Otoe County 4-H Wednesday What-Nots
November 8, 2023
SHOUT OUTS!
Achievement Night!
Thank you to all who came and participated in Achievement Night. It was a wonderful night of celebration! A thank you goes out to all who stayed and broke down tables & chairs. Many hands make the load light!
We also want to thank those who supported the event, including Fareway in Nebraska City, Hardee's in Syracuse, and First Bank of Nebraska in Syracuse. Community partners make events like this possible!
OPPORTUNITIES
Nebraska Association of Fair Managers: Martha and Don Romeo Scholarship Application
The Nebraska Association of Fair Managers will award a $500 scholarship to one qualifying 4-H male and a $500 scholarship to one qualifying 4-H female who are graduating seniors in the state of Nebraska and who plan to continue with post high school education. The scholarship will be awarded at the annual NAFM convention in January. Please share the application, found at https://www.nebraskafairs.org/newsletters.php, with high school seniors in your county.
Applications should be submitted to local Extension Offices by Thursday, November 30.
The awards recognize 11th-grade students from Nebraska who are talented in visual art, dance, music, theater, and film and emerging media arts (which includes film, 3D models, interactive art, sound design and video games). These students exemplify the pinnacles of creativity in one of the fine and performing arts.
Info & application here: https://arts.unl.edu/hlfpa/nebraska-young-artist-awards
We have a cool opportunity to partner with Wish of a Lifetime to be eligible to reserve free roses for delivery on Valentine’s Day as part of Wish of a Lifetime’s 11th annual Cupid Crew. This could be a fun way to connect your 4-H participants with older adults!
Building on last year’s momentum, Wish of a Lifetime’s goal is to deliver 150,000 roses and 200,000 cards to older adults across the United States in 2024. A Cupid Crew consists of a Crew Leader + four volunteers (Cupids!) who will help to distribute roses in your community. Volunteers may be leaders, families, youth or others who participate to help spread the love. Volunteers will be registered in our volunteer database so that we may stay in touch about other exciting opportunities throughout the year. They will also have greeting cards with a simple design that can be decorated.
You may use this form: https://forms.office.com/r/T5xKNgWBA9 While this form give the deadline as November 6., for 4-H only, we have till November 11.
This is the same form Wish of a Lifetime uses with all volunteer groups, for 4-H, they are fine with not providing youth email addresses, but would love to know how many youth are engaged. If you’re interested in cards, you can let me know how many and where to send; we will connect with the Wish of a Lifetime team.
This might be fun opportunity for your junior leader groups or others looking for a community service project.
Community Hero!
Nominate the driving forces behind our community's betterment! Who's your local hero, exemplifying kindness, volunteer spirit, or exceptional leadership? Share their story! By recognizing our Community Heroes, we'll make a $1000 donation to their chosen non-profit thanks in part to Medica Health Plans. Join us in spreading gratitude and positivity.
https://northeast.newschannelnebraska.com/community-hero
We love our volunteers!
There are so many ways to volunteer with 4-H, and the Volunteer Road Show is one way to get connected to those opportunities.
FROM THE OFFICE
Awards Pick Up
If you missed Achievement Night, but got a letter saying you earned an award, please stop by the office to pick it up!
LOST AND FOUND
Found at Achievement Night- stop by the office and pick up if this is yours.
From Nebraska 4-H
As you know, in 2023, Nebraska 4-H lowered the age limit for participation in the Nebraska State Fair for all in-person events to nine years of age. That change increased our participation and provided more youth the opportunity to have an engaging learning experience. We had many positive comments from legacy families as well as new.
This fall, we have had follow-up conversations with many of you as well as the show superintendents and various teams that run these events during State Fair and throughout the year. Based on that feedback and our goal of increasing access, the decision has been made to change the age of eligibility in 2024 to be 8 years of age before January 1 (of the current year) for all in-person State Fair events (livestock, contests, fashion shows, contests) and other state competitions (Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Expo, PASE, communications contest). Note: there will be some events that will maintain their ages due to specific program rules (shooting sports, FIRST LEGO League Challenge robotics). Please check information on each specific event as it becomes available.
Please contact us if you have questions.
4-H Enrollment is now OPEN!
YOU MUST RE-ENROLL EVERY YEAR!
Starting in the 2023-2024 program year, project selection is now optional. By successfully completing the 4-H member enrollment by the June 15th deadline, youth will be eligible to participate and exhibit in any project area, contest, county and state fairs. While project selection is optional, it is encouraged for youth to select projects they are interested in exploring.
Please note:
o Youth are only eligible to exhibit in a project area or contest in a single county.
o Horse and shooting sports projects will continue to require project enrollment due to the parental consent required to participate in these projects.
Here is the link: https://v2.4honline.com/
UPCOMING DATES
Upcoming Dates
- Friday, November 10- Veterans Day, Office Closed
- Thursday/Friday, November 23-24, Thanksgiving Holiday, Office Closed
- Sunday, December 3rd - 4-H Open House & Project Fair 4:30-6:00pm
- Wednesday, January 24th - Static Superintendents' Meeting
- Thursday, January 25th - Livestock & Horse Superintendents' Meeting
- Saturday, January 27th - Beef Weigh In
Nebraska Extension in Otoe County
Elizabeth Dunn, Youth Development Extension Educator edunn8@unl.edu
Ben Jewell, Rural Prosperity Nebraska Associate Extension Educator, bmcshane-jewell2@unl.edu
Cheryl Goff, Office Manager, cheryl.goff@unl.edu
Website: www.otoe.unl.edu
Location: 620 1st Street, Syracuse, Neb, USA
Phone: (402) 269-2301
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nebraska-Extension-in-Otoe-County