Douglas County 4-H Cloverbud Fun Night in December

Just a reminder!

Cloverbud Fun Night is on December 3 in Kirk Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Members and non-members ages 5-7 are welcome. Pre-registration by November 24 is required, so call the office.

Have your Cloverbuds invite all their friends! Really! These are our future 4-Hers.

4-H Tax Exempt Status for clubs

Douglas County 4-H clubs,

Here are some reminders from the state 4-H office regarding your tax exempt status.

1. New 4-H clubs must get an EIN.
2. All 4-H affiliated clubs and organizations must file an e-Postcard by the 15 day of the 5th month after the end of their club fiscal year. For Douglas County clubs on an Oct. 1 – Sept. 30 year, that would be by Feb. 15, 2010.
3. Failure to file (or attempt to file) could result in the loss of tax exempt status of the group.
4. For clubs that try to file and get an error message from the IRS that they are not included under the 4-H Group Exemption Number, take note:
   a) Keep a copy of the message as proof that they tried to file but were unsuccessful. b) Do not call the IRS to try and figure it out. More problems are caused by well-meaning volunteers calling the IRS about filing problems than are solved by the call. National 4-H Headquarters asks that individuals do not call the IRS.
5. National 4-H Headquarter is still working with the IRS to resolve issues with our GEN.
6. County offices will still collect and keep track of club EIN’s.
7. At some point in the future, the state will be notified by National 4-H Headquarters about adding new clubs and deleting defunct clubs from our state certified list.
8. Please call Kathe Jackson at the Douglas County 4-H Office if you have questions or concerns about 4-H and your tax exempt status.

Operation Christmas Child: donate gift-filled shoeboxes to children in need

Douglas County 4-H members,

Here is a community service opportunity. You can help children across the world by donating shoeboxes filled with gifts as part of the international Operation Christmas Child. Last year, 8 million children in 110 countries received gift boxes from generous donors.

Drop off locations for Douglas County the week of November 16-23:

• Heritage Evangelical Free Church, 555 N. Heritage Ave., Castle Rock
• Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd., Highlands Ranch
• Pinecrest Community Church, 7165 N. Delbert Road, Parker

The website offers a way to follow your gift box and find out where it went. There are also other details such as packing instructions available on the website. Go to http://www.samaritanspurse.org/.

Original news article: http://denver.yourhub.com/CastleRock/Stories/News/How-to-Get-Involved/Story~685806.aspx.

National 4-H Council looking for Youth Program Assistants

Douglas County 4-H members,

Information straight from the Colorado State 4-H office, here are some great opportunities in Washington DC.

National 4-H Council is looking for Program Assistants (PA) for the Wonders of Washington (WOW) and the Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) programs. This is a great chance for youth to experience professional and leadership development opportunities of a lifetime.

The WOW program, which takes place from February through May, gives youth the chance to explore, develop, and refine the skills necessary to become outstanding citizens and leaders in their communities. Using Washington, D.C., as their living classroom, WOW PAs help youth learn about the history of our nation and various leaders who have shaped it. PAs receive opportunities for professional development not only through interactions with school groups, but also through internship experiences with various departments of National 4-H Council.

The CWF program gives 4-Hers the opportunity to strengthen their communication, leadership, and other citizenship skills on a national level. Held during the summer, CWF PAs lead nearly 2,000 youth in exchanging ideas, practicing respect, and forming friendships with other youth from across the country. PAs guide hands-on activities, simulations and tours of many Washington monuments and memorials, as youth CWF participants find out what citizenship means to them and how to make a difference in their own communities. PAs have the unique ability to make a lasting impression on the lives of many youth, while spending summer just outside of the nation’s capital.

For more info, visit Citizenship Washington Focus at http://4-h.org/news/www.citizenshipwashingtonfocus.org, and Wonders of Washington at http://www.wowwashington.org/index.html.

Guess what! A Douglas County resident won the statewide 4-H truck raffle!

Our very own Hannah Ochoa sold the winning 4-H truck raffle ticket to Vicci Starkowski of Franktown, CO. This is quite a big deal considering this truck raffle was a statewide fundraising event!

Thanks to the efforts of those who sold raffle tickets, 4-H Council will receive approximately $700 to be used for the benefit of Douglas County 4-H kids.

Colorado State University - Global Campus offering $250 toward first class

Just though I would pass this information on the the Douglas County 4-H community.

Colorado State University-Global Campus is a 100% online campus within the CSU System. Bachelor's and Master's degree programs are available. Right now, all new students that register for the October 26, 2009 session will receive $250 towards the cost of their first class. CSU Global has a 'tuition guarantee' so that you are locked into your rate from day one, and will never experience a tuition hike.

For more information, take a look at the CSU Global Campus web site.

Alternative Energy Conference Nov. 14 in Castle Rock

Hi folks,

In case you're interested, CSU Extension in Douglas County is collaborating on an upcoming conference.

