Olmsted County 4-H News
September 2022
Notes from Kristina
4-H Families & Volunteers -
What is this newsletter?
The Olmsted County 4-H Newsletter is sent out on the 1st of every month. We work hard not to bombard you with communications throughout the month, so it's important that you take a moment to read the entire newsletter. Looking for more in-depth information? Most of the paragraphs below will link you to a website article.
I'm the only person in my household who receives this email - can my 4-H'er be added to the list?
Yes! Log into your 4HOnline family profile and under the 4-H'er's profile, add their email.
Where can I get more frequent Olmsted County 4-H updates?
Follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Olmsted4H) and Instagram for more frequent updates and posts highlighting various upcoming events. You can also visit our website for all of our previously shared information (extension.umn.edu/local/olmsted).
I'm a youth or adult leader. Is there anything else I should know?
Please review the newsletter prior to your club's meetings to share any relevant announcements in person. Also, be sure to check out the last article of every newsletter, "Information for Youth and Adult Club Leaders", which includes updates specifically for you and your leadership team.
Full Council Meeting (with elections)
What: The September Full Council Meeting will include presentation of budget and related discussion, election of county officers and committee reports.
We need youth and adult officers for 2022 - 2023! Being part of the executive board is a great way to learn more about our county, provide input and a greater voice for your club. Meetings are held on the third Monday of the month. Not all months will have business items to discuss, so the commitment is less than one meeting a month. To learn more about Council, Executive Board and specific roles check out this flyer
Mon, Sep 19, 2022, 07:00 PM
Olmsted County Fairgrounds - WPA Building/Fairboard Office
Fall Festival - See you October 2nd!
October 2nd is our annual Olmsted County 4-H Community Fall Festival, are you ready? Working to make this event happen supports both the Olmsted County 4-H program and your club (through profit-sharing from ticket sales). Your club’s responsibilities are: 1) Soliciting donations from local businesses for local/live auction 2) Providing 2 baskets of $50+ value 3) Selling tickets 4) Signing up to volunteer.
Sign-up to Volunteer at https://z.umn.edu/FallFestVolunteers
Read more details about supporting the event (and to find resources like a script for asking for a donation) on our website article.
Awards Recognition at the Fall Festival
Help us celebrate our youth and volunteer accomplishments at our Awards Ceremony at the Fall Festival!
Nominate for Awards:
- Alumni Recognition Award - To recognize an alumni of any age for their impact on the Olmsted County 4-H Program
- 4-H Club Achievement Award - To recognize clubs for their strengths in building a 4-H community, creating educational opportunities, and showcasing leadership and service-learning in their communities
- Volunteer Recognition Award - To recognize one of our many wonderful volunteers for the time, skills and enthusiasm they brought to the Olmsted County 4-H Program this year! (Previous years can be included in nomination, but volunteer will be selected primarily on this year's involvement)
Nominations for the above awards can be submitted here
Be Recognized for your accomplishments:
- Record Judging - Be recognized for your accomplishments through record judging. Turn in your Records to the Olmsted County Extension Office by Monday, September 26th. You can learn more about records and find forms under "4-H at the Olmsted County Fair" on our website.
- Key Award - The Key Award recognizes youth in grades 11+ for their contributions to their 4-H club and community. To learn more and find the application, visit the Minnesota 4-H awards page. Key Award applications are due to the Olmsted office on Monday, September 26th.
Celebrate our County Fair Static Project Grand Champions!
Plaques will be awarded for our grand champion winners and some of the reserve champion winners of larger classes! All youth will be receiving an invitation in the mail in the coming weeks if they are receiving an award.
Upcoming Program Opportunities
4-H STEAM SPIN Club (Grades 6-8) - Join us for a 6-session Club experience filled with hands-on learning related to STEM. Sessions will take place Thursdays from 6:30-8pm in October and November at UMR. Learn more about the club and registration here.
Olmsted County 4-H Ambassadors (Grades 7+) - Our County Ambassadors meet monthly to learn leadership skills and work as a team to plan and facilitate events that achieve our goals of fun, education and service. Interested in learning more, check out more details here, and join us for our first meeting of the year on September 28th from 6:30-8:00 at the Olmsted County 4-H Office! PIZZA will be provided, Please rsvp here
Campus Immersion at UMR (Grades 9+) - Experience the University of Minnesota Rochester through this unique Campus Immersion experience. Participate in hands-on learning activities with faculty, tour the campus, and meet other youth while learning about pursuing higher education. Join us for this free event on October 21 from 8 am-4:30pm. Lunch is provided. To be notified when registration is live, enter your email here. To learn more about the event, visit our website.
Win a Sewing Machine! (any age) - Interested in getting involved in the sewing & textiles project area? Or are you already involved and would like to have your own sewing machine? Thanks to a donation from Pine Needles Quilt & Sew shop we are giving away a new sewing machine. To be entered into the drawing for the sewing machine, youth should complete this form by September 29th. z.umn.edu/SewingMachine
Olmsted County Fair Results
Check out the complete 2022 Olmsted County Fair project and Blue Ribbon results here! You can also find links to upload pictures to our digital photo albums and see pictures from others.
Congratulations to Alumni Association Scholarship Winners!
Congratulations to our 2022 Alumni Association Scholarship Winners Hope N., Dyllon L., Makenzie A., Logan M., Anne S., and Kyra C.! Read more about these awesome 4-H’ers here!
Information for Youth and Adult Club Leaders
To always find a summary of recently shared Information for Youth and Adult Club Leaders, quick links and Club Leader FAQs, visit our webpage article.
- Upcoming Full Council Meeting: Please make sure you have a youth and adult representing your club at the September 19th Full Council Meeting at 7pm at the Fairboard Office. Also, encourage any youth/adults interested in countywide leadership positions to consider being an officer. Our September meeting will include ideas to bring back to your club, elections, and discussing the countywide budget for this year.
- Fall Festival: It's your club leaders' responsibility to make sure your club is discussing the event and signing up to volunteer. For previously shared details visit our website page and reach out to Kristina with any questions.
- Newsletter: If anyone in your club mentions not getting the newsletter, encourage them to check their spam or reach out to the 4-H Office so we can make sure they aren't missing out on future communications.
- Club Meetings: Reminder - In your Club Charter you submit a calendar for the year (Oct-Sept). If any of the meeting dates change, contact the 4-H office so it is up to date on our calendar for insurance purposes. Also try not to change meetings last minute as this is hard for families to plan for and often hinders your ability to create a welcoming environment.
- Club Timeline for 4-H Clubs - Check out this resource for a summary of the year at a glance with countywide events relevant to clubs. Also included is a sign-up sheet for countywide responsibilities your club will need to fill. Consider having this at meetings with your club sign-ups to help separate these responsibilities.
- Club Charters: These are due October 31 to the office with your financial information from the previous year. If you or a team from your club would like to walk through this document so you know what to include or get some meeting ideas, contact Kristina to set up a meeting.
- Club Leadership Retreat Opportunity: Bring a youth/adult team to learn more about club leader transitions, youth officer role options, new ideas to bring to your club meetings, and more! Join September 18th from 5-7:30 pm in St. Charles - rsvp to Kim Stehr (winge109@umn.edu)
- Save the Date - Fall Volunteer & Youth Officer Training: More information is coming, but please plan on one youth and one adult from your club attending. This year's Rochester event will take place the morning of November 19th. Some virtual dates will also be coming.
Contact Information
Email: mnext-olmsted@umn.edu
Website: extension.umn.edu/olmsted
Location: 1421 3rd Avenue Southeast, Rochester, MN, USA
Phone: 507-328-6214
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Olmsted4H