Hello 4-H Parents

It is the beginning of the 4-H Year (September 1) and we are getting started with all the details for the new year. In this issue of the newsletter you will find a lot of information to keep in mind and to put on the fridge. This year we are expecting to make a great impact throughout the county. The most important way to achieve that impact begins with you. Thank you for the continued support that you give your children. The 4-H members need encouragement to search for their own passions. There are great projects that our youth can participate in. Continue to help them see within themselves the courage to try new things and to break into new grounds.

Thank you for all you do and I look forward to meeting you in the near future.

Sincerely,

Brian S. Williams

Youth Development Educator

County Newsletter

We would like to have the newsletter be a resource and a communication tool. As we watch costs our newsletter will be available on-line. As leaders please be aware of any member that might not have access to it. Print off your own copy and have it available for your members to read at your meetings. We appreciate that this isn't as convenient as receiving one in the mail but it does help with postage costs and saves a lot of paper. We will update the newsletter as dates become available so encourage your club members to check back periodically to receive updates. There is a wealth of information on the McHenry County Extension web site.

New Staff Positions

Brian Williams

Brian is currently the Youth Development Educator with the University of Illinois in Lake and McHenry counties working out of the Grayslake and Woodstock extension locations. He provides leadership in these local areas establishing SPIN and Traditional 4-H and youth development programs. Brian graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a bachelor's degree in Sociology. Shortly after graduating Brian was hired as a youth development worker with a community organization in the northern suburbs of Chicago. While working he completed his Advance Youth Development through the Chicago Area Project; Organizational Development and Nonprofit Fundraising certificates from North Park University. He also completed his master's degree in Non profit Administration from North Park. Brian is constantly seeking knowledge around positive youth development and connecting with community partners to strengthen relationships. Besides community empowerment, Brian loves Music, the Chicago Bears, and spending time with his family.

Janine Heidtke

Janine is our new full-time 4H Youth Program Coordinator for McHenry and Lake Counties. Janine is a 4H Alumni of McHenry County and currently active as a parent and volunteer with her 2 daughters, Abbie and Maddie, in 4H. She attended Illinois State University for her bachelor's degree in Special Education. She taught Special Education in District 47 for 7 ½ years while also earning her certification as a Reading Recovery Teacher before taking time out to stay home with her 2 young daughters. During her time at home, she shared her love of reading as a private reading tutor with struggling readers. In 2009, she went back to work with at-risk children in schools through the McHenry County Mental Health Board and their Project Success/Attendance Initiative Programs. Janine has a strong foundation of 4H involvement and hopes that it will continue to grow as she takes on the 4H Youth Program Coordinator position.

2011/2012 Enrollment

You should have received your new enrollment forms. Please make sure that you turn your enrollment forms into your leaders before the date they have assigned for your club. All enrollment forms with your enrollment fees are to be turned into the Extension Office as a whole club by Friday, December 2^nd at 4:30. The first 5 clubs that turn their enrollment forms as a complete club before the December deadline will earn a star (we are earning stars this year) that will go to your club totals for participation, met goals, paperwork and county assists.

Program Fee

Please make sure to turn in your program fee along with the enrollment forms. All club members, Cloverbuds, and special interest clubs are required to pay that fee. For a family of three or more children will pay $25.00 for the first two children and then $10.00 per child thereafter.

Reasonable accommodations will be made for families who are economically challenged. Please contact the Extension Office to fill out a form for those specific situations.

A portion of your enrollment fee goes to the state to help continue and support the programs that they provide to the county extensions. The portion that stays in the county covers the cost of the publications and other programming costs that help us continue to provide opportunities and support.

New Publications

There are new publications for the 2011/2012 year. They are:

Passport to the World-new book

Leadership 3 – new book

Natural Resources – Exploring Your Environment 1 and 2 – new project

Virtual Robotics

Junk Drawer Robotics

Robotics Platforms

Leaders

We have good publications that are created by University of Illinois Extension and are provided to our club members to help them in their area or interest in their project areas. Some of these publications cost quite a bit. When you are ordering your publications please be aware and help your members be aware and take good care of their project books. Most project areas are designed that club member should be in their project books for a couple of years. Most can be shared by multiple family members.

Looking for Training Opportunities?

We are so thankful for the dedicated volunteers and leaders that we have in our county. The University of Illinois Extension has many training opportunities to offer our volunteers and leaders to help keep them up to date on the latest information that the 4-H program has to offer. These trainings are offered online on the 4-H website as well as being listed in the 2011/2012 Clover that was distributed to all 4-H families. Please be sure to take a look at these opportunities to see the topics that you may be interested in learning more about. web.extension.illinois.edu/4hc.

Share the 4-H Excitement!

We would like to hear about what the 4-H clubs and individual members are doing in McHenry County. Please have your club reporter or a selected individual from your club submit a summary of a club event that has recently taken place or pictures that you would like to share. We want to spread the excitement that the 4-Hers in McHenry County have, hoping that we can bring more youth to "Join the Revolution of Responsibility" and join 4-H!

Ambassador Program

We will be having an orientation meeting on Tuesday, October 11^th at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office. We would like to see youth ages 12-18 who are interested in the Ambassador program to join us with their parents for more information.

Club Reports

"Creative Quilters" meets the 4^th Monday evening of each month from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at the Extension Office. Come join us and learn to make different projects that you can use, give as gifts or show as your project in different areas such as Visual Arts, Sewing or Interior Design. A very good skill that you will use the rest of your life. In September, we made a small quilted "Zip Bag". The project for October will be making a "Pieced Butterfly Pillow". Any questions and a list of supplies, please contact the Extension Office.

