Dear 4-H Volunteer,

Thank you!

Thank you for your dedication, courage and your conviction, for bringing your sense of adventure to share and learn alongside the youth that you mentor.

Thank you for your compassion and your awareness, for seeing the need and responding. Thank you for sharing your skills and knowledge to help improve lives and build the capacity of youth to learn and grow.

Thank you for providing opportunities and education – and for knowing that the experiences you share, and the people you encounter, teach you more than you could have imagined.

Thank you for your patience, respect and perseverance. But most of all thank you for your kindness, and for being the inspiration youth need to thrive.

Whether you are a youth volunteer or an adult volunteer, your dedication and support is priceless. The snapshot below quantifies your contribution in time and economic impact, but we know it is so much more than that.

You and I may never know the exact, direct impact you made to help propel a youth member toward a successful life—but that, my friend, is your true purpose. It is your dedication, contribution, talent, time and gifts that make 4-H the amazing organization that it is.

On behalf of the University of California Statewide 4-H Youth Development Program, we thank you for your dedication to help youth lead happy, healthy, thriving lives.

In gratitude,

Gemma Miner
Academic Coordinator for Volunteer Engagement

 

 

4-H Runs on the Power of Volunteers

 

Adult volunteers mentor youth in youth-adult partnerships.

Events like the Youth Summits are planned by youth and adult volunteers.

Our State 4-H Horse Classic is planned and run by volunteers.

Horse Classic volunteers work behind the scenes

When creating an ad campaign, your target audience is your main consideration. You try to create a message–using words and/or images–that you feel would resonate with them. Last year, we held a Promotional Ad Contest at State Field Day, sponsored by the Public Relations and Marketing Committee of the California 4-H Management Board.

Ads that resonate with youth

The goal was for youth to create ads that would encourage other youth to join 4-H. All of the top entrants were asked to submit a PDF of their work so we could add the 4-H logo branding to each before being shared.

We didn't receive a PDF version of this ad that was submitted, but we took a photo to share with you.

Promotional ads for your use

Right-click to save the images below to use when promoting 4-H on social media (the captioned names will not show in the image). Thank you to all the youth who participated in this event.

Thinking outside of the box

Benjamin was creative in making his ad a printable flyer that had tear-away tabs so you can take the information with you. Download the PDF to print.

 

 

The Solano County 4-H Skills Day is an opportunity for 4-H'ers to show what they've learned in their projects and demonstrate their showmanship skills. From that event, they are finding some great cooks! Read their stories by Kathy Keatley Garvey below – and also get their recipes!

 

From cavies to chili to chocoflan - Just in time for Valentine's Day!

 

First time cooks sweep Solano County 4-H Chili Cook-off - Great inspiration for cold weather

 

 

From cavies to chili to chocoflan...

Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harrison, a fourth-year member of the Sherwood Forest 4-H Club, Vallejo, shares her expertise about chili and cavies (guinea pigs) but she's also a pro in the kitchen and at making a dessert called “Chocoflan.”

It's part cake, part flan.

The chocolate dessert recipe originates “from my Great-Aunt Esther and it's what we serve at all our family gatherings,” she said.

It's a winning one, at that. And just in time for Valentine's Day.

Celeste baked the dessert for the recent Solano County 4-H Project Skills Day—where 4-H'ers share what they're learned in their projects—and her presentation and recipe earned a showmanship award, one of seven awarded.

Last year she won a showmanship pin for her project, “Curls Just Want to Have Fun: How to Care for Your Curly Haired Guinea Pig.”

Celeste, a seventh-grader who just turned 13 at the end of January, is active in 4-H. She serves as the treasurer of her 4-H club and last year served as a Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) officer in the Solano County 4-H Program. This year she's enrolled in five projects: cavies, poultry, dogs, record keeping and rabbits.

Always eager to learn, Celeste decided to “take dogs, rabbits and poultry so I can learn showmanship,” she said, noting that she competed in the Round Robin Small Animal Showmanship at two county fairs last year but was inexperienced at showing animals other than cavies. So this year's she's set her sights on learning more about them. Her goal: to place first in Round Robin.

