to practice their voting skills while electing our 4-H County Council and 4-H Volunteer Leaders Association members.

The 4-H County Council are 4-H members between the ages of 14 and 19. We prefer youth who have shown leadership skills within their clubs serving as club officers and feel they are ready to handle the responsibility of being an officer on the county level. Officer positions available are President Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, Reporter, and Sergeant at Arms. The officers on the volunteer side who are elected represent the volunteers and conduct quarterly meeting for our volunteers on the county level. the officers elected on the volunteer side include; President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, and Reporter. Each organization also has a President. The President is rotated into office and serves and the President-Elect the year before their Presidential term.

We started with taking nominations from the floor and then headed into voting. The slate of

4-H County Council Officers included; Aljaquon Nixon for President, Laquanda Banks for President-Elect, Korina Pittman and Yazmin Washington for Secretary, Keorie McMillan and Monique Edwards for Treasurer, Christian McRae and Kristen Sealey for Reporter, Jacoya Gathings and Ashley Sealey for Sergeant-at-Arms. When the votes were counted we found the excitement was just starting. Aljaquan Nixon was elected President, Laquawanda Banks President-Elect, Yazmin Washington took her third term as Secretary, Monique Edwards became the Treasurer, and Kristen Sealey will be our Reporter. The Sergeant-at -Arms position was in a dead heat with equal votes for both candidates. Different ways were discussed to break the tie and we ended up flipping a coin to determine the winner. When it was all said and done Ashley Sealey walked away with the officer position and Jacoya Gathings walked away with the coin and a wonderful attitude about the turn out.

The 4-H Volunteer Leaders' Association election was not quite as much of a thrill ride but it was very exciting. There was only one person slated for each position so each was elected to the position which they were slated for. The 2010 4-H Volunteer Leaders' Association officers are Hazel Sumner as President, Nikki Edwards as President-Elect, Susan Floyd as Secretary, Melissa McLean as Treasurer, Joyce Peay as Reporter, and Renee Blue will be the past President.

After the election results were announced Dave Welch, a former 4-H Agent and member of our 4-H Specialized Committee swore in our new officers during the candlelight ceremony. Dave tried to impress on our incoming officers the importance of their office and the responsibility that they have. Congratulations to all of our incoming officers and we are looking forward to your leadership of our Volunteers and Members in the future.

A few other announcements from this evening. District Fall day is coming up this Saturday in Moore County for out Volunteers. Also there is a county volunteer training coming up on the 10th for our Volunteers. It will be a make and take session that will allow our volunteers to leave with all sorts of ideas for club meetings. Also our annual Volunteer Appreciation banquet is coming up on November 13th. Deadline to sign up is Monday November 9th. This is the night that we honor our volunteers for all that they do and we have a special surprise this evening. Dr. Marshall Stewart, our state 4-H program leader will be joining us for this special evening. Also there will be an announcement that will change the face of our 4-H program in Robeson County and our support of our Volunteers. This will be a night that will go down in the history of 4-H so you will not want to miss it!

A couple of other announcements include the new use of technology to make communication easier. Our 2010 program calendar is on google calendars so you can access it year round. We will update regularly and you will have access to it 24-7. You can access it by clicking the link above or you can go to the google website under more click on the calendar. Sign in if you have a google account if not you can quickly and easily make one with your e-mail address. You can search for the 4-H County Programs Calendar and you can link to it and it will show you all the upcoming events. Also we will be sending out reminders on Twitter. If you would like you can sign up for reminders and updates from Twitter by clicking on this link and signing up to follow us. You can also set it up to get updates from us on your mobile phone. If you already have a Twitter account and want to search for us just put in RobesonCounty4H and you will find our page and you can sign up to follow us. To make sure there is no inappropriate material on our Twitter page we will not use it to follow anyone else it will only be used one way to send messages to those who want to know what we are up do. Also mark your calendars for December 11, 2009 which is our Youth Achievement Night. We are looking forward to seeing everyone that night and more details will be coming about this night.

Stay tuned for more announcements and updates as we wind down the 2009 year and gear up for 2010.