Upcoming Events

January 9	7:00 pm - Leaders’ Meeting - Extension Office
January 12	VOLT Training in Penobscot County - See State News
January 21	Office Closed - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
March 1	2008 Brain Power Engineers Week Expo
March 27	UMaine Day at the Legislature
May 17-18	4-H EDGE Weekend 2007 University of Maine campus
July 5-12	CWF

       

NORMA’S NOTES - A Happy New Year Greeting and Special Thanks to special people….  From all the staff at the office we send you best wishes for the new year and special thanks to each and everyone of you for your participation in 4-H. To the volunteers,  a HUGE thanks for your gifts of time and talent to our youth! To the parents, many thanks for the time and energy you put into helping with 4-H projects, club activities, fundraising, and every other way you make your child’s participation possible. And last but not least, to our wonderful youth! This program is all about you - about your aspirations, your leadership development, your enthusiasm, curiosity, and caring. You are an inspiration to us all!

A challenge from Toddy Pond 4-H Club:  Make up your own games. For example: they are   making a map of the county and will laminate it. Then you will fill in the names of the town with a dry marker or some other creative way. You can make it like a puzzle. How about a bingo game with 4-H projects? I did one years ago but it needs a modern touch now that we have so many more project areas. Let me know what ideas you have.

CLUB CHAT - We try to add variety to club chat so this month takes Norma Hardison,  4-H Program Aide, to the Samoset Resort in Rockland as the guest speaker at the Safari Club International of Maine. After the “Yule Tide Buffet” dinner and the Safari Club awards, Norma presented a Power Point presentation on the 4-H Shooting Sports club here in Hancock County. The Lock, Stock and Barrel 4-H club uses Blue Hill Rifle and Pistol range and is under the leadership of Norwood and Becky Ames and other volunteers. The Safari Club is a supporter of 4-H Shooting Sports, Youth Apprentice Hunter Program, Sportsmen Against Hunger as well as other programs. Norma now plans to take this Power Point to other sports clubs in the county. She is always pleased to have the chance to promote 4-H to groups outside of our program. One lady came up to her and said, “Oh, you’re the 4-H lady and offered a plan that might give 4-H some more exposure in the spring.” Recognition for the 4-H program is a good thing and she hopes for more opportunities to show what a wide range of activities 4-H offers.

4-H NEWS

Welcome New VOLTed Volunteers - This new 4-H year finds two newly VOLTed leaders who have completed their training and paperwork in Hancock County.
J Virginia Marston, Junior Leader of Orland
J Beth McCann of Bucksport
Congratulations and best wishes as you join the 4-H family!

No Leaders’ Meeting - due to the predicted snow storm the December’s Leaders’ Meeting was canceled.  

Enrollment Packets - The new  re-enrollment packets are in and all new information has been posted to the computer.  Each club leader will be receiving a club list with a copy of their member’s health form in the mail and membership cards as soon as possible.  The new volunteer directory will also be coming out shortly.

Former 4-H’er In Iraq - Erik Tainter, son of leaders Ruth & Troy Tainter, left last week to go to Iraq.  Erik would love to hear from 4-H’ers.  Erik’s email address is:              amphibiouswarrior0311@yahoo.com. We’ll be thinking of you Erik while you are serving our county. 

Guess Who’s a New Grandmother!  -  Our own Joyce Fortier became a new grammie on New Year’s Eve!  Brayden Levi Pittsley was welcomed into the world on 12/31/07 at 8:59 PM by proud parents, Kathy and Justin Pittsley.  Congratulations to the whole family!

 Ethnic Festival Help - Liz Hooper is not able to chair the Ethnic Festival this year but is more than willing to help another leader take over this project.  Liz has chaired this event for many years and has an abundance of ideas to pass on.  For new members and leaders, Ethnic Festival  is an opportunity for a club or independent 4-H member to learn about another country and then share their knowledge about their  country in a fun festival activity. 
Here’s what participants are asked to do:
·  Form a group and select a country to study
·  Register your country with the chairperson.  Due to the fact that we "visit" each country, duplication of countries is not allowed. The countries will be arranged chronologically.
·  Choose a Timeline
·  Make a poster of your country
·  Design a stamp for the passport that participants  will take from "country to country"
·  Provide a craft or hands-on activity (even a game)
· Have a food sample from the country
Get creative!  You can bring artwork, play    music, teach a traditional dance or put on a puppet show.  

If there is a leader that would be willing to chair this event, please notify the Extension office at 667-8212 or Liz Hooper at 469-7677 or liz@barnstorm.us as soon as possible.  Thank you!

