4-H club in Japan looking for pen pals

Douglas County 4-H members,

The Camp Zama SAS 4-H club in Japan is once again looking for pen pals to correspond with. 4-H clubs interested in communicating with them are asked to contact their 4-H club leader, Nick Andrews at nicholas.andrews2@us.army.mil.

4-H members and families eligible for discount prices at NWSS

Announcement straight from the state 4-H office...

All 4-H members, families and friends, and their invited guests are eligible for discounted prices on reserve seating at the National Western Stock Show. The prices offered are unavailable to the general public and tickets purchased through this special offer are free of all service charges, an additional savings of $3.75 per ticket. (Tickets must be purchased through Group Services. Discounts will not be given at the Stock Show Box Office.)

The National Western Stock Show invites all 4-H members to enjoy their personal favorite(s) of our shows, and to spend a day full of fun that will include numerous opportunities to be entertained by the exhibits, shopping, art, delicious food and western spirit. (Your show ticket includes free grounds admission to all exhibits, all day long 9am-8pm.)

You will receive a $2 discount off of regular price for the majority of our shows. In honor of “4-H Day”, which is on Wednesday, January 20, you will receive a $3 discount off of regular price for both Pro Rodeos that day. For the Pro Rodeo at 2:00pm, tickets will be $9 each, and for the Pro Rodeo at 7:30pm, tickets will be $11 each. Again, these tickets must be purchased through Group Services.

Choose your own best method of reserving your shows:
• Fax this page to our secure fax line: 303.297.1849.
• Order by Internet: www.nationalwestern.com/groups.
• Order by phone: 303.295.2979.

To see a brief description of each show, please refer to www.nationalwestern.com/groups. To order tickets please click on: http://www.colorado4h.org/Blog/docs/2009/4h-GroupSalesForm2010.pdf

4-H Shooting Sports Leader Training information now online

Douglas County 4-H Shooting Sports Leaders,

The 2010 Colorado 4-H Shooting Sports Leader Certification Training dates and locations have been posted on the State 4-H SS Blog.

Below is the direct link to the blog posting:
http://co4hshooting.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010-4-h-ss-leader-workshops-announced.html

If you are a new leader for shooting sports in Douglas County 4-H, you must attend one of these certification trainings.

Douglas County 4-H hosts Cloverbud Fun Night for kids 5-7

Cloverbud Fun Night was a big hit again this year!

We posted a press release letting letting Douglas County residents know about the Cloverbud program. It was published on all seven DC hubs on yourhub.com. Take a look.

New Colorado Department of Agriculture Deputy Commissioner

Douglas County 4-H,

Thought I would pass on some news about a Douglas County resident that is involved in agriculture.

Jim Miller of Parker has been named the Colorado Department of Agriculture Deputy Commissioner. His wife is a third generation Parker native whose grandparents homesteaded in the area.

Since many of you are involved in agriculture, thought you might be interested.

For the full article, read Longtime Parker resident named Colorado Department of Agriculture Deputy Commissioner.

Online course for farm and ranch families

Douglas County 4-H families,

Here is an opportunity to take an online course about investing specifically for farm and ranch families. Take a look.

eXtension, in partnership with the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, has launched a new online investing course targeting farm and ranch families. The 8-lesson course helps farm families plan for a financially stable future that meets long-term needs. Enrollment is now open at http://www.extension.org/pages/Investing_for_Farm_Families.

The FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) Investor Education Foundation worked with a team of 16 members from 10 different states, USDA/CSREES (now USDA/NIFA) and eXtension.

12th Annual “Colorado…it’s AgriCultural” photography contest

Douglas Count 4-H photography project members,

You may be interested submitting photos to this upcoming contest, due December 31. Here are the details:

Entries must be submitted to the Colorado Department of Agriculture with an official entry form by December 31, 2009, and all photographs must relate to Colorado agriculture in some way. Prizes will be awarded in four subject areas: agritourism, crops, livestock and people. A $150 gift card will be awarded as the grand prize for the photograph that best portrays the spirit of Colorado agriculture.

Judging will be based on theme, creativity and technical quality. All winning photographs will be displayed in the Beede-Hamil Agriculture Building at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo.

Visit www.coloradoagriculture.com or call (303) 239-4119 for complete contest rules and an entry form. The contest is sponsored by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the AgInsights Committee and Northeastern Junior College.

Looking for some holiday fun? CALF is hosting an old-fashioned Christmas event

Douglas County 4-H,

Here are the details...

Please join CALF in thanking our incredible Volunteers and Supporters and celebrate the Christmas Holiday Season!

At CALF’s 2nd Annual
Old Fashioned Christmas Open House
December 13, 2009

Ag Barn at the Lowell Ranch
1:00 pm - Volunteer Appreciation
2:00 –5:00 pm ~ Open House
Bring your favorite dessert to share!

For more information please call
303.688.1026

4-H Bird Photo Contest

Douglas County 4-H members,

Information on an upcoming photo contest...

