University of Illinois Extension serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell Counties

Dear 4-H Families and Friends

Happy autumn! This is the season when the temperatures are cooler and leaves begin to change colors. It's also the time of year when many 4-H clubs are enjoying the cooler weather with wiener roasts and hayrack rides. What a great opportunity to share your 4-H fun and experiences by inviting a friend to your next meeting. Also, did you know that October 3 -9 is "National 4-H Week"? I invite you to promote 4-H in your community by spreading the word on how great 4-H is!

Be sure to check out the rest of the newsletter for important information on upcoming events and meetings.

Member Records

"GREAT JOB" to all those members who took the time to fill out award applications and member record forms. Everyone who filled out the applications or forms will receive something for their effort. The 4-H Member Recognition of Excellence Awards youth committee is currently in the process of planning the 2010 awards program. Watch next month's newsletter for more details.

Leaders Meeting

The next 4-H Leaders Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 5 at 6:00 p.m. at the Extension Office. There will only be one meeting in the evening, no daytime meeting.

We will be talking about the new 4-H Year and Judy Schmidt, Youth Educator, will be doing a presentation also.

Premium Checks

Premium checks have been printed and delivered to your club leader. The checks are void after 60 days from the issue date, so please, when you receive your checks, be sure to cash them right away. Checks will not be re-issued.

National 4-H Week / October 3-9

Your club is invited to help publicize its activities and the Peoria County 4-H Program during National 4-H Week.

Here are a few ideas:

Wear your 4-H t-shirt to school
Provide 4-H information inserts for church bulletins or bank statements
Place an article about 4-H in your local newspaper
Place an article about 4-H in your school newsletter
Older members talk to grade schools about 4-H
Invite a friend to join your club
Design a poster about 4-H to hang in your school
Be creative, think outside the box and let us know your efforts.

Also be sure to check out these great Peoria County 4-H Club Window Displays during National 4-H Week:

Laura Winners, (located at Country Feed Store in Princeville)
Elmwood All-Stars (located in the front window of the building close to the Elmwood Bank)
Jubilee Patriots (located in the window of the Brimfield Hardware Store)
Peoria Clovers (located at Shoppes at Grand Prairie, storefront window across from Old Navy)
Timber Tigers (located in the Glasford State Bank)
Dunlap Dynamite (Dunlap Library)
Horse Hustlers (Hanna City State Bank)
Peoria Patriots (Alpha Park Library, Bartonville)

Clover Clinic

Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 19, 2011, Illinois Central College. (Registration Information will be out soon.)

Email Updates

Now that a lot of things will be sent via e-mail, please be sure to keep us up to date on your e-mail accounts. Be sure to check if your e-mail address is correct on your re-enrollment forms. If you are receiving this newsletter in paper format, we do not have a current email address for you.

Enrollment Deadlines

For the 2010-2011 4-H year, 4-H members planning on enrolling in any livestock projects need to do so by January 3, 2011.

All other project enrollments and changes are due May 2, 2011. However, be aware that a young person may join 4-H at any time of the year, but in order to show at the 2011 4-H Show, the above deadlines are enforced.

Volnteer Screening

A state requirement of the 4-H Program is that we must screen all new volunteers, and have certain information on file for all volunteers. Any new leaders must complete an Extension Volunteer Application form, an Authorization for Background Check, and a Conviction Information Name Check Request form.

Do not submit an enrollment form for a new adult leader unless you have these forms completed by them. Volunteer screening forms are good for five years, and then must be updated. If you have an adult in your club who has been serving in a leader capacity, please be sure we have these forms on file.

Jubilee Patriots Robotic Team

Congratulations to the Jubilee Patriots Sr. Robotics Team on your success at the National 4-H Engineering Challenge. Justin Keyt and Isaac Forney won the opportunity to travel to Purdue University to compete in the National 4-H Engineering Competition. They won the 4-H National Championship in the Robotics Remote Control Challenge. Great job!!!

4-H Member Spot Light

Following is the new schedule for the 4-H Member Spot Light. We didn't get any turned in for the month of October so we will start up again in the month of November. We will get the member information form posted on the web site.

November

Edelstein Eager Beavers
Paws, Claws & Hooves
Peoria Patriots

December

Dunlap Dynamite
Horse Hustlers
Laura Winners

January

Jubilee Patriots
Peoria Clovers
Radnor Rangers

February

Friends
Hollis Whitetails
Timber Tigers

March

Neighbor Kids
South County Stable Mates
Trivoli Tigers

April

Elmwood All Stars
Peoria Spirits

Federation News

If you are age 12 or older you are invited to join Federation. The first meeting for the 2010-2011 4-H year will be a wiener roast on Tuesday, October 12, 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Forney Residence in Brimfield. We have fun activities planned for the event and this meeting will also be the time that we elect new officers for the 2010 – 2011 year. We hope to see you there! (Please call the Forney's at 446-3108 or Extension office for directions). Please note: This is the 2nd Tuesday, not the 4th when Federation generally meets. (Regular 4th Tuesday meetings will resume in November.)

Get Up & Move

The next session of the 4-H Shotokan Karate Class. Class begins on Thursday, November 4, (6:00 – 8:00 pm) at the Kickapoo Township Hall. Cost for the 12 week session is $40 per participant. Please call the Extension office to register or for more information. Registration form is also available on our website.

