4-H Appreciation Drive Through

   Have we told you lately that we miss all of you?  Just in case you didn't know that we do.  So we have an idea.  On the evening of December 4th we will have our annual 4-H Appreciation Night via zoom (we hope you have already signed up-if not we will sneak the link in for it shortly).  We will have guests, speakers, and recognize our youth and volunteers for what they have done this year (its a bunch believe it or not).  It will be an event you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home and we hope you will.

  Usually at that event, when it is face to face, we also give out certificates, awards, gifts, etc for all our members and volunteers' hard work.  That is going to be hard to do through zoom so we came up with another plan (because that's what we do).  We are going to have a 4-H Drive Through, at our office, from 3:30-4:30 pm Saturday, December 5.  This will be a no contact event.  Folks will drive through our loop, give their name, pull up, pop their trunk so we can unload any donations to our community engagement project, pull up a few more feet and we will load certificates, etc into your car and secure the trunk lid.  Sounds like a plan?  We will get to wave at our 4-H members and volunteers and give you a special gift this year.

To be part of this you must be an active (registered on 4-H Online) 4-H member or Volunteer and register with the link on the app (or the one we will paste below).  Please note due to COVID we are asking folks and families to pick up their own items.  Club leaders will not be able to pick up for club members.  So if you think you might be game click on the links below and make sure you get registered.  Because you have to be registered to take part.  That is a new COVID policy we will all get used to.

Link for 4-H Appreciation Night:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/robeson-county-4-h-appreciation-night-tickets-118466369099

Link for 4-H Drive Through:  https://forms.gle/MQabfFM2MEurMJbA6 

If you have any questions about this new event please contact Wendy Maynor at wrmaynor@ncsu.edu or call our office at (910) 671-3276.

Look forward to seeing you!

New Scholarship Opportunity

 

We are excited to share some good news that should be a welcome message to farming families this Thanksgiving week. NC State announces our first ever full-ride agronomy scholarship at NC State!  And the best news is that students from a farming background will be favored for consideration. 

We’d love your help to share this important story through your sources to farming families who may have thought a 4-year degree was out of reach for their student.  Please let me know if there’s any more information I can provide. Thank you for any assistance

Jennifer Howard

Communications Specialist

NC State University

Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Working remotely 8am-2pm M-Th

919-772-0337

jlhowar9@ncsu.edu

www.cals.ncsu.edu/crop-and-soil-sciences

2021 NC 4-H Volunteer Leaders' Conference

We are excited to announce registration for the 2021 NC 4-H Volunteer Leaders' Conference.   This conference is open to all current Adult 4-H volunteers.  The cost of registration is $30.  Robeson County 4-H will pay registration fees for each person registered by the dead line.

All volunteers who attend will be asked to give a presentation, or lead a workshop by the end of 2021 on what they learned. Any person who registers and does not attend the conference will be required to reimburse Robeson County 4-H for the cost of the registration fee. The conference will be virtual via Zoom, look for more information to be shared soon.

Deadline to Sign Up: 12 noon, Tuesday, January 5  

To see our flyer about this event click this link.

To register please click this link.  You must be a registered Robeson County 4-H Volunteer.

4-H Winter Pen Pal Program!

 

Registration for this program will run November 16–December 11, 2020. Matching will take place through the States’ 4-H Exchange Program and its staff. NC 4-H will not be matching delegates for this program. 

Requirements include at least 2 writing exchanges per month for the PenPal program duration, and there is no guarantee for a match based on program number projections.  This free program is available to North Carolina 4-H members (ages 9-18) and will run from January 18–April 18, 2021. 

Matches will be made by the information given in the survey link: 2020 Winter PenPal Registration Please contact Daniel Collins, NC 4-H International Exchange Program Coordinator at dpcollin@ncsu.edu, if you have questions regarding this opportunity!

