New Officers Elected for 2010-2011

It was a busy 4-H County Council and Volunteer Leaders' Association Meeting tonight. Not only did we take care of our usual business with county wide program updates, training schedules, etc. We held our elections for our County Council and Volunteer Leaders' Association officers. This is an annual election and the clubs and members at large vote members and volunteers into office that they believe will help shape and move our county 4-H program forward.

Of course first we had to thank our outgoing officers for 2010. Those represented last night included: Aljaquan Nixon, President; and Yasmine Washington Secretary-Treasurer of the County Council. Officers from the Volunteer Leaders included: Hazel Sumner, President; Missy McLean, Treasurer; and Larry Russ, Parliamentarian. After introducing the slate of officers for 2010-2011 we broke out into club huddles for each club to cast their vote.

When the votes were counted our incoming officers were announced and inducted into office. For the 4-H County Council the officers are: Kristen Sealey, Sergeant-at-Arms; Christopher Bullard, Reporter; Korina Pittman, Secretary-Treasurer; Christian McRae, President-elect; and Aljaquan Nixon has agreed to serve as President for a second term. Representing the adults our 4-H Volunteer Leaders' Association Officers are: Missy McLean, Parliamentarian; Libby Burney, Reporter; Katherine Bethea, Treasurer; Deborah McBryde, Secretary; Jane Hurst, President-elect; and Kenneth Bethea as President.

Congratulations to all the incoming officers. Their next meeting will be in October for Orientation and from there we will set the schedule for upcoming meetings.

Robeson County 4-H Is represented at North Carolina Association of County Commissioners

4-H prides itself on offering leadership building opportunities. This past weekend we had the opportunity to chose one Robeson County 4-H member to represent us at the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) meeting. Each county in the state had the opportunity to send on 4-H member to this elite opportunity. As part of their responsibilities the youth helped narrow down the top ten issues that are effecting youth in our state and possible ways to solve them. They also had the opportunity to meet with county commissioners and forge adult and youth partnerships that can make a difference right at home.

Korina Pittman of the Titans 4-H club was chosen as the Robeson County representative. She travelled to Greenville Friday afternoon to meet with the other delegates and get ready to meet with county commissioners from around the state. Attending the NCACC meeting on behalf of our Robeson County Commissioners were: Noah Woods, Raymond Cummings, Tommy Wellington, Hubert Sealey, Jerry Stephens and Assistant County Managers Rod Jenkins and Ricky Harris.

At this Summit, youth were determining the top ten issues which they felt affected them. These issues were presented by the4-H State Council Officers at the business meeting on Saturday. Sarah Kotizan with the state 4-H office shard the following list of top ten issues the youth selected:

1. Teen Pregnancy-Prevention, sex education, health issues, starts a chain reaction, tough decisions

2. Substance Abuse-Includes illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs, younger children trying tobacco

3. Drop-outs- The drop-out rate is at one-third in our state, dropout prevention programs

4. Violence Bullying, gangs, crime, physical harm, more education on safety issues, recognizing that your “unsafe” actions impact others such as friends and family

5. Recreation Community activities, intramural sports, youth centers, unstructured activities, paying for sports can be expensive, funding facilities, safe places, re-evaluate current park and recreation programs

6. Socio-economics Jobs for adults and teens, poverty and hunger, identity theft, family money management, small counties, loss of jobs, need jobs, low economic ratings, family income below average, grandparents with low incomes raising grandchildren, unemployment getting worse

7. Education Issues/School Funding Schools need money to provide more classes and extra curricular activities for youth, need to prepare for and find money to help pay for college, school improvement issues, youth want to feel their needs are recognized, more opportunities at school 8. Lack of youth voice in community Youth need to have their voice mentioned in political decisions, youth should take the initiative with governmental officials to have positions where they can express their opinions

9. Health Issues Obesity, healthy lifestyles education, healthy food in school cafeterias, chronic disease reduction

10. Lack of things to do Safe and effective activities for youth to participate in, partnership between youth development programs, safe places to be, constructive activities, positive activities

According to Korina this list will be discussed again at 4-H State Council Conference in November. For more information about 4-H State Council Conference please contact the 4-H office at (910) 671-3276. A big thank you goes out to our County representatives for making Korina feel so comfortable and to the NCACC for making this event possible.