No stranger in the kitchen, Celeste served as a member of the Sherwood Forest 4-H Club's Chili Cook-Off team for the last two years in the Solano County 4-H Project Skills Day.

This year, however, she turned from chili to chocoflan. The evaluators loved it! So did the 4-H'ers and their families who sampled it.

Here's the recipe, just in time for Valentine's Day: Chocoflan recipe

 

 

First-time Cooks Sweep Solano County 4-H Chili Cook-off

The third time is not the charm.

The first time is.

At least it was for four first-time cooks who teamed to enter—and win—the 2019 Solano County 4-H Chili Cookoff, held recently in the Sierra Vista Elementary School, Vacaville.  

The Cowtown Chili Boys from the Vaca Valley 4-H Club, Vacaville--Xander Lovell, Ian Weber and brothers Francis and Matthew Agbayani-- served "Chili Con Carne," a generational family recipe from Xander's grandmother, Peggy Elgin of Maryland.

“That was the only chili we had growing up and we all loved it,” recalled Xander's  mother, Diane Lovell, a Kaiser Permanente physician. “We'd go skiing and look forward to having it at the end of the day. So when the boys decided to enter the contest and asked who had a good recipe,  I volunteered ours. They said ‘Hey, let's try it!'”

The youths gathered in the Lovell home where Mom Lovell, a radiologist who works at Vacaville Kaiser, showed them how to chop vegetables, measure the ingredients, and cook. None of the boys is enrolled in a 4-H cooking project.

The judges—Solano County District 4 Supervisor John Vasquez, Vacaville Mayor Ron Rowlett and Vacaville Councilman Raymond Beaty—declared the Cowtown Boys the winner after sampling the chili of six cook-off teams and listening to their presentations. The teams represented clubs in Vacaville, Suisun, Vallejo and Dixon.

The winners each received a 4-H backpack filled with a 4-H shirt, a Baskin Robbins gift card and a 4-H sticker, according to coordinator Deanne Weber of the Vaca Valley 4-H Club.

“The Cowtown Boys' chili was delicious,” said Vasquez, a 16-year member of the Solano County Board of Supervisors and a veteran 4-H chili judge.  “Overall, this was the best competition ever. Everyone exceled in at least one area.”

This was the first year of judging for Rowlett and Beaty. Rowlett praised the overall presentations. “They were all very impressive,” he said.

Beaty, a first-year councilman, marveled at how the youths partnered with each other and showed both dedication and skill. 

Download the 2019 Solano County Chili Cook-off recipes (PDF)

Other chili teams participating:

The Super Sherwood Forest Team from the Sherwood Forest 4-H Club, Vallejo, prepared "Pulled Pork Chili" at the Solano County 4-H Chili Cook-Off. From left are Julietta, Samantha, Hanna, and Darren. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

 

The National 4-H Council has named Elisabeth Watkins from San Joaquin County the winner of the 2019 4-H Youth in Action Award for Healthy Living. She will receive a $5,000 scholarship for higher education and will serve as an advocate and spokesperson for 4-H Healthy Living programming.

The two finalists for Agriculture are also from California 4-H: Ashley Jordan of Santa Clara County, and Rose Fiorenza of Imperial County.

“These young women represent the essence of True Leadership,” said Abbey Tillman of the National 4-H Council. “It's clear that California 4-H is providing great mentorship and guidance to the youth of this great state, and we at National 4-H Council are glad to share their stories nationwide.”
 

About the Youth in Action Awards

The 4-H Youth in Action Awards began in 2010 to recognize 4-H'ers who have overcome challenges and used the knowledge they gained in 4-H to create a lasting impact in their community. The awards are given out in four areas: Healthy Living, Civic Engagement, STEM, and Agriculture.

Last year California had seven applicants out of a total of 161 applicants nationwide. For the 2019 awards, we had 19 applicants out of a total of 167 applicants.

Elisabeth will be officially recognized as the 2019 4-H Youth in Action Pillar Winner for Healthy Living at the 10^th Annual 4-H Legacy Awards in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. She will be joined by the three other 2019 Youth in Action Pillar Winners: Addy Battel of Michigan (Agriculture Pillar Winner); Clyde Van Dyke of New York (STEM Pillar Winner); and Mason McClintock of Georgia (Civic Engagement Pillar Winner).  