Read more at: https://nc4h.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/11/4-h-winter-penpal-program-sign-up-today/

Show Your 4-H Pride and Support the 4-H Collegiate Program

 Collegiate 4-H at North Carolina State University is excited to share the winning t-shirt design.  This design was created by Wayne County 4-H'er, Guillermo Estrada and is a great way to show everyone that we are North Carolina 4-H Proud! To order the shirt and have it shipped directly to you visit  : 

https://4hnc.aiacompanystore.com/

Shirts (Small - 4XL) are $13 each for short sleeved, $16 each for long sleeve, plus shipping. This ordering site will close on December 4th and shirts should be delivered around December 18th.  

Don't miss out on having one of these limited edition 4-H shirts and supporting Collegiate 4-H!

Your NC 4-H Summer/Fall Edition

 This is a link to a magazine published through CALS at NC State University.  Your NC 4-H explores the exciting world of 4-H in North Carolina. This issue features how 4-H embryology curriculum has been used in public, private, charter and homeschools in the state, and looks at how the program has remained successful during the COVID-19 pandemic through the use of virtual technologies. 

4-H Top 4 for the week of November 9, 2020

 

Good morning everyone!

Here is your 4-H Top 4.  For more information please check out programs in our app.  You can register directly for any of these programs from there.  You can also find them on our blog at https://robeson4-h.blogspot.com/

-November 10th is the deadline to register for 

    *National 4-H Town Hall (This is for teen 4-H members)  https://www.cvent.com/d/f7qtwb

    *Robeson County's 10th Annual Knit In (For everyone interested, takes place on November 13 from 10am-2pm) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/robeson-county-10th-annual-knit-in-tickets-118525038581

    *SE District 4-H Volunteer Fall Day (For 4-H Adult Volunteers, Virtual event happening from 10-12 on Saturday) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/se-district-4-h-volunteer-leaders-fall-day-tickets-127219662435

Also Robeson County 4-H Appreciation Night is available on the app for registration.  As part of this we will be doing our annual community engagement project and are looking at a 4-H parade on December 5 for families and volunteers to pick up their awards and drop off any items they would like to donate for the project.  More information will be coming out about this soon.

Don't forget about the 4-H Gratitude Challenge going on everyday this month!

That is all for today!

Hope you have a great week!

Wendy, Christy, and Shea Ann 

Holiday Safety Tips and More

 

In This Issue: Ready Tips CERT & Communities Children & Disasters Financial Resilience Important Dates

Ready Tips

Stay Safe During the Holidays The holiday season may look different for you and your family this year. Due to COVID-19, many people may celebrate the holidays virtually, have staycations, or have small socially distanced gatherings. However you decide to spend the holidays, please remember to practice holiday safety and share these helpful tips with your family and loved ones: Only use nonflammable decorations in your home or office. Never leave a burning candle unattended. Consider using battery-operated flameless candles. Practice cooking safety to avoid fires at home. Stay alert in the kitchen and turn off the stove when you leave the kitchen. When you shop online for holiday gifts, be cautious, and shop with trusted retailers to avoid scams. If traveling, please follow the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If traveling by car, please note some places such as gas stations, rest stops, or hotels may be closed due to COVID-19. For more information on holiday safety, visit Ready.gov’s Holiday and Travel Safety Toolkit. You will find tips, graphics, promotional content, and hashtags on holiday safety and preparedness that you can share with your networks.