Supplies:

Designer Row with at least 9 strips (or 9 strips of 2 1/2" x 44" asst coordinating fabrics)

(A Designer Roll is 2 pieces of 5 different designs)

2 pieces of Fleece by Pellon #975 15" x 15"

1 16 oz bag of Polyester fiberfill

Strong rubber band

Thread to match, Needle & Scissors

Sewing Machine if possible

National 4-H Week

October 2-8, 2011

Did any of your clubs do anything special for National 4-H week? Let us know and we will add it to the next newsletter. Also let us know so that we can give you a star for every club member that did something to promote 4-H.

Window Display

We shared at the Leaders' meeting that the county window display contest would be held during 4-H week. Please let us know if you have contacted a store or business to display 4-H in their widow for this contest. The deadline for having the window up for display is Tuesday, October 4^th and judging will take place on Saturday, October 8^th. Please call the extension office and let us know where your club's window display is for judging. We look forward to seeing the displays. This year's theme is "Join the Revolution of Responsibility".

State Fair Online

Here's What's Happening in the State…….

State Fair Online video and map exhibits accepted until August 12th!

https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/4hstatefaironline/. Join us to the see the live

showcase of these exhibits at the 1st Annual Illinois 4-H Film Festival and Map

Gallery, August 20th in the University of Illinois Extension Building on the

Illinois State Fairgrounds. Great prizes! Free awards luncheon that day at the

State Fair in Springfield.

Camp Whitetail

Camp Whitetail will be held at 4-H Memorial Camp near Monticello, IL the

weekend of Oct. 22-23. This is an adult/child "family" camp that offers people

hands-on instruction in 4-H Shooting Sports as well as an opportunity to earn their

IDNR Hunter Safety Certification card. The $49 per person fee covers lodging,

meals, and all supplies and materials needed for the weekend. For more

information, contact Curt Sinclair at 217-762-2741 or sinclair@illinois.ed.

2012 Jr. Leadership Conference Announced

Now is the time to start recruiting your junior high age members for the 2012

Illinois 4-H Jr. Leadership Conference! Registration will open in early November

for the conference, slated for Saturday/Sunday, February 25-26 at the Holiday

Inn Hotel & Conference Center in Urbana, IL. The Illinois State 4-H Youth

Leadership Team will be posting information and the registration link for this fun

and educational event on the 4-H website:

http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/events/juniorleadership.cfm. Encourage

your 7th and 8th grade members to check us out and get started on a 4-H

leadership journey!

Illinois 4-H License Plates

The Illinois 4-H Foundation working with the Illinois Secretary of State's Office

had legislation signed to create a new Illinois 4-H License Plate. Now they

must secure 1,500 commitments before production can begin. Help the Illinois

4-H Foundation secure commitments by filling out the Specialty License Plate

Registration form found at www.4hfoundation.illinois.edu or from your local

Extension office. Include a check for $25.00 made out to the Secretary of State.

This is non-refundable and will go to the Illinois 4-H Program. Once 1,500

commitments have been made, production will begin. More information is

available through your local Extension Office.

Calling Older 4-H Teens-SPEAK UP Illinois 4-H!

Do you have older 4-H teens in your club who are interested in public speaking

and want to "give back" to the Illinois 4-H program? Then have them talk to your

local Extension Office about becoming a member of the Speaking for Illinois 4-

H (SFI4-H) team! We are currently recruiting older teens from across the state

to be a part of this group and become involved in local and statewide speaking

opportunities with donors, civic groups, and elected officials, including

participation in the 4-H Legislative Connection event. Although recommended

for older teens, youth as young as 14 may participate in the training and become

a member of the SFI4-H program – as long as they have been approved by their

local Extension offices.

Two trainings are being offered this fall: Saturday, October 22 in Galesburg

and Saturday, November 5 in Effingham. Training starts at 9:30 a.m. with

registration and ends at 3:00 p.m. Lunch is included with the registration fee of

$10. Youth must attend the entire day in order to be added to the SFI4-H

statewide roster and receive the "official" green SFI4-H shirt. In order to stay on

the SFI4-H team, members must participate in annual update training. Complete

information on the Speaking for Illinois 4-H program, the application, and online

registration can be found on the Illinois 4-H website:

http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/members/leadership_sfi4h.cfm.

Encourage your older members to check out this fun and exciting program as a

step in their leadership development. Registration closes on October 12 for the

Galesburg program and October 26 for the Effingham training, so don't delay!

Dates to Remember

October 3^rd - 4-H Youth Foundation Fundraiser, 4 to 8 pm, All you Can Eat-Chicken dinner at Crandall's Restaurant in Hebron, IL. Tickets can be purchased at the Extension Office for $12 per person or at the door on the 3^rd.

October 5^th – New Member and Volunteer Open House, 6-8pm at the Extension Office. Please tell your new members and volunteers to stop by the Extension Office to learn more about the 4H program. There will be project demonstrations as well as 4-H alumni and leaders to answer questions that you may have about the program.

October 8^th – Window Display Judging

October 11^th – Ambassador Meeting 7:00 pm at the Extension Office

October 24^th – Creative Quilters, 6:30pm at the Extension Office

November 5^th – Recognition Banquet, 6pm at Building D at the McHenry County Fairgrounds

November 10^th-Officer Training, at 7:00pm at the Extension Office. Leaders please encourage your club officers to attend training and improve their skills to better serve their clubs. Please RSVP your attendance.

November 28^th – Creative Quilters, 6:30pm at the Extension Office

November 29^th – Welcome to 4H New Parent/Family Meeting, 7pm at the Extension Office.

December 2^nd – Club Enrollment forms and fees DUE to Extension Office by 4:30pm.

Looking ahead mark your calendars for the Green Tie Event which will be March 17^th, 2011 at the Village Banquet Hall in Union Il. More details to follow.