Franklin County 4-H News, September 2022
Table of Contents
Franklin County 4-H Calendar
- August 28- September 5: Windsor Fair
- September 1: Farmington Fair entry forms due to the Extension office
- September 5: Labor Day; Extension office closed
- September 18-24: Farmington Fair Week
- October 2-8: Fryeburg Fair Week
- October 19: Public Speaking Workshop held by Zoom 6pm – 7pm
Franklin County 4-H Leaders’ Association
No Leaders Association Meeting in September. We will see everyone on October 20th.
All volunteers, please keep up to date with the newest COVID information and UMaine guidance on this site.
County News
Congratulations to Amber Smith for winning Supreme Heifer at Windsor Fair!
Best Overall at Windsor Fair!
Congratulations to Judy Smith for winning best overall at Windsor Fair!
Community Bag Program for September!
at 131 Hannaford Drive and purchase a $2.50 reusable
Community Bag to send a $1 donation to our organization this month!
Fall Tractor Supply Company Paper Clover Campaign
Tractor Supply proudly began their partnership with 4-H in 2010 and have since helped raise over $14 million through Paper Clover fundraisers. The success of these campaigns has impacted over 69,000 students by providing them with hands-on learning experiences through projects in STEM, agriculture, healthy living, and civic
engagement
100% of funds raised through Paper Clover fundraisers directly benefit 4-H and the kids and teens they work with – 90% of donations directly support 4-H youth in the state it was raised, and the remaining 10% supports national 4-H programming.
Our next Tractor Supply Company Paper Clover Campaign is from October 5 to October 16. We can participate in the campaigns in person again. If your club or independent members would like to help shoppers carry items to their cars or bring animals to draw attention to what 4-H is all about, please contact your county office to reserve a time. People are more likely to donate when they see kids engaged with the fundraising efforts!
State News
Public Speaking Workshop
The Maine 4-H Communication Science Team invites all enrolled 4-H members to the October
19th meeting for an open workshop. The meeting will be held via zoom from 6 – 7 pm. Team
members will teach tips and tricks to improve your presentation skills. Please
contact cathy.gray@maine.edu for more information. To join the zoom, click : Join Zoom Meeting,
or go to zoom.us, and enter the meeting id: 86067599466 and passcode: 468314.
2022 4-H National Trip (Conference and Congress) for Senior 4-H Members ages 14-18
National 4-H Trip applications are due September 30, 2022 for National 4-H Conference and
Congress. We recommend you look at the requirements ahead of preparing your materials, as
most of the pieces required are something you are already doing for your yearly record sheets.
4-H trips are excellent opportunities to meet 4-H members from across the nation.
Participants learn about many career options, and learn through educational workshops at
Congress or become part of a team, making recommendations to the National 4-H Council at
Conference.
We will be holding interviews for National trips on the week of October 10-16, 2022. These will be
via Zoom. We will be interviewing for the National 4-H Congress, which will be held in Atlanta, GA
on November 25 – December 1, 2022, and the National 4-H Conference, which will be held on
April 14 – 19, 2023 at a conference hotel in or around Washington, DC. The Maine website pages
for both conferences have been updated. Once your application has been received we will
contact you for a convenient time for all to do the “Zoom”; interviews.
Hopefully, next year, we will be back to our normal “National Interview Schedule”; that will be held
in April/May 2023. Please feel free to email Heidi Palmer, State Activities Coordinator
at: heidi.thuotte@maine.edu for any questions.
2022/2023 4-H Volunteer Training Opportunities
As we get ready for the new 4-H year, we are looking forward to offering a variety of learning
experiences (both in person and virtual) for our 4-H volunteers. Sessions are free of charge, but
require registration. Some sessions have limited space. Visit the 4-H Volunteer Calendar of
Training Opportunities to learn more and register!
Farm Service Agency Youth Loans
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes loans to youth to establish and operate agricultural
income-producing projects in connection with 4-H clubs, FFA and other agricultural groups.
Projects must be planned and operated with the help of the organization advisor, produce
sufficient income to repay the loan and provide the youth with practical business and educational
experience. The maximum loan amount is $5,000.
Youth Loan Eligibility Requirements:
– Be a citizen of the United States (which includes Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam,
American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) or a legal resident alien,
– Be 10 years to 20 years of age,
– Comply with FSA’s general eligibility requirements,
– Be unable to get a loan from other sources,
– Conduct a modest income-producing project in a supervised program of work as outlined above,
– Demonstrate capability of planning, managing, and operating the project under guidance and
assistance from a project advisor. The project supervisor must recommend the youth loan
applicant, along with providing adequate supervision.
For help preparing the application forms, contact your local County USDA Service Center or
visit fsa.usda.gov.
Save the Date for the 4-H Unconference
UMaine 4-H Unconference will be an organized forum for 4-H volunteers, club leaders, afterschool
providers, teachers, parents and teen leaders to gather. UMaine 4-H Unconference is intentionally
designed to have YOU teach and learn from each other. There is no agenda; you come with 4-H
ideas and topics you want to talk about or learn more about, and we’ll guide the process to get
folks into groups where YOU are the experts. Save the dates: Saturday, October 22nd and
Friday, November 11th. Come to one or both. Watch this website for more information as it
becomes available.
Raffle Update for Maine 4-H Teen Leadership and Program Development Survey – Ages 11+
Hello 4-H Community! The Teen Leadership and Program Development Survey now includes a
raffle for the following seven items:
– Two 4-H T-shirts
– Three Lunch Totes
– Two 4-H Positive Vibes T-Shirts
The SHORT survey (about 30 questions/5 minutes) is for any 4-H participant age 11+ since 2017.
We want your voice included! The survey results will help us learn more about 4-H participant
interests and improve statewide 4-H program planning. If you are a parent of a 4-H child receiving
this message, please have each child age 11+ who has participated in 4-H since 2017 complete
a survey. If you are a club leader, please pass along this information to your club members!
To enter the raffle, simply add your contact information (email, phone #, etc.) to any of your typed
responses in the survey or send it to me in a separate email or phone
message: andrew.hudacs@maine.edu, 207-581-8204. The drawing for the raffle will happen in
early October.
Link to the survey: https://umaine.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5yXj7Bb1UdPYvqK. Lastly, please let
me know if you have any questions or would like to see a summary of the survey results, please
contact me at andrew.hudacs@maine.edu or (207) 581-8204.
EFNEP Recipes: Time for Breakfast
Where did the summer go? It seems as if school just let out, and here we are in back-to-school mode. The excitement of new teachers, classes, and connecting with friends. As we start to settle into our school routine, we need to remember that breakfast is a huge part of a successful school day. The word breakfast means to “break your fast”, and fasting is when you do not eat for a certain period of time. Your body needs the calories from the food you eat to help you concentrate and give you more energy. While you sleep, the body is still working, and when you wake up, it’s time to recharge with a hearty breakfast. Below are a few great breakfast choices from our Mainely Dish Video series (Baked Oatmeal, Egg Bites, and the Brunching Burrito). If you don’t have time for a full breakfast a quick grab-and-go could be an apple with peanut butter or an Oatmeal, Strawberry, Banana Smoothie. Start your day off right with a good breakfast!
For more delicious recipes, check out our UMaine EFNEP Mainely Dish Video Series. By Debbie Barnett (EFNEP CEA in Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, and Waldo counties – deborah.barnett@maine.edu)
Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) offers FREE nutrition education classes to income-eligible adults with children, or young adults 19-25 years old, and if you are eligible for programs such as SNAP, WIC, or Head Start. Find out more online.
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