4-H Premier LCP Award

The 4-H Premier LCP Award is sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau and Affiliate Companies for 4-H members age 17 and above by December 1, 2010. LCP stands for Leadership, Citizenship, and Professionalism. This two-tier award program involves an intense leadership development conference and award plaques. Applications can be obtained from the Extension Office website. Applications must be in the Extension Office no later than Monday, January 3, 2011.

SYPA Contest

Congratulations to Cortney Engle, Independent member, who placed first in the Judging Phase of the IL State Jr. Horse Show SYPA Contest. Cortney received a plaque for her placing.

Haunted House

Looking for some Halloween Fun? Come have a "Spooktacular" time at the Haunted House sponsored by the Jubilee Patriots 4-H Club and 4-H Federation members. This scary and not so scary event will take place:

Friday October 29 (7:00 – 10:00 pm) &
Saturday, October 30 (6:00 – 10:00 pm)

Location: Harrison Hall (East Illinois Street) in Brimfield. The cost for this frightful experience is only $3.00 per person.

Summer Illini Academy

We had two 4-H members from the Peoria Patriots 4-H Club, Summer & Constance Foster, attend the Summer Illini Academy this past summer. They have written a little report on their experiences. From these reports they hope more people will be interested in attending the Summer Illini Academies next year.

Constance Foster

This summer I went to the University of Illinois in Champaign for the Illini Summer Academies. I participated in the leadership academy. I had a lot of fun and I learned a lot while I was there. The academies were so much fun but also educational in a way that didn't make you feel like you were sitting in a classroom. We played a lot of icebreaker games so that everyone could get to know everyone from the different academies. In my academy we learned about the qualities that make a good leader. We also learned about the parliamentary procedure and how to build an agenda. We learned about social identity and cross-cultural leadership. Overall the leadership academy was a very rewarding experience. The banquet on Tuesday night was nice and the dance was a lot of fun. I went on the Krannert center walking tour (a school for the arts) which was interesting. The ending ceremonies were fun also. The kea note speaker was Judson Laipply, the creator of the evolution of dance, he promised to do two things to make us laugh and to make us think and he accomplished both of those goals. He was a great speaker and he made closing ceremonies even better. Over the course of all three days I had lot of fun and I made a lot of new friends from all over Illinois. I will encourage you to consider going next year and participating also.

Summer Foster

I had a blast at the veterinarian academy and would have to say that I learned a lot over the course of the three days that I was there. The first morning, it was mainly registering and getting settled into our dorms. We then had icebreakers to get to know each other better. Soon after that, was lunch and the opening ceremony. After the opening ceremony, all of the kids from the vet science academy met up in the lobby to walk to our academy building, which was the Veterinary Medical Sciences Building. After our first presenter, which was a Jonathan H. Foreman DVM, MS, DACVIM, we went on the veterinary teaching hospital tour of their facility. It was extremely interesting seeing all of the rooms where they teach their students and some of their animal quarters! For the remainder of the day we had more icebreakers and a community service project. The next day, in the morning, we had breakfast at 7 o'clock. At 7:40 we walked to our academy. We learned about parasitology and how they affect dogs, cats, horses, cattle, swine, and other animals. It was actually very fascinating and we all seemed to enjoy the fact that he was a very compelling speaker and had an obvious love for the topic in which he spoke to us about, which we appreciated. His name was Allan J. Paul DVM, MS. We then took a 30 min. break to eat lunch. After lunch, we walked to the small animal clinic to learn about blood cell evaluations and cardiology and about how to repair fractures in real life scenarios on a dummy. After a long day of classes, we went back to our dorms to get ready for the dance and banquet that evening. The banquet was nice but the dance was awesome!! We all had a good time requesting our favorite songs and dancing with our friends! In my opinion, that put the icing on the cake for our final night on campus. The next day we had breakfast in the morning and then went to the vet med building for the last time to learn about large animal medicine. We got to go to a dairy farm to learn about the production cycle of dairy cows and about the pregnancy process of dairy cows. This was amazing. And so much fun to learn about! I was shocked at my own interest in the subject since I'm mostly interested in small animals. But it was definitely a pleasant surprise! I am probably even more encouraged now more than before to get into vet school and graduate with a license to practice vet medicine because of this experience and I would encourage others to go to the Illini Summer Academies next year. It is an amazing experience!

4-H Day at the Dome

Missouri and Illinois 4-H members, volunteers, alumni, families and friends are invited to take part in the first ever 4-H Day at the Dome at the Edward D. Jones Dome in St. Louis on Sunday, December 19. Participants will enjoy 4-H fellowship while watching the St. Louis Rams vs. Kansas City Chiefs football game. Kick-off is scheduled for noon.

Tickets for the event are $35 each. With each ticket purchased you will receive a $10 voucher for food and drink at the dome and a special 4-H Day at the Dome t-shirt. Tickets must be ordered by December 1 to receive a t-shirt. For more information on the event and on ordering tickets, call the Extension Office or check out the website.

4-H License Plates

Show your support of Illinois 4-H by purchasing your own 4-H license place, $25 of every plate will go to support 4-H programming in all 102 Illinois counties!

Illinois 4-H Foundation needs to secure 1,500 requests before production can begin. More information is available at the website listed in the ad above, or contact the Extension Office for more details. Questions? Call Illinois 4-H Foundation at 217-333-9295.

Statewide Links