CERT & Communities

CERT Aids in Frigid Alaska Flood and Other Events Flooding is a common problem when rain combines with melting snow in the spring. But floods are unexpected in Alaska in December, when the average temperature high is just 16 degrees Fahrenheit and most things are frozen. Residents in Willow, AK, learned that floods can happen year-round, demonstrating why it is important to be prepared for them at any time. In December 2019, an ice dam that formed on Willow Creek in southeastern Alaska melted and led to a flood that affected several homes and cut off road access to more than 30 homes. Help came from the many local agencies in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. “It would be hard to forget this event,” said Brenda McCain, Willow CERT Team Leader. “It is nothing [like] anyone of us can ever recall — sudden flooding filling a home at 11:15 at night at 17 below zero in December!” Read more...  Participate in the CERT Registration Site Webinar Attention, CERT members! Last month we told you about the release of the new CERT registration site. This month, we’re excited to show it to you! FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division will host a webinar on Tuesday, November 17 at 3 pm ET. Be sure to register today to learn more about how to manage CERTs under your purview, obtain real-time program data and metrics, take the annual CERT Survey, and more! Can’t make it? The webinar will be captioned, transcribed, recorded, and will be available post webinar. Don’t miss your chance to see the new site in action and learn how it can help you with your CERT activities. Register here and we hope to see you on November 17 at 3 pm ET! If you have a question prior to the event, please email us at FEMA-Prepare@fema.dhs.gov.

Exploring Ways CBOs Can Reduce Risks As the COVID-19 pandemic forced employees at Community Health Partnership in Colorado Springs, CO, to work from home, the nonprofit organization scrambled to make plans. What if workers got sick? When would it be safe to work in the office again? And how could this organization — which provides planning, administrative, and data services on homelessness — help the groups it works with stay safe? Jennifer Mariano, Director of Homeless Programs at Community Health Partnership, credits FEMA’s new Organizations Preparing for Emergency Needs (OPEN) training with prompting her to think about ways to reduce COVID-19’s impact. Read more...  Humanitarian Disaster Institute releases COVID-19 Six Month Impact Report The Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) at Wheaton College released a new six month report detailing the impact of its faith-based response to COVID-19. The first faith-based academic disaster research center in the country, HDI’s mission is to help the church prepare and care for a disaster-filled world. Over the past six months, HDI compiled data into a report which details resources and information to manage COVID-19. To read more about the report, please click here. Additionally, HDI released a COVID-19 mental health handbook to help people learn about and provide spiritual and emotional care for others. To learn more, please visit here.   Order Your Favorite Preparedness Materials Online Exciting news! FEMA has a new and convenient online ordering platform where you can order preparedness publications at no cost. Visit the site to order copies of popular preparedness materials, such as Prepare with Pedro, Are You Ready?, and the Student Tools for Emergency Preparedness (STEP) curriculum. Individual and group orders for classrooms, preparedness workshops, and preparedness fairs can be accommodated. Please note that it may take two to three weeks for orders to be delivered. You may experience delays as the warehouse staff continues to prioritize disaster-related materials. Research Provides Tips for Impactful Videos FEMA conducted one-on-one interviews with 19 disaster survivors to gather feedback and reactions on three videos featuring fire preparedness in various styles. As a result, FEMA has determined that a 90-second narrative that is realistic, relatable, and not too scary, followed by accessible next-step actions was found to be the ideal preparedness video. To pursue FEMA’s mission to prepare people before, during, and after disasters, FEMA creates and shares videos via YouTube, social media, and in training to engage the public. This is one of the ways FEMA strives to meet the whole community “where they are” and get them interested in disaster preparedness. To learn more about FEMA’s research methods and the tips found for impactful videos, please visit here.