Would you like to learn more about wind energy, wind development, carbon financial credits and home energy windbreaks? Register now for the Alternative Energy Conference scheduled for Saturday, November 14 at the Douglas County Events Center in Castle Rock.

Cost for the program is $20 per person. Classes begin at 9:00 am with a continental breakfast preceding. Lunch is provided at noon and will conclude the program. The Douglas County Soil Conservation District will have a home energy windbreak display at the conference. To register, contact the CSU Extension Office in Douglas County at 720-733-6930 or 720-733-6951 or by email at jjulian@douglas.co.us.

Take a look at the original press release posted on www.yourhub.com.

Haunted Halloween Hay Ride sponsored by 4-H club

Join the Cowboys 4-H Club October 23-25 at their annual Haunted Halloween Hay Ride!

Brought to you by the Cowboys 4-H Club and Stockton Plum Creek Stables, this scary fun annual event includes face painting, a petting zoo, and concessions. Adults are $11.00 and children $8.00. To register, call the Highlands Ranch Rec Center at (303) 791-2500 or South Suburban Rec Center at 303-347-5999.

4-H Achievement Night Slide Show Part Two

Every year, Achievement Night guests look forward to seeing the last 4-H year-in-pictures with the annual slide show. I figured out how to embed the slide show, but due to size, had to upload it in two parts. Unfortunately, the original music could not be uploaded along with the slide show! Here is the second half of the slide show. Also please note that all the PowerPoint animations appear disabled, so some clip art is overlapping the photos.



2009 4-H Slide Show pt 2

4-H Achievement Night Slide Show Part 1

Every year, Achievement Night guests look forward to seeing the last 4-H year-in-pictures with the annual slide show. I figured out how to embed the slide show, but due to size, had to upload it in two parts. Unfortunately, the original music could not be uploaded along with the slide show! Here is the first part of the slide show.


2009 4-H Slide Show pt 1

Achievement Night Special Awards

4-H members, clubs, leaders, and volunteers received several awards at the annual Douglas County 4-H Achievement Night held on Wednesday, October 7, 2009. Take a look at the special awards list below.

4-H Foundation Community Pride Scrapbook
First Place $200 - Rising Stars 4-H Club
Second Place $100 - Sedalia Spurs
Third Place $50 - Outlaws 4-H Club

Top Club Secretary Record Book - Maggie Weinroth, DC 4-H Council
Top Club Treasurer Record Book - Alura Kimble, Outlaws
First Year Consumer Science - Grace Bithell
Top Consumer Science - Maggie Weinroth
First Year General Projects Award - Matthew Troup
Top General Projects Award - Leah Huber
Geiger-Fauver Award - Kelly Winn
Danforth “I Dare You” Award - Naomi Candelaria
Superior Horseman Award - Sarah Tey
Leader of the Year - Rick Romanin
Meritorious Service - Craig Sloane
Friend of 4-H Award - Douglas County Commissioners Steve Boand, Jack Hilbert, Jill Repella
Bruce Peck Memorial Award - Joseph Verissimo
Special Award - Douglas County Events Center Staff

Master Showmanship
Jr. Champ - Mallory Long Reserve - Luke Socolofsky

Inter. Champ - Lisa Jordan Reserve - Marlena Long

Sr. Champ - Maggie Weinroth Reserve - Brogan Horton

Round Robin

Jr. Champ - Stephanie Bramwell * Reserve - Jenna Verissimo

Int. Champ - Anna Fleiner * Reserve - Jesse Lautenbach

Sr. Champ - Maggie Weinroth * Reserve - Melissa Quackenbush

Carcass Contest Awards

Beef Champ. - Clay Adams * Beef Res. - Jacob VanBibber

Sheep Champ. - Caleb VanBibber * Sheep Res. - Marissa Straker

Swine Champ. - Susan Hutton * Swine Res. - Sydney Buckley

Goat Champ. - Hope Anderson * Goat Res. - Erica Boand

Supreme Contest Awards

Beef Champ. - Shelby Cunningham * Beef Res. - McKayla Clayton

Sheep Champ. - Maggie Weinroth * Sheep Res. - Sydney Buckley

Swine Champ. - Susan Hutton * Swine Res. - McKayla Clayton

Goat Champ. - Maggie Weinroth * Goat Res. - Erica Boand

4-H Gala Honors One of Our Own

On October 3, 2009, 4-H supporters gathered at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for an evening of science fun and discovery as everyone experienced the electricity of 4-H. There were science experiments, wind contraptions, cockroach races, rocket launches, and a 4-H planetarium show. The master of ceremonies was Colorado Speaker of the House Terrance Carroll.

It was a special night for Douglas County also. One of our own 4-Hers was honored for her lightning photo which was prominently displayed with seven other lightning photos from around the state. Colette Worcester proudly answered questions about how she captured the lightning striking near Castle Rock. A very determined young woman, Colette said she took over 600 photographs to catch that one mesmerizing picture.

Colette's picture will be on display throughout the state in the next year. Congratulations, Colette!