We are hoping you can use your heart and hands to larger service to help a Franklin County 4-H family in need. The family of Maddie Ebright, a member of Blue Ribbon Connection, Teen Leaders Council, and the Junior Fair Board, lost nearly everything in a house fire yesterday. If you or your club can assist, here's what they can use:

• Gift cards (grocery, restaurants, department stores like Target, Walmart, Kohls)
• Clothing (new or gently used and clean)
  - Boys size: 6/7
  - Girls size: 7/8 Juniors
• Toys appropriate for a 5-year-old
  
  

Donations can be dropped off at the OSU Extension Franklin County Office, 530 W. Spring St., Columbus, second floor. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. (Closed on January 21. for MLK Day)

The 2019 Ohio 4-H Conference is designed to bring together 4-H volunteers and teens (age 13 and older) from across the State of Ohio. The objective of this event is to learn together and from each other in order to improve our abilities to deliver the Ohio 4-H Program to its members. The educational selections offer something for everyone, and have the ability to satisfy every taste and need.

When: March 9, 2019
Where: Greater Columbus Convention Center

Registration Deadline: February 1

• The Franklin County 4-H Council graciously pays the registration fee for current Franklin County 4-H Advisors and teen members who register by the deadline.
  
• Registration materials can be found HERE.
  

Ohio 4-H Leadership Camp: June 1-5, 2019 (Ages 15 and older)

Camp Canopy: Forestry & Wildlife Conservation Camp: June 9-14, 2019 (Entering Grades 9-12)

Buckeye Leadership Workshop: March 20-24, 2019 (Ages 15 and older)

*Note: Ohio 4-H will not be hosting a state Sea Camp this year. We are hoping that they bring it back in 2020.

APPLICATION PROCESS

• To apply for a Franklin County 4-H Trip Scholarship, complete the Ohio 4-H Achievement Record Application and submit it to the Franklin County Extension Office no later than January 22, 2019.
  (530 W Spring Street, Suite 275, Columbus, OH 43215)
  
  
• Some dates for these trips overlap with Franklin County dates which is beyond our control.
  Franklin County 4-H Camp: June 17-21, 2019 (Monday-Friday)
  Franklin County Fair: July 13-20, 2019
  

These 27 awards recognize a 4-H member's achievement in a specific area. Areas include: Beef, CARTEENS, Citizenship & Community Service, Clothing & Textiles, Communication, Companion Animals, Creative Arts, Dairy, Environmental Sciences, Family Life & Child Development, Foods & Nutrition, Gardening & Horticulture, Goats, Health & Safety, Horse, Llama, Leadership, Mechanical & Engineering Sciences, Personal Development, Photography, Poultry, Rabbits, Sheep, Shooting Sports, Swine, Veterinary Science, and Woodworking. Each achievement award winner will receive a trip to the National 4-H Congress and which is scheduled to be held in Atlanta, Georgia in late November 2019.

• To apply to be selected as the county nominee for a State Achievement Award and compete for the statewide award, complete the Ohio 4-H Achievement Record Application and submit it to the Franklin County Extension Office no later than January 22, 2019.
  (530 W Spring St., Suite 275, Columbus, OH 43215)
  
  

• ONE COPY OF THE COMPLETED APPLICATION MUST BE SUBMITTED PER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD THAT YOU ARE APPLYING FOR.
  

State Junior Fair Board: SJFB is comprised of representatives from several different youth organizations in Ohio including 4-H Youth Development. State Junior Fair Board members help strengthen and coordinate State Fair activities in a fast-paced, action-packed month at the Ohio State Fair. Junior Fair Board members are expected to attend meetings and stay at the fair for the entire 12 days.

• To apply for this opportunity, members need to complete a State 4-H Achievement Record and submit it to the Franklin County Extension Office no later than January 22, 2019.
  (530 W Spring St., Suite 275, Columbus, OH 43215)

OTA Local Government Award: Two $1,500 awards are available to any 4-H high school senior who has completed a local government-type activity that has had significant impact on the applicant's community, township or county.

• To apply for this opportunity, members need to complete a State 4-H Achievement Record Application and submit it to the Franklin County Extension Office no later than January 22, 2019.
  (530 W Spring St., Suite 275, Columbus, OH 43215)

Volunteers help make 4-H possible and are an essential part of the overall program. More than 300,000 youth and adult volunteers participate in the Ohio 4-H program each year. 4-H volunteers have the opportunity to contribute their time, energies, talents, and knowledge to help develop youth in a positive, educational way. The Franklin County 4-H program is dependent on its incredible adult volunteers to reach the youth of our county. Each time a new volunteer gets involved with the 4-H program, the number of children that benefit from 4-H programs increases!

A 4-H Special Interest (SPIN) Club is a short-term program that meets one hour a week for six to eight weeks in an afterschool program. The clubs generally focus on one specific topic. The Franklin County 4-H SPIN Clubs generally meet in the urban core.

This coming summer, 4-H members and volunteers are sought to teach some of the programs. You need to have presentation skills and like working with children. Specific dates and locations will be arranged at a later time. Transportation is required. Here are the choices:

Animals in Agriculture 4-H SPIN Club:

Last summer, 4-H members and volunteers brought their 4-H animal to the SPIN Club and presented information about that animal to the youth including care, grooming, agricultural use, etc. We had poultry, rabbits and goats. Each animal was presented on a different day, so unless you have multiple animals you would commit to only one hour plus transportation time. These animals and more (such as a piglet or calf) are needed.

Theater 4-H SPIN Club

Do you like acting? If so, then consider volunteering for this 4-H SPIN Club. The activities are the same as the ones presented at 4-H Camp this past year (if you were there). The club will meet for 8 weeks, one hour a week.

Rocketry SPIN Club

The “Rockets Away” project book will be used for this 4-H SPIN Club. Members will complete activities in the book, with bottle rockets being launched at the end. The club will meet for six hours total, one day a week.

4-H Coding Club

A retired professor teaches this club, but a few helpers are needed to guide participants. The club meets every day for a week in the summer.

If you are interested in helping with any of these clubs, contact Sue Hogan at hogan.239@osu.edu.

Located within the Waterman living-learning laboratory just northwest of the OSU campus, the Kunz-Brundige Franklin County Extension Building will offer a myriad of educational opportunities benefiting Franklin County residents. There are still some naming opportunities available which would be a great end of year donation!

• Patio (4,050 sq ft): $500,000
• Green Roof and Rain Garden ($14,524 sq ft): $500,000
• Open Office Space (2,180 sq ft): $400,000
• Multi-Purpose Room (2) (1,215 sq ft): $300,000 each
• Lobby (576 sq ft): $200,000
• Demonstration Kitchen (552 sq ft): $100,000
• Gardener's Lab (227 sq ft): $75,000
• Conference Room (280 sq ft): $75,000
• Program Fulfillment Room (528 sq ft): $50,000
• Large Office (144 Sq Ft): $35,000
• Office (8) (98 Sq Ft): $25,000 each

For more details about donating or naming opportunities, contact Emily Winnenberg at winnenberg.8@osu.edu.