Join the Franklin County Fashion Board, for our first annual 4-H JOANN Fabrics and Crafts Sewing Box Scavenger Hunt. It will be at the brand new Polaris JOANN Fabrics and Crafts on February 24, 2019 from 4:30 to 6:30pm. Fashion board members will guide members through the scavenger hunt and will be available to answer questions, help select patterns or fabrics for your project! This is a part of JOANN’s partnership with 4-H and we are excited to see you all there!

Please save the date of Saturday, April 6, 2019 for these 2 county wide events held at the Franklin County Fair Grounds in Hilliard.

• Clubs who coordinated a non-profit station in 2018 have been contacted directly about their 2019 involvement.

• Do you know a non-profit organization who has their 501(3)(c) status that would like to apply for adoption by a 4-H Club? They need to provide information about their organization and what type of hands-on project would benefit them on the Contact Us link on the 4-H Council website, https://4hcouncil.org/contact-us/

For those who aren't familiar with these events:

4-H Walk & Serve

We have at least 15 4-H Clubs who have each "adopted" a non-profit organization. The club learns about the organization's purpose and how we can help support them with a hands-on service project. The 4-H Council has received grant money that can help clubs purchase supplies. The club members prepare the supplies and work together on a plan of how to create a station at the event where the public is invited to attend to complete the service projects.

• Example: The K-9 Wonderdogs 4-H Club discusses an organization to adopt. They agree to reach out to CHA Animal Shelter. The shelter shares with them what they do and what needs they may have. The club decides they would like to help with the need of dog blankets for the dog's comfort while they are at the shelter. The club has a fleece drive within the club membership and then supplements what is needed with the grant money and some from the club treasury to purchase additional fleece. They then prepare the fleece at an afternoon "Fleece Cutting Party" for the club members and their families. A couple of the members set up their station the night before the event. On the day of the event, they have enough members that they have created 2 shifts for their members to facilitate their club station. Someone from CHA Animal Shelter attends the event along with 2 dogs that are up for adoption. At the end of the event, the CHA representative takes the blankets for the shelter.

Clover 5K

This is the 4th run/walk that we have held the same day as the 4-H Walk & Serve. Pre-registration is available now. It is open to the public and 4-H clubs will be asked to help promote the event.

Remember when you were six years old? Grown-ups were giants, the world was big and in your imagination, you could be whatever you wanted to be! This year's 4-H Cloverbot Challenge will focus on those childhood career goals with the theme "When I Grow Up…"

The 4-H Cloverbot Challenge is a statewide event designed just for our youngest 4-H'ers. Teams work together to research a topic, build a model out of interlocking bricks and create a poster highlighting their experience. On June 29, the teams will come together at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center to share their work, visit with one another, participate in kid-friendly activities and celebrate their efforts with a closing celebration and award ceremony.

What's the best way to learn about careers? Invite a firefighter, veterinarian, mechanic, or author (or whatever job might interest your 'Buds) to a team meeting, so they can learn firsthand what a day in the life looks like. Take a field trip for an on-the-job view of the career. Or of course, help them search the internet to get all the details about what it takes to excel in the selected profession.

Teams may have a minimum of two members, but no more than eight and are coached by an adult team leader. Clubs that are interested in participating can find the details and registration information here.