 

State 4-H News

1. Good-bye and Hello from Orono - Dear 4-H’ers, leaders and families, December 14 will be
my last day with Cooperative Extension, and my last day as the Program Administrator for 4-H.  The last four years have been a great experience for me, especially because I got to know many of you who give so much to our 4-H program.  I have learned a lot from you, and will carry many memories of events and meetings where exciting learning and wonderful connections were happening -- for youth and adults! It has been a privilege to support the staff and volunteers who make our Maine 4-H program one of the best in the country.  I am moving on into the next phase of my life—retirement, sort of—and I’m sure I’ll be seeing some of you at fairs and events, especially around Franklin County where I will be living. I am delighted to be turning over this role to Lisa Phelps, who brings much knowledge and experience in Maine 4-H, a great sense of humor, and commitment to all that 4-H stands for.  I know that many of you already know her, and if you don’t, you will love getting to know her.  4-H will be in very good hands.

          Best wishes to you all, always, Shirley Hager

2. Hello from Lisa Phelps! - I am very excited to be moving into my new role as the 4-H Program
 Administrator.  Prior to this new role I was an educator working with 4-H Youth and Family Development Programs in Cumberland County.  I enjoyed working in Cumberland County and I will for sure miss the great volunteers and youth I left behind to begin a new position within UMaine Extension.  Shirley has done an outstanding job with her support and growth of the Maine 4-H program and I will do my best to continue on with this good work.  What I do know for sure is that without all of the incredible 4-H volunteers we have in Maine we would not have a 4-H program, and I am confident that all of you will continue on with your good work as we make this leadership transition.  I began my new role on December 1st and one of the reasons I did that was to make sure I could spend as much time as possible with Shirley before her last day which will be Dec. 14th.  My primary office will be in Lisbon at the Androscoggin/Sagadahoc County office and I will also have an office in Orono.  If you need to reach me my e-mail address is: lphelps@umext.maine.edu and my cell phone number is (207) 356-3851.  Thanks and I look forward to working with all of you in my new role with the Maine 4-H program.

3. 4-H EDGE Weekend 2008 - It’s Back! 
4-H EDGE WEEKEND 2008: Connecting Kids to Campus May 17 and 18, 2008 An on-campus experience for 4-H youth ages 11-15.  “College Life at the EDGE of your future!”  For youth participants:  Hands-on workshops with UMaine departments, meals in The Marketplace and University Commons, over night in a residence hall, experience on-campus recreation and activity opportunities, find out what excites YOU about the college experience. For parents and older teens:  FREE workshops on college life,        financial aid, and becoming “college-ready”.

Save the dates!  Registration forms will be mailed out in January.

4. 2008 Brain Power Engineers Week Expo - Saturday, March 1, 2008
University of Maine Orono For more information go to www.EngineeringME.com
Cost: $2.00 per person donation suggested

5. Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) - Start making plans now to visit our Nation’s Capitol during the week of July 5 to 12, 2008. Citizenship Washington Focus is a leadership program conducted by the National 4-H Council for high school youth ages 15 to 19. Delegations of 4-Hers from across the country spend six days  touring the city and attending leadership skill-building workshops. This summer, the Maine delegation will leave on July 5 and return on July 12, 2008. You will stay at the National 4-H Conference Center just outside Washington, DC. Visiting the most popular sites in Washington will be a part of the trip. Contact your county 4-H office to find out how to apply for this trip. Each county will have their own selection process.

6. VOLT Training in Penobscot County – Bangor January 12, 2008 The next VOLT training will be held Saturday, January 12 from 9:30—3:30 at the Penobscot County Extension Office, 307 Maine Ave, Bangor, ME. Please bring a brown bag lunch. To cover supplies, the cost is $5/person. Scholarships are available if the fee is a problem. Please call Barb (942-7396) to sign up. It’s fun!

7. 4-H Healthy Lifestyles Team - The  4-H Healthy Lifestyles Team is looking forward to promoting healthy living choices for youth, families and communities in 2008! To help you enjoy a healthier 2008, here are some    simple changes you can put in place in the New Year, one step at a time!
· Eat more foods made from fresh ingredients to lower sodium intake. Most sodium in the food supply comes from packaged or processed foods.
· Get outside and move/play every day! Tumble in the leaves, build a snowman, splash in a puddle, go for a hike, ski or snowshoe adventure. Walk with your dog or favorite person! (For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous and add up to at least 30 minutes a day.)
· Eat more whole grains. Substitute a whole-grain product for a refined product – such as eating whole-wheat bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice.
· Plan a garden with your family or friends. It’s a great way to eat nutritious, local food, get lots of fresh air and exercise and put your artistic abilities to work through the planning of your garden design!
· Eat fruits and veggies every day with meals or as snacks and eat a rainbow of colors! 