Dirty Rascals Plan on Growing for the Fair

The monthly meeting of the "Dirty Rascals" Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club was a quick planning session that has some great long term opportunities. Dillon McCartney served as President and called the meeting to order. The first point of business was to introduce and welcome three new members, freshly certifies as Junior Master Gardeners to the club. Rhanoda Drye, Tyson and Tryon Alford all came to their first meeting since their certification. Club members welcomed them and congratulated them for their accomplishment.

The group then sat down to plan their fair booth for the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair. Although the group is not giving details about their fair booth they have offered a few clues. One clue is that it deals with youth. The second clue is that it has something to do with their club theme. The third clue is that it will be educational and fun for everyone. The final clue, or should I say challenge, is that they believe their booth may just grow right into first place.

In other business the club members decided to change their meeting date from the third Thursday of the month to the second Tuesday to better accommodate their club leaders work schedule. The next meeting will be called to work on details for the club booth. For more information about this 4-H club please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette at (910) 671-3276 or Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu.

No Bones about it...St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club Goes National

Talk about recognition! The leaders of the St. Paul's 4-H Pony club, Libby and Holly Burney just got some fabulous news which will launch their club across the nation. A recent E-mail from Jill Montgomery let the leaders know that their is no need to tighten the reigns on their club programming. The club project for last year's fair, reconstructing a real horse skeleton, is making the American Youth Horse Council (AYHC) newsletter this quarter. The newsletter will be hitting mailboxes and the Internet sometime in October. Below is the story, direct from Montgomery, that will appear in the AYHC newsletter.

"Youth horse leaders are nothing, if not resourceful. For Libby and Holly Burney, St Pauls 4-H Pony Club leaders in North Carolina, that description fits them… well... to the bone.

Early in 2009, a friend told the Burneys about a horse skeleton deep in the woods nearby. No one could tell how long it had been there, but from the way the bones were scattered, the horse’s remains had been awaiting discovery for a long time. Recognizing an anatomy lesson for their 4-H club members, the Burneys gathered all the pieces they could find and brought them home. Wouldn’t it be great, they thought, to have the kids reassemble the whole skeleton? And what if they could enter it as an exhibit in the 2009 Robeson (County) Agricultural Fair that fall? The group responded enthusiastically; in fact, not only parents, but grandparents joined in, too. The project—and the skeleton—began to take shape.

First, the bones were cleaned, separated, and identified. Parts were missing, and so was an important piece of information: how to keep the whole skeleton together to create a display. The Burneys turned to the internet, where they discovered Lee Post, author of “The Bone Building Books,” manuals that explain how to prepare and display animal skeletons (www.theboneman.com ). Mr. Post generously sent the manual for a moose skeleton, the closest animal to a horse that he had written about. On his advice, the group decided to create a “horse on a half-shell” and mount it on a plywood board.

After finding all the necessary materials at a local hardware store, the kids and adults rolled up their sleeves. By drawing a horse on the plywood, they figured out which bones to cut in half, and which were missing. To recreate the bones they needed, they first made molds from old bones, then made art plaster replicas which they carved for correctness. They painted all the bones off-white, then applied bolts, nuts, wire, bubble soap, epoxy glue, and clear silicone to stabilize the skeleton. Once that was safely attached to the board, efforts turned to the brain: The group took the unused half-skull and created a brain to fit inside the cavity. After all parts were labeled, the two-piece exhibit was finished.

The group worked from mid-February to late September, on Saturdays from noon to 7 p.m. during the school year, and three days per week during the summer. They made the Robeson Agricultural Fair deadline; the exhibit was a standout and the judges awarded the club $125 for their efforts.

But the value of the project was never about the prize, as proud of that as everyone is. As the Burneys point out, the young members learned “how to be anthropologists, veterinarians, artists and sculptors”—as well as carpenters and painters. “In gaining these skills, they… learned by doing, hands-on.” Considering their teamwork, dedication, gained knowledge and creativity, it’s no wonder the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club received the Robeson County 4-H Club of the Year award."

Congratulations to the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club and its leaders! Just another example of how 4-H is putting Robeson County on the map and our youth on the road to success. Thank you Libby and Holly for sharing your story with us.

