2010-11 Guadalupe County 4-H Clubs & Groups

Click on the title to see (and even download) the current 4-H club/group info, including when and where they meet, as well as contact information.

4-H Enrollment

Whether you are enrolling for the first time or re-enrolling in 4-H, you need to read this.  There will be 2 ways of enrolling in 4-H the 2010-11 4-H year, which actually kicks off on September 1:  1. enroll on 4-H Connect (our on-line 4-H enrollment and registration system) or 2.  complete paper enrollment forms (green for members, yellow for adult volunteers and peach for clover kids).  After August 1, all profiles on 4-H Connect will go to “inactive” to enable 4-H families to begin the enrolling process for 10-11.  To enroll/re-enroll, go on 4-H Connect and either update your family and individual profiles or create profiles if you are new to 4-H.  Be sure you complete all necessary information, enroll in the appropriate club(s), and enroll in at least 1 project.  Once you submit this and are approved, you will then be “active.”

Please remember that 4-H age is 9 or 8 and in the 3rd grade to 19 as of Aug. 31, 2010.  Clover Kids are age 5-8, and are not 4-H members until they reach 4-H age (9 or 8 and in the 3rd grade).

Many of you adults may be asking, “My kids are enrolling in 4-H, why should I enroll as a 4-H volunteer leader?”  Even if you’re not taking on major leadership roles, all parents and adults can help in some way.  Also, it’s best to enroll if you are working with any children other than your own–you would only expect this of other volunteers working with your children.  Youth Protection Standards (YPS) is our volunteer screening process, and each volunteer is screened every 3 years.  Only those adults who have been screened and cleared through YPS will have the privilege of working with our young people in 4-H.  If you have not been screened and cleared, you will need to either enroll on 4-H Connect or complete a yellow volunteer registration form and submit that to your Club Manager or CK Group Leader.  By the way, Guadalupe County covers the $10/person fee for the screenings as an investment in its county 4-H volunteers.

You can go to 4-H Connect by clicking on the title.

Great Job on One Day 4-H!!

A huge thank you to all of our 4-H families who conducted One Day 4-H events at local nursing/rehab facilities on Sun., Oct. 3!!  It was about making someone else's day special, and I heard so many stories about many 4-H members and leaders do just this for countless residents of these facilities.  Please share your photos with your County Extension office.  You can soon see reports on projects throughout the state by clicking on the title.

Have General 4-H Questions or Comments?

Some of you have asked for a place on the 4-H blog to add comments or questions that might not be related to posts that are on the blog.  If you have a question, comment, suggestion, etc. you would like to share with other 4-H families, please do that on this post.  Please understand that all comments are moderated before they appear on the blog, so there may be a delay in getting your message actually posted.  Thanks!!  Laura

Get Your 4-H Items!!!

We still have several items available including hoodies and t-shirts in both youth and adult sizes as well as signs, bears, luggage tags,  car magnets, temporary tattoos 4-H Family signs.  All of these items are available at the Extension office, which is open M-F 8 am-12 noon and 1-5 pm.  Show off your 4-H pride in many different ways!! 

Centennial Cookbook - now $10!!!

Well, if you didn’t get this cookbook for Christmas, it’s time to give yourself a great gift. The cookbook, compiled by the County 4-H Adult Leaders and Parents Association, contains over 800 recipes. It’s a great keepsake for you and others, so secure several copies today.

Family Violence Shelter Needs Volunteers

The Guadalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter needs your help. Contact Tracy Krech at 372-2781 or visit their website by clicking on the above title.

New On-line Orientation for Texas 4-H Volunteers

We are excited to have this brand new course for 4-H volunteers. Its purpose is to provide volunteers with an understanding of the organizational structure of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and how the 4-H program operates. It also helps volunteers recognize their roles and responsibilities within the structure and program. Specifically, the course provides information on the following:

- An overview of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service

- 4-H 101: Facts about 4-H

- An overview of the various methods of participation available in the 4-H program

- Volunteer qualifications, roles in which volunteers may serve and the responsibilities associated with each role

- A list of various resources for 4-H volunteers

To access the course, go to http://campus.extension.org or just click on the title above and it will take you directly there.

If you do have an account, then log in with your username and password. Once you are logged in you will see a list of course categories. Click on the 4H and Youth Category which will display courses available. Then click on “Texas 4-H Volunteer Orientation” to enroll.

If you do not have an account, click on "Create new account" and fill in the information requested. You will receive an email confirming the account creation within an hour or so. Follow the instructions in the email in order to enable the account.

Once you are enrolled in a course it will appear on a list under “My Courses” the next time you log in. You can then click on the course to go back to any part of the course. Once you complete the course, you can then print a completion certificate.

"Raise a Leader" Campaign

The Texas 4-H Foundation has launched its "Raise a Leader" Promotional Campaign. Bob Tallman, widely recognized professional rodeo announcer, serves on the Texas 4-H Foundation and now has a PSA (public service announcement) on "What 4-H Means to Me." You can go to the video on youtube by clicking on "Raise a Leader" title above. You can also find out more about the "Raise a Leader" promotional campaign at texas4hfoundation.org under the "Raise a Leader" tab.

Clover Country CD

National 4-H Council and EMI Music have produced a country music compilation called Clover Country–Songs from Famous 4-H Alumni. The CD includes 11 hit songs from artists such as Alabama, Martina McBride and Sugarland. The CD will be available in select stores and may be purchased at www.clovercountrycd.com.