Try a new activity: learn how to play a musical instrument, take an art or a dance class through your local adult ed. or community center, start a writing journal, learn how to ice skate- use your creativity!
Check out these great resources:
· Healthy Maine Partnerships web site has many tip sheets and useful posters, brochures. See this link to their “Tips for a Healthy You, A Healthy Family” :http://www.healthymainepartnerships.org/tips.aspx
· After School Physical Activity Web site features twelve thematic activity modules (average of 6 activities each) designed for children ages 9-13. The themes of a few of the modules are: "Survivor," "Beach Party," and "Athletics with a Twist." Some activities have video clips to show how the activity is performed. www.afterschoolpa.com
· The USDA My Pyramid web site is full of information for both kids and adults on making healthy food choices and increasing physical activity. The *items in the list above are all from this web site: www.mypyramid.gov  (Also, our UMaine Extension Nutrition folks are a wonderful resource right here in Maine! See www.umext.maine.edu/topics/nutritio.htm
· Maine in Motion web site from the Maine Governor’s Council on Physical Activity has downloadable information sheets in the “resources” section and a great newsletter called “Get ME Active: Promoting Healthy Lifestyles Through Physical Activity”-check out the Winter Issue! www.maineinmotion.org

For more information on Healthy Lifestyles or to join our team, please contact Ellie Libby at 1-800-244-2104, e-mail: elibby@umext.maine.edu  or Karen Hatch Gagne at 1-800-287-1481, e-mail: karenhg@umext.maine.edu

Thanks to the support of the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation, 12 teens, 4 adult    volunteers and 2 educators attended the Northeast Regional Volunteer Forum on Healthy Lifestyles in October. These teams will be bringing healthy lifestyles activities to locations around Maine in 2008. Stay tuned for more details in upcoming newsletters!

 

8. Teen Leadership and Entrepreneurship Road Trip - The 4-H program leadership team focusing on teen leadership and entrepreneurship is planning a road trip for this summer to learn more about Maine success stories. We need your ideas to create the road map for our adventures. Do you have a favorite place in your community that highlights a local leader or business??? Let us know by contacting, Debra by phone at 474-9622 or by email at dkantor@umext.maine.edu. If your idea is selected, you’ll get to be part of the road trip for half price. 

9. Want to have a voice in the 4-H Program’s Teen Conference Planning? The Youth in Governance Program Leadership Team needs your voice to help guide the Maine 4-H Program while you learn new skills & build your resume… Join us via email, conference calls, or video conferencing to: Plan Teen Conferences, Award Mini-grants for youth projects in the community, Renew ideas for a statewide Teen Council

Contact Debra by phone at 474-9622 or by email at dkantor@umext.maine.edu.

10. 2007 New England Regional Leadership Forum (NERLF) At the forum, we learned a lot about healthful eating, healthy cooking, and exercise. We also learned how easy these things are to incorporate into our clubs and everyday lives.  In addition, we had the opportunity to meet a representative from Monsanto, which is one of the leading agriculture research companies that sponsored the 4-H Volunteer Leaders Forum on healthy living. It is our intention to present what we have learned in many different ways in our county.  We hope to do a workshop in March at our County 4-H fest and, although we have not arranged dates yet, we also hope to present at several local 4-H clubs such as Penobscot Valley Homeschoolers Association, the sheep club, and the computer club, to show them fun ways to exercise and "how to eat what you know & know what you eat.” We’d also like to share some information we picked up on having a healthy brain. Although still in the planning stages, we hope to include some of what we have learned during the Maine Teen Conference in July, which we are currently on the planning team for.  This will give us the venue for reaching more counties than just our own. We really had a good time at the conference and look forward to sharing the information we learned with our friends and peers. --Caleb, Matt, Nathan, and Andrew Junior Leaders 4-H Club, Penobscot County

11. UMaine Day at the Legislature - 4-H Honorary Page Program UMaine Day at the Legislature, Thursday, March 27^th, is quickly approaching.  Since legislators like to see 4-H members from their districts, 4-Hers [recommended age 13 or older] are encouraged to serve as Honorary Pages. The Maine 4-H program has reserved 20 spots for Honorary Pages. What does a Page do? Pages hand out information to Representatives or Senators or place the paper information on their desks.  They also hand phone and other messages to Representatives and Senators on the floor.  To learn more about what Honorary Pages do, visit the website listed at the end of this article. If you are interested in serving as a page on March 27^th, please contact Jane Haskell, Extension educator in Waldo County at 1-800-287-1426 x1013 or jhaskell@umext.maine.edu.  She will be serving as the coordinator of the 2008 program. We will attempt to have pages from different parts of the state.
Slots, representing different state senators and representatives, will be filled in the order they are received.  If the slot for your legislative district has been filled, your name will be added to a wait list in the order it is  received.  If you are leaving a message, please be sure to say “I am interested in serving as a 4-H Page at the Legislature on March 27^th”.  Your slot will be reserved if you leave your: - full name - mailing address - county   - phone number   - email address    - name of your Maine State Representative   - name of your Maine State Senator 4-H Honorary Pages will be in the Capitol from 8:30am – 3:00pm. A parent or 4-H volunteer provides transportation and chaperoning.  For a complete list of expectations and duties, visit the 4-H Honorary Page Program webpage at www.umext.maine.edu/Waldo/4H/Pages.