Children & Disasters

In a “New Normal”, YPC Members Stay Active in Their Communities From virtual volunteering to planning emergency preparedness fairs, FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council (YPC) members aren’t letting COVID-19 stop the work they are doing in their communities. We asked YPC members how the pandemic is impacting their involvement in both preparedness and helping residents. For example, Nyl Aziaya, handed out preparedness information to Alabama residents as they drove through food distribution centers. He also delivered backpacks filled with school supplies and preparedness information to a shelter for homeless women and children, and to families of veterans who were affected by Hurricane Sally. Another YPC member, Hunter Tobey, was on the committee deciding how public schools in his city should reopen. He also assisted the local emergency management department with PPE inventory and emergency supplies for elders in the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe. Early in the year, Banan Garada set a goal of spreading preparedness information to 1,000 people. At first, she worried COVID-19 would put the brakes on her plans, but she has contacted more than 30 organizations to find out how to help safely. She’s been able to distribute 750 Ready 2 Help card games and 150 Prepare with Pedro activity books. Read more... Midwest Youth Hold Virtual Summit Midwest teens explored emergency management at a summit this past summer, discussing a range of topics from the importance of preparedness to gaining insight into FEMA’s work. FEMA Region V’s Youth Preparedness Council has 13 students from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin who are interested in promoting preparedness and safety in their communities. Due to COVID-19, the three-day summit in August was hosted online. The virtual summit allowed for a range of governmental leaders to participate, including FEMA Region V’s Acting Regional Administrator Kevin M. Sligh and partners from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. The summit concluded with a ceremony hosted by Region V National Preparedness Director Michael S. Chesney. Students on the regional council serve a minimum of one year and complete a community service project. This year marks Region V’s largest council, selected from a large pool of applicants, and includes three members from FEMA’s National Youth Preparedness Council.

Financial Resilience

Get Prepared on Black Friday and Cyber Monday This year, Black Friday, typically the day after Thanksgiving, may look a little different because of the pandemic. Stores may not be open or will limit number of shoppers to follow safety guidelines. More people may shop online than in person. Cyber Monday, usually the Monday after Thanksgiving, may see even more online purchases than usual this year. What hasn’t changed is the need to make a budget and stick to it! While many people have faced financial challenges this year, the sales and discounts offered on these days present a good opportunity to build or update your emergency supply kit. You may even consider buying these items as gifts for others. Making a plan and sticking to a budget may help you with unexpected bills down the road. Becoming financially resilient can be a great gift to give yourself. FEMA’s Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) can help you plan and budget during the holiday season and throughout the year. As you shop Black Friday sales, consider buying a small waterproof and fireproof safe box in which to keep financial documents that you’ve filled out from the EFFAK. If you decide to shop in person, be sure to continue to follow CDC guidelines. If you prefer the online route, be sure you take cybersecurity precautions. Either way, be safe and financially secure! Financial Resilience Includes Reviewing Your Health Insurance According to FEMA’s 2020 National Household Survey, 68 percent of people have set aside money for an emergency. This may include money for unexpected medical costs. As we enter the final months of 2020, many employers will offer you the chance to review and make changes to your health insurance. These changes will take effect January 1, 2021. With the COVID-19 pandemic, spending time finding the right coverage for you and your family is especially important. It is also a great step toward financial resilience. Read more...

Important Dates

November 5: Virtual Town Hall — #ThinkLikeASaver: How Do I Pay Off Debt? November 17: Webinar — Participate in the CERT Registration Site Webinar (3pm ET) November 19: Virtual Town Hall — #ThinkLikeASaver: Saving For Major Life Milestones Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events, entities, organizations, services, or products. Please let us know about other events and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included in future newsletters by contacting  FEMA-prepare@fema.dhs.gov.

Opportunity for Teens to be Heard

 

National 4-H Council is hosting a virtual town hall. Any high school aged 4-H'ers who serve in leadership roles or who are active in civic engagement projects of any type are invited to participate in a virtual National 4-H Town Hall next Tuesday, November 10^th from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time.  To participate, sign up here:  https://www.cvent.com/d/f7qtwb

National 4-H Council wants to hear how you are doing, how we can help you in these unusual times and we want to give you some tools that will help you connect with your 4-H friends in the days ahead. Our program will include opening activities for you to participate in that you will learn how to use with your 4-H peers.  We will then hear about a variety of topics about the challenges youth are facing today and ideas for the future.  After you hear about each of these topics, we will ask you questions, and you will respond via instant polling online.  We need your input to help 4-H know about what you need and your ideas for the future.  We will have a brief presentation on ways you can move forward in these times and we will conclude with a series of interactive reflection activities that you can participate in and then later use in your 4-H activities.