Up to our Elbows in the Next Big Event

As Summer ends 4-H members, parents, volunteers and staff turn their attention to the next big event on the horizon....the fair season. As animal shows kick into high gear it is time to get our youth ready to roll with their animals. Our youth received their animals in May as part of the animal science training. Now we have to check in on them and make sure all is well.

Friday afternoon we offered our annual health certificate clinic for 4-H youth who have goats, heifers, steers, or lambs. Health certificates are required for these animals to travel on the road and to get into many of the fairs and animal shows in the area. Bruce Akers, the state vet for our area, helps us with our clinic to make sure our 4-H members are ready to roll. He checks the animals temperatures, lung sounds, and a few other things before issuing an official certificate that says these animals are healthy and ready for fair season. This also offers Michelle Shooter, Extension Livestock Agent, the opportunity to work with the youth and give them some pointers of things they need to work on before the show at the fair.

So far our goats, heifers, and steers look really healthy. Our next stop for these animals? The Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair. Stay tuned in October as we give you the step by step details of what happens.

Teen Leaders Receive A Thank You

Being a teenager is tough. It is hard enough getting yourself through the world much less worrying about others. For three 4-H teens who took the time to not only think about others but act on their thoughts it has paid off. Korina Pittman, Christopher Bullard, and Tierra Troy all volunteered for various tasks this summer and were a great help to the 4-H staff. They did it all for no monetary reward, not a thought of anything at the end, they did it just to help.

Christopher and Tierra volunteered to help with the 4-H Summer Fun Day Camps. Each took on added responsibilities and gained leadership skills while being part of the camps. For the 4-H staff Christopher and Tierra were incredible assistants and even helped lead activities. It would have been difficult to have the incredible experience our youth had without them. Korina helped with a variety of projects behind the scenes. Both Korina and Christopher were instrumental in helping to put together our 4-H county scrapbook. With the leadership of 4-H volunteer Libby Burney we had a first place scrapbook this year.

So how do you say thank you to three teens who spent a great deal of time helping and learning, but mostly selflessly thinking of others? Mrs. Aggie and Miss Shea Ann had to think long and hard on it. In the end they decided that a day just for the three of them, that they did not have to think of anything and could just have fun was in order. They also wanted to make sure these incredible teens had the opportunity to do something that we would not normally do with our other youth, so they knew it was a day just for them. The plan started with a surprise telling them that we needed them at the office at 7:30 am for a special project. The five loaded up in a van and headed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Broadway at the Beach. Specifically they went to the Palace Theater to see Narnia, a musical play. After viewing the play they got a chance to meet the cast, shake their hands and have their photos taken with them.

Then we hit the fudge shop and tried a few of the confections and saw them making the sweet stuff. We each went home with a slice of our favorite flavor, to remind us how sweet the day was. After enjoying the play and the confection making, we headed to lunch. Since it was a day of adventure we thought we would try something different. We found a Chinese buffet and hibachi grill. Christopher may have been the most adventurous of us all trying octopus for the first time. However we all stretched our horizons, practiced our table manners and had a fantastic lunch together. As the adults were saying thank you to our teens, our teens said thank you to the adults for a wonderful day of surprises, experiences, and an unexpected reward which made volunteering that much sweeter. Each of them said they would not only do it again, but would encourage their friends, and not tell them sometimes you get unexpected rewards for your hard work.

Getting down to the Bottom Line

Day four of Mini-Society Day camp was a mad house. As our youth did their best to make their stores as profitable as possible and then spend as much money as they could they learned about how hard money management can be. After closing their stores they sat down and determined exactly how much money they had.

The last auction of the week went for quite awhile as youth picked the items they had been waiting for all week. Each youth had to determine what they wanted and how much they would pay for the item. Some of the youth said they learned to hide their money so no one would know how much they had and not be able to outbid them on items. Others said they learned to save their money becuase they could have bought some things they really wanted if they had versus spending it on stuff that was only useable for a few minutes.

By the end of the day each of the youth received a certificate, a folder of information and fun stuff and got to take home some of what they brought and all of what they bought. They said they had a great time and are looking forward to doing it again in the future.