Do you photograph birds? If so, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection (APHSI) invites you to enter your best poultry or pet bird photos in the: BIOSECURITY FOR BIRDS Calendar photo contest.

APHIS is interested in photos of all kinds of birds – including poultry, game birds, wild birds, shorebirds, and pet birds. Photos should show the bird(s) in a clean environment and without people in the photo. People of all ages are encouraged to enter their photos. Photos should accurately reflect the subject matter. The main image should not be digitally altered beyond removing dust, cropping, cleaning up the background, and/or making reasonable adjustments to exposure, color, contrast, etc.

All photos will be credited with the photographer’s name. Maximum of three (3) photos per person will be accepted. Deadline for submitting contest entries is Jan. 31, 2010. Winners will be notified via e-mail by Feb. 28, 2010. The winning photo(s) will be featured in the 2011 Biosecurity for Birds calendar and the Biosecurity for Birds website (http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov) and may be featured as screensavers.
Entries can be submitted through the official online entry form: http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov.

Please contact Trudy Dunham, University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development at 612-624-8181 or dunha003@umn.edu should you have further questions.

2010 National 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Workshops

Douglas County 4-H Shooting Sports leaders and members,

Here is an announcement straight from the state.

The National 4-H Shooting Sports Committee is pleased to announce that West Virginia and Colorado will be hosting 2010 National 4-H Shooting Sports Workshops.

Dates and Locations:

• West Virginia – May 3-8, 2010 – Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp, Near Weston, WV
• COLORADO – May 10-15, 2010 – Grand Junction, CO

These workshops are designed to prepare adult volunteers to teach other adult volunteers through state workshops. This is an excellent opportunity to expand or improve your state training team. Workshop participants share ideas and information about their state 4-H Shooting Sports programs while enhancing skills for teaching adults and volunteers in the use of the national curriculum.

In order for a participant to attend a National 4-H Shooting Sports Workshop, he/she must meet the following guidelines:

1. Have state level certification in the discipline in which they are enrolling.
2. Have a minimum level of experience in the discipline to be determined by each discipline instructor(s).
3. Have interest in 4-H and youth development.
4. Endorse the train-the trainer concept in basic shooting skills.
5. Must have previous experience teaching youth and/or adults in your respective state.
6. Have current 4-H Volunteer status or Extension Faculty status in their state.
7. Must be recommended by the respective State 4-H Shooting Sports Coordinator.

We look forward to your state’s participation in the 2010 National 4-H Shooting Sports Workshop – EAST OR WEST. For questions about program content, please contact Conrad Arnold, National 4-H Shooting Sports Committee, Extension Educator 4-H at 410-228-8800 or email carnold@umd.edu.

Happy Thanksgiving Douglas County 4-H

Hello Douglas County 4-H families,

'Tis the season to be thankful and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

As I consider what it means to be thankful, my mind wanders to two classmates from high school. I am thankful to have connected with these people through social networking because while neither was a best friend in school, I love knowing how they are doing and what's been going on for the last 20+ years.

And then one day recently, the husband of one of these friends contracted H1N1. He rapidly declined and was hospitalized. His kidneys started failing and he had to go on dialysis. In a few short days, he went from a healthy normal life full of the usual things to a sudden and unexpected passing. His wife, my classmate, was devastated and lost - and still is - yet she continued to thank those around her. Her family and friends were there every step of the way.

My other friend, a year younger than me, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on September 18. He died November 23, this week of Thanksgiving. When his friends learned of his diagnosis, what happened? They rallied around him and organized a fundraiser on his behalf, a fun day of bowling, live band music, laughing, hugging, and support - as it turned out, 8 days before he passed away.

These are both devastating and shockingly sudden situations. And yet I witnessed profound thankfulness and gratitude during these hardships. Both classmates held strong to optimism even in their sorrow, drew their friends and family closer, took the time to tell these people thank you, and caused those around them to join together as one strong and gracious and connected group.

I can ask for no better reminders that focusing on gratitude, and indeed making it the very foundation of my life, will bring only the most positive and profound results for everyone around me.

So I say to you, be thankful. Be thankful for your parents, even if you're grounded - because they love you. Be thankful for your grandparents every day you have them - they may be with you only a short time. Be thankful for your kids, even when their boundless energy wears you out - because it's good to remember that we too had boundless energy! Be thankful for your coworkers - because variety really is the spice of life and the challenges they present make you grow. Be thankful for paperwork (this is a hard one for me!) - because that's what makes your paycheck happen, your insurance pay your medical costs, and your kids to be enrolled in 4-H.

Thank you all.

Melody

Congratulations to the new Douglas County 4-H Ambassadors

Hello Douglas County 4-H,

We recently established a brand new ambassador program with expanded duties, training, and term limits. If you see any of the following 4-H members, congratulate them on being chosen as our first bunch of ambassadors!

• Kimberly Talbert - two year term limit
• Victoria Worley - one year term limit
• Julie Collins - two year term limit
• Casey DeVol - one year term limit
• Hannah Ochoa - one year term limit