To learn more about 4-H Youth in Action and to view the other pillar winners from around the country, please visit: www.4-h.org/youthinaction.

 

 “These young women represent the essence of True Leadership.”
Abbey Tillman, National 4-H Council

 

Elisabeth Watkins, 2019 4-H Youth in Action Winner for Healthy Living

As a California 4-H'er in the Linden-Peters 4-H Club, Elisabeth became passionate about healthy living during elementary school. After facing health challenges that forced her to stop competitive gymnastics, she found her purpose and her passion in 4-H cooking projects. As she learned more about nutrition, living a healthy lifestyle, and the impact of a balanced diet on physical and mental well-being, her interest in cooking and food production developed into life-changing opportunities and a path for her future career.

From her earliest 4-H demonstrations, Elisabeth had an interest in educating others about healthy foods and agriculture. “How to Make an Omelet”, her first 4-H presentation, helped her learn to talk and cook at the same time. Over time, her interest in cooking and teaching grew, eventually leading to competing in – and winning – Food Network's Chopped Junior. Now, she routinely appears on local television stations as “Farm Girl Chef”, sharing healthy recipes and cooking tips.

In addition to her work as “Farm Girl Chef,” Elisabeth is a dynamic and flexible leader. She volunteered to lead the California State Fair 4-H Cooking Throwdown in 2017. In this role, she coordinated all aspects of the program — encouraging youth to participate, contacting industry professionals to serve as judges, and overseeing all facets of the competition. She also took the initiative to create a similar program in her county, providing youth with opportunities for fun, hands-on learning in developing a healthy lifestyle.

It's not just about helping youth develop cooking skills. “Working with youth to help them develop the self-confidence to accomplish something great is so fulfilling,” says Watkins.

Elisabeth plans to attend the Ohio State University pursuing a degree in Agricultural Communications. She hopes to one day host her own farm-to-table show on television, demonstrating how food is harvested, packaged and turned into a healthy meal.

 

Rose Fiorenza, 2019 Youth in Action Finalist for Agriculture

As a young girl, Rose was painfully shy, afraid to even make eye contact with others. That all changed when 4-H gave her the confidence and platform to be a leader. A little over 4 years ago, Rose and a team of other youth in her community worked to launch Sustainable You! Summer Camp, a five-day summer camp for 4th to 6^th graders to learn about five natural resources and how they relate to the agriculture industry in Imperial County. Using a curriculum developed by the University of Utah, Rose and her team modified the program to better reflect the diverse population and agricultural community of her hometown.

During Rose's four years as a member of the planning committee, she rose through the ranks as the group's secretary, treasurer, president and youth camp director. As Sustainable YOU!'s president and director, she created the Junior Staffer position to encourage junior high 4-H'ers to get involved and learn what it means to be a leader during the crucial middle school years. Rose is currently pursuing a degree in Marine Biology from the University of California, San Diego, and plans to bring more sustainable practices back to her hometown post-graduation.

 

Ashley Jordan, 2019 Youth in Action Finalist for Agriculture

Within the span of one year, Ashley Jordan's life turned upside down when she lost her home to a fire and both her great-grandma and grandma passed away. For most ten-year-olds, these losses would be devastating. But through 4-H, Ashley found an outlet to overcome life's stressful situations. Her peers and 4-H leaders encouraged her to try new things, learn to speak in front of others, and get involved in animal projects. As she interacted with children and adults at the city park where she raises her livestock, Ashley learned how little most of the public knows about the agricultural industry.

Thus, the Urban Dilemma Project was born. Ashley developed her own curriculum and taught almost 1,000 urban elementary and middle schoolers about where their food comes from. Currently, Ashley is expanding her curriculum to include crop rotation, bees and water management, and she looks forward to training other youth to teach the curriculum at more schools. Ashely plans to attend California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, double majoring in Animal Science and Ag Business to pursue a career education others about agriculture's influence in our everyday lives.

 

We are proud to have our youth recognized for the innovative ways they use their 4-H experiences to give back to their communities.