Teachers this One is for You!

NC 4-H is 118 years old. That is a powerful statement if you stop to think about it. If you look into the history of 4-H, what you will find is an organizational ability to be flexible and responsive when major domestic or global change happens. This hasn’t changed as our country and world is in the middle of a pandemic.

NC 4-H is responding to the needs of young people and volunteers by way of the internet. Though we might look different, nothing has stopped. Keeping true to the 4-H motto, “Learn by Doing” programs online have also incorporated offline learning so that youth and families can explore content together. NC 4-H has reached existing and new audiences through the Virtual Summer Camp, 4-H Daily Sparks, and Virtual Summer Learning. 4-H youth have participated in long-standing programs online such as 4-H Presentations, 4-H Congress, and Citizenship Focus.

Now as we move into the fall, NC 4-H recognizes the need to push forward into the digital world a little differently. NC 4-H is flexing its muscle to encourage youth and adults to move more outside as we enter into the “Movember” challenge to encourage mental and physical health. Another addition to the fall is the 4-H Curriculum Website.

The 4-H Curriculum website focuses on the 4-H Volunteer and the K-12 Educator. The website offers:

• Flexible digital assets for virtual and face to face learning
• Grab and Go Lessons featuring STEM and Healthy Living
• A Directory of NC 4-H curricula
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Access to local 4-H Youth Development Professionals

Come and visit the website. Visit often as we will be constantly adding curricula opportunities and digital materials.

4-H Top 4 for the Week of November 2, 2020

We have quite a few offerings this month and we are doing something new to show our 4-H Gratitude.

-Tomorrow is the deadline to register for Cloverbuds Cooking in the Kitchen with Ms. JoJo and Juniors Cooking in the Kitchen with Ms. JoJo.  This is a free virtual event that starts on Friday morning.  We will send out a supply list to each of our registered participants so your child can cook with Joanna Rogers, our Expanded Foods and Nutrition Education Program Assistant.  These virtual cooking classes will be fun, nutritions, and on point with budgets.  To register our 5-8 year olds please click on this eventbrite link...https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cloverbuds-in-the-kitchen-with-ms-jojo-tickets-126407581479.  If you are registering for our Junior (9-13) Cooking Class please use the eventbrite link...https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-the-kitchen-with-ms-jojo-tickets-126407376867.  You can also register in the app.  Just open the app and click on programs to find the program you want to register for. 

-Club Leaders, attendance forms for club meetings were due to our 4-H office on Friday.  If you have not turned them in please do so before the end of the week or your club members will not be recognized for their hard work this year.  IF you have any questions, need forms, etc.  Please contact Wendy Maynor at Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu. 

-Also club leaders and parents....Wendy has been contacting you if your 4-H membership is not currently active.  Every January parents need to register their children for 4-H.  If you can't remember your log in, or are having issues please contact Wendy at (910) 671-3276 or Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu.  If the membership form is not active your child can not be recognized during 4-H Youth Achievement Night.  So please make sure you take 5 minutes to do this.   

-Don't forget to register for 4-H Appreciation Night.  This will be held virtually over zoom and is free.  You can register on the app under programs or through eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/robeson-county-4-h-appreciation-night-tickets-118466369099. 

One other note...above is a photo of National 4-H's Gratitude Challenge, consider this project for your 4-H members or yourself.  It really will be a lot of fun. 

This is all we have for today.  If you haven't already, please consider downloading the 4-H app.  It is a free download in both google and apple stores.  Just download 4-H Now!, open the app and choose Robeson County 4-H.  You can configure it to get notices from us about deadlines, etc.  At your fingertips you will have our calendar, blog, social media, and registrations for all upcoming programs.  This puts 4-H in the palm of your hand and registering for programs at your fingertips. 

Hope you have a great first week of November!

Wendy, Christy, and Shea Ann