 

12. Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center - Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center, a program of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, will release their 2008 program catalog in January and will be  accessible online. Affordable program offerings for 2008 include family camps and a variety of youth day and residential, discovery, and leadership camps for ages 5-18 years old. New programs will also be highlighted, including family camp and residential camp at Blueberry Cove in Tenants Harbor. Gift certificates are available and can be purchased in any amount and can be used toward any Tanglewood program. To see or request a catalog or to buy gift certificates visit www.tanglewood4h.org or call (207) 789-5868.

 

                                  HANCOCK COUNTY

4-H Library - We have a nice collection of books that have been purchased or donated and are available for check out at the Extension Office. The list will be in next month’s newsletter.

 Demonstrations - Looking for ideas for Demonstrations or articles to sew or knit for Style Revue Check out www.womansday.com Click on the tab Home & Family and you will see many helpful ideas.
The snow is deep and the weather is cold so this is a good time to start on those projects.

 Happiness is - Having a job that you still love to do. I started in 1992. I still enjoy talking about 4-H, taking pictures, writing articles, meeting new people and watching the program grow and change. I enjoy the people I work with at the office. I enjoy remembering back over all the years I have been involved in 4-H and seeing some of those 4-Hers coming back now as leaders. I am convinced that 4-H is an awesome program.                            Norma Hardison 4-H Program Aide

 

Internet Safety - Articles about Internet Safety are constantly in the news.  As more people use the Internet, there are more scary things happening and more misuse. We are starting a new year and it seems like a good time to remind everyone about this helpful article that we have used before. We can’t stress safety enough. Enjoy the Internet. It is such a great source of so much information and a nifty way to communicate but stay safe. Even when you delete, that information is still out there! If you want the privilege—be responsible. That’s a good New Year’s Resolution. 

Maine 4-H Web Site—How to Surf the Net Safely
http://www.maine4h.umaine.edu/safenetsurf.htm
1. I will not give out personal information such as my address.
2. Telephone number, parent’s work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parent’s permission.
3.  I will never agree to get together with someone I “meet” online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is a public place and bring my mother or father along.
4.  I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents.
5.  I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do, I will tell my parents right away so that they can contact the service provider.
6.  I  will talk with my parents so that they can set up rules for going online. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online, and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.
7.  I will not give out my Internet password to anyone (even my best friends) other than my parents.
8.  I will be a good online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law.

 

4-H Happenings

An informational source for 4-H leaders in Hancock and Washington Counties 

 

How Can You Build 4-H Membership in Your County?
Here are a few ideas to promote 4-H in your area. Use and adapt them as needed.  Remember, be creative!
• "Tell a friend about 4-H." Suggest that members tell their friends about 4-H and encourage them to join a 4-H club.
• Participate in National 4-H Week, Pumpkin Daze, or other special  promotional campaigns in your county.
• Wear 4-H jackets, buttons, T-shirts regularly—to school, club meetings, shopping, etc.
• Conduct community service projects regularly.  Not only is this good for the community, it’s also good public relations for 4-H.
• Send announcements about your club’s activities to local newspapers.  This is a good job for a club secretary or reporter, with the help of an adult. Keep your announcement simple… just a picture with a couple of sentences for a caption.  Be sure to include “University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H”.
• Hold a club open house for current and new members and parents, and others, such as reporters, local government officials.
• Conduct a 4-H poster-making party/ contest and put the best posters in public places (with permission). Be sure to include the 4-H name and how to join 4-H (including phone number) on posters and displays, and in other promotion, too.
• Send thank-you letters from your club to groups and individuals who have helped 4-H and your club.
• Arrange for members to give 4-H public presentations at school, in libraries, and to community groups.
• Encourage your members to participate in community functions, such as parades, as a 4-H club.  Display a 4-H banner.  Better yet, create a special banner just for your 4-H club.
Adapted from New Jersey 4-H Leader Training Series, Rutgers Cooperative  Extension

 

 

 

 

Maine 4-H Youth
Development Mission
To educate and empower Maine youth through hands-on and  community-based experiences.

 Maine 4-H Youth
Development Vision
Maine youth acquire the knowledge, life skills, leadership abilities and attitudes to help them succeed now and in the   future through effective collaborations, hands-on experiential education and self-directed learning.
 

“To Make the Best Better”
“Learn by Doing”

 

Member of the University of Maine System
Last Modified: 01/17/08
These pages are currently being maintained from the
Hancock County Office, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Send comments, suggestions or inquiries to jfortier@umext.maine.edu

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