4-H and Smart Start What a Match

Were you at Biggs Park Mall on Saturday? If you weren't you were one of the few, and missed an incredible event. The Robeson County Partnership for Children puts together Smart Start Day to highlight the agencies in the county that can help families in the county. Smart Start works with families to that have children under the age of five to prepare them for school. Of course Robeson County 4-H works with youth between the ages of 5 and 18 years of age to prepare them to be successful adults in our ever changing global society. So can you imagine two organizations better suited to work together?

Smart Start day is an annual event which brings more than 20 agencies together for families to see the resources available to them. Robeson County 4-H is part of the event, and took the opportunity to do a little science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activity with the youth that attended the event. They also learned about recycling and ecology while we made plant people. Peggy and Allen Monk who were happening by jumped in to help us work with the youth to complete more than 100 plant people. We also had the chance to market our 4-H program and let the world know about all that our youth in this county can do. With more than 400 people attending this event it will be something that we do again and again.

Look Who is Riding into the News

Two members of the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club had no idea they would be on the front page of today's paper when they went for a ride. Granted it isn't like they got in the car for the ride, or even on the back of a horse. Instead they took their club leader, Libby Burney's, pony out for a stretch with a buggy attached. Turby, as he is fondly called, was minding his own business chauffeuring Megan and Brianna up and down the street when someone decided to take a shot of the sight. Next thing you know they are the featured photo of the day in the St. Paul's Review. Way to make 4-H hit the front page.

Summer Time Fun

It was a full house at the gym that is part of Indian Education last night as parents and youth development specialists for the organization came out to hear about the various summer programs being offered to youth in the county. Indian Education puts the meeting together to share opportunities with parents, and to let them know there is some financial assistance available through their organization.

The University of North Carolina Pembroke (UNCP) offers several summer programs including an upward bound program that gets youth ready for college. The Boys and Girls club of Pembroke offers a variety of programs for youth of all ages. Southeastern Regional Medical Center has a compeititve volunteer program for youth between the ages of 14 and 18. Of course our own 4-H Extension Agent, Shea Ann DeJarnette was there to talk about all the summer opportunities available through 4-H. She even took a slide show from last year's camp for youth to enjoy.

For more information about the opportunities that Indian Education can provide for youth please contact Rita Locklear at (910) 521-2054. For more information about the 4-H Summer programs please contact the 4-H staff at (910) 671-3276.

Dirty Dozen Sits Down and Focuses In

The Dirty Dozen 4-H Shooting Sports Club met at the range for their April meeting. Although the wind provided a new challenge members had a great time. Below is the report on the club meeting submitted by 4-H Club leader Larry Russ.

"It was a really great club meeting, not to cold, not to hot, plenty of sunshine and ammo. What better way to spend a Saturday than getting in a little target practice at the range.

Allen, Dillon,Jed and Christopher were the only members that were able to attend so they got plenty of trigger time. They worked on sight alignment, sight picture and breath control. Now if they could only put all three together at the same time. Guess that means they will have to practice even more.

Our next club meeting will be held on Saturday, April 30th. at the range, (weather permitting). Hope to see you all there."

Have you Peeped in on this One Yet?

Spring is here which means we are celebrating in only a way 4-H can celebrate, by joining with 30 second and third grade classrooms for Embryology. Embryology is the study of the embryo, in this case chicken embryos. We train teachers on the hands-on Embryology curriculum and send them back to their classrooms with incubators, thermometers, and eggs. That is when the fun begins.

Three times a day the students help turn the eggs, just like mother hens. Three days before the scheduled hatch (which takes place 21 days after the eggs are placed in the incubator) the students stop turning the eggs and patiently wait. On hatch day students hear peeping, and pecking and suddenly chicks are born.

This is our first round of Embryology in the classroom this year. More than 35 classrooms were involved in the first round including classrooms from; Rowland Normant, Janie C. Hargrave, Flora McDonald, Rex Rennert, Long Branch, Rosenwald, Pembroke Elementary, and East Robeson.

So far reports have hatch rates as high as 85% on average this year. That's a whole lot of chicks that are finding homes with nice families who have established backyard flocks who are prepared to take really good care of our special friends. Our chicks from the 4-H office made their way to their new home on Sunday and their new family was very happy to welcome them.

Our next round of Embryology will take place in May. We have another 17 classrooms registered for second round so stay tuned for some egg breaking news coming to our 4-H blog soon.

Summer is Around the Corner...Let's Get Ready to Go.

I admit it was a gloomy, rainy, cold Saturday however if you were at Biggs Park Mall you would have had a different outlook. There we were celebrating summer as part of Summer Camp Expo which was sponsored by the Biggs Park Mall and the Robesonian. There you could find all sorts of summer opportunities for kids of all ages and much more.

While we set up and talked about all things fun in summer or in 4-H as we call it summer fun, there was also other stuff going on at the mall. The top three winners from 4-H Entertains made it to center court to preform their show stopping acts. When the Michael Jackson song hit the speakers shoppers came out of the stores to see what was going on. From there it was history as our youth entertained the crowds for the first half hour. After that other local groups took to the stage as we continued to talk about 4-H.

More than 50 people walked away with Summer Fun brochures that you can download right now. Registration is currently open to all 4-H members and will open to the public in April 22. For more information about the series of 4-H camps please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette at (910) 671-3276 or Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension Needs Your Help!

As you are well aware we are facing a budget crisis in this state. Up until today Extension was looking at a possible 10-15% budget cut statewide which would effect programs, positions, and ultimately the future of Extension as we know it. Today, Joe Zublena, Director of North Carolina Cooperative Extension, has said that the cuts being discussed today are between 25-30%. That means the loss of almost 400 positions across the state and programming cuts across the board. Linked is a letter outlining the cuts and what it could mean for Extension.

We need your help to make some personal phone calls to elected officials. Below are the names and numbers of the people we elected to serve us and ultimately the people who are making decisions about our budget. The Cooperative Extension budget is in the Higher Education Line item, specifically the agriculture section of Higher Education. Please place a call to our lawmakers and ask them not to cut this line item. Let them know how important Extension is to you, your youth, our community. Share with them that we worked together to improve the lives of more than 6,000 youth in our county and Extension touched the lives of over 33,000 people in Robeson County, in 2010 alone. Let them know that Extension includes helping traditional agriculture such as farmers, livestock producers, and poultry producers but also let them know we help families and youth. Extension is the only organization that can adapt to the needs of a county and offer solutions with research-based materials that improve the health/well being of our citizens, protects our food chain, and increases the profitability of our agricultural economy.

Mike McIntyre: Lumberton: (910) 735-0610 (phone) Marie Thompson is the Chief of Staff Washington, D.C.: (202) 225-2731 (Phone) Kaitlin Helms is the Executive Assistant to the Congressman

Charles Graham Lumberton: (910) 739-3969
Raleigh: (919) 715-0875

Garland Pierce Wagram (910) 369-2844
Raleigh: (919) 733-5803

G. L. Pridgen Lumberton: (910) 608-3277
Raleigh: (919) 733-5821

Michael Walters Proctorville: (910) 628-7075
Raleigh: (919) 733-5651

It is important that you call now because the higher education line item is to be discussed this weekend. Please know that your phone call, can make a difference. We appreciate your help and advocacy on behalf of North Carolina Cooperative Extension.