Window Displays

We would like to thank all of the clubs who did a window display.  They were all great and everyone put a lot of hard work into them.  The 1^st to 5^th place winners are:  1^st place OLF 4-H, 2^nd place Los Banos Community, 3^rd Place Lander 4-H, 4^th place Lancers and 5^th place goes to Snelling 4-H.  Congratulations to every club that did a display, you are all winners for supporting 4-H.

Camp Staff Applications

Camp staff applications will be available at the end of next week.  They can be picked up at the 4-H office or printed off our website.  Camp Staff interviews are scheduled for December 8^th from 8:30-2:00.  Make-up interviews are Monday December 10^th from 5-7.  They will be held at the 4-H office.  Camp Staff applications are due November 30^th.

All Star and Emerald Star Projects

It is that time of year to start planning All Star and Emerald Star projects.  If you are in 8^th grade or older you may do an Emerald Star project, if you are in 9^th grade or older you may do an All Star Project.  If you have an idea or know you want to do a project but are not sure what to do please call me at 385-7418.

4-H Dinner Auction

I would like to thank all of the members who helped put on our dinner Auction.  Everyone worked hard to make it a great event.  Thank you.

LCORT

7^th, 8^th and 9^th graders start thinking about attending LCORT January 25-27 2013 in Wonder Valley.  LCORT is a Leadership Conference of Regional Teens.  It is held every year with counties from our section.  If you like to meet other 4-H members from other areas and learn some fun leadership skills come to LCORT.  The cost for Merced County youth is $80 which includes lodging, meals and a t-shirt.  Talk to your club leader or come to the 4-H office to get a registration form.  If you have any questions about LCORT please call me at 385-7418.

Countywide Robotics Project

The countywide Robotics Project will be meeting Nov 1^st, 8^th and 15^th at 6:00 in the 4-H classroom. Anyone interested in doing Robotics may attend.

JOIN The Revolution of Responsibility! $1,000 is available to 4-H Clubs and Groups

Due November 15

http://ucanr.org/join/

To JOIN the revolution, 4-H members, with the help of an adult 4-H volunteer mentor, should follow these steps to plan a project.

1. Identify an issue or problem in your community.
2. Find community organizations to collaborate with.
3. Plan the project: form goals, outline tasks, list needed resources, and prepare a budget
4. Prepare ways to document and record your project to share with others.
5. JOIN the revolution at http://ucanr.org/join/

A toolkit of tips, templates, links, and suggested guidelines has been developed to support your projects. From the initial work to identify a compelling community issue to the final celebration of its completion, use this toolkit to help you carry out the important steps necessary to ensure success. http://www.ca4h.org/Support/RofR/Toolkit/    

California State 4-H Shooting Sports

• Leader Meeting, December 8 & 9, 2012, Visalia, CA
• All California 4-H shooting sports leaders are invited to attend a state meeting to be held on:
• Saturday, December 8, 2012 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday, December 9, 2012 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
• The meetings will be held in Visalia, CA at the Visalia Police Association Range Facility. There is no fee to attend. Camping will be allowed on site. Hotel/motel arrangements are available in Visalia which is approximately 5 miles from the meeting site. There will be presentations of information regarding the project, guest speakers, and hands-on activities for all participants. More details will follow regarding registration and the agenda. The point of contact is John Borba at: jaborba@ucdavis.edu

The State 4-H Fashion Revue committee announces categories and service projects for 2013 SFR! Entry categories will be Traditional, Consumer Science Purchased, Wearable Art-Embellished, 2 Yard Wonder, and Duct Tape Challenge.

• Traditional: new this year, the entry must be sewn by the member as part of his/her 4-H Clothing and Textile project.
• Consumer Science Purchased has a $19.99 limit, shoes and sales tax not included. Receipts for all items showing except shoes are required, with purchases made during the 2012-2013 4-H year. The $100 CS Purchased category will not be offered.
• The Wearable Art – Embellished entry must start with a purchased garment. Duct tape entries are not eligible for WA-Embellished.
• 2 Yard Wonder is a Challenge category: using 2 yards of 100% cotton fabric, sew a garment and an accessory. Additional garments to complete the outfit may be sewn or purchased.  There is no specific pattern requirement. The entry must be sewn by the member as part of his/her 4-H Clothing & Textiles project.
• Duct Tape Challenge: Create a wearable garment out of duct tape such as a jacket, shirt, pants, skirt or dress. The member may choose to begin with a purchased garment or not. Additional garments, accessories, fabric and materials may be added.
• For all entries, the outfit must be produced and modeled by the individual member. The outfit must meet SFR modesty guidelines.
• A member may only qualify to enter one outfit at SFR. To reduce confusion, counties are encouraged to adopt this policy: At county fashion revues where a member may enter more than one outfit, the garments, accessories, and shoes for each outfit must be distinctly different. An item in one outfit may not also be used as part of another outfit.
• Counties may offer additional categories that do not advance to SFR.

State Fashion Revue is coordinating two service projects. he first is a sewn teddy bear or doll. The second is a drawstring bag. Patterns and instructions will be posted on the SFR website. SFR will continue to accept quilts for troops to pass on. If you, your project, or your county would like more information about SFR, these categories and service projects, or would like to join the committee, please visit http://www.ca4h.org/Programs/Events/SFR/

I am attaching a flyer about the drawstring bag challenge.

Announcing the New Highest California 4-H Youth Award!

The Incentives and Recognition Advisory Committee is pleased to announce the launch of the California 4-H Diamond Clover Award. The Diamond Clover is awarded to the highest achieving 4-H youth members through an application and essay process. All youth who achieve the qualifications are eligible for this award. Applications may be submitted at any time during the year and while a young person is between 17 and 19 years of age. Each quarter, applications are reviewed by the Incentives and Recognition Advisory Committee and awards are given. Awardees are announced annually at the State Leadership Conference. Applications are available now for submission beginning July 1, 2012 at http://www.ca4h.org/Administration/Advisory_Committees/IR/

Rationale:  Most youth serving organizations have a highest honor—Boy Scouts have Eagle Scouts, Girl Scouts have the Gold Award, Camp Fire USA has the WoHeLo Award. While the 4-H State Ambassador Program is a very high honor, it is a working honor and is prohibitive to many who may be deserving of a highest youth award. 

This Holiday season Weaver 4-H partnered with the Merced Police department in the Toys for Tots Drive.  The club collected 261 toys in which 211 went to Sargent Chapmen at the Merced Police Department.  40 toys went to help families at Pioneer School and Weaver Pre-School. Ten toys went to 2 families that were adopted by Weaver 4-H for the Christmas Holidays.  They will be working with Sargent Chapman again next year and hope to collect 400 toys.