Iowa 4-H Alumni & Friends

If one Iowa 4-H club in one county can raise money for a local food bank, why can’t every 4-H club in every county do the same? The idea made sense to the Country Clover 4-H Club in Lucas County , so they’ve challenged every 4-H club in Iowa to make a difference in an effort they call “4-H clubs giving a helping hand against hunger.” “With so many people out of work, donations down and the holidays coming up, your local food banks are going to need help,” Country Clover Club President Josh Ruth wrote in a letter to all Iowa 4-H clubs. Ruth’s club came up with the idea as they were deciding on this year’s community service project. When they learned about the needs facing the local food bank, having their annual pizza party didn’t seem so important. Instead, they decided to donate their pizza money to their local food bank along with other contributions totaling $100. Club leader Tammie Ruth said they also plan to donate proceeds from an upcoming raffle to the food bank. “One of our mem

Every day we lose 1,000 of them -- some to old age, others to sickness and many who never got to visit the World War II memorial that was built in their honor. However, as these veterans and service men and women from other wars are especially honored throughout November, the Corinth Red Stars 4-H club has made sure one more is given the opportunity. After raising funds through a food stand at the Humboldt County Fair, the Red Stars decided to donate $600 to sponsor a veteran through the Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping American veterans travel free of charge to see their memorial in Washington, D.C. Only later did they realize that the father of one of their leaders also would be signed up for a future flight. “I didn’t know my father was going on an honor flight when the girls started the project. It happened after the plans were already set in motion,” said leader Jana Terwilliger, whose father served stateside during World War II as a driver for

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, has announced a $150,000 matching gift pledge to the Iowa 4-H Foundation to support youth programs. This contribution launches the Iowa 4-H Foundation’s President’s Campaign fundraising effort. Bill Tomlinson, Iowa 4-H Foundation board president and Pioneer Hi-Bred production director, states, "4-H makes a positive impact on our communities and youth through programs that support agriculture, benefit youth and impact education. We are proud to support the 4-H programs across the state that help create the next generation of active citizens and community leaders.” As part of the President’s Campaign, Pioneer will match contributions to the Iowa 4-H Foundation dollar for dollar up to $150,000 during Bill Tomlinson’s tenure as Iowa 4-H Foundation board president. His term runs through September 2010. DONATE NOW

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama may know him as the Ambassador at Large to Combat Trafficking in Persons, but Story County fairgoers remember Luis C. deBaca as “Louie,” a Huxley teenager in Wranglers and a cowboy hat, who was never afraid of a microphone during Family Fun Day activities at Christy Hall, the fairgrounds or Inspiration Night at Gates Hall in Nevada. In the early 1980s, 4-H’er Louie de Baca was known for mixing traditional activities for a farm boy with other endeavors such as stained glass and baking. So, when the chance came up to take the biennial trip to Washington D.C., de Baca jumped at the chance. On the Washington Citizenship trip, Story County 4-H’ers met club members from other states, studied the legislative process and toured monuments, memorials and museums. In meetings with Iowa’s Congressional delegation, Louie represented the group and presented the Representatives and Senators with a handcrafted stained glass 4-H emblem. I

Crop producers who want to support Iowa 4-H Youth Development have another option besides writing a check or donating cash. They can give the gift of grain. Giving grain is a viable option for donating to the 4-H program through the Iowa 4-H Foundation, said Albert Grunenwald, the foundation’s associate director. Self-employed farmers who donate grain to the Iowa 4-H Foundation not only benefit youth across the state, but also reduce their self-employment tax and increase their income tax savings, Grunenwald explained. “Giving grain can save farmers as much as 49 percent of the donation amount. For example, a grain donation worth $1,000 could save farmers an extra $490 because they gave grain in place of cash,” he said. For specific instructions on how to donate grain to support 4-H, contact Grunenwald at (515) 294-4780 or abgrunen@iastate.edu.

Every 4-Her has a great story to tell – and we want to hear it! Send a maximum of 500 words or a 5 minute video about your 4-H story and have a chance to win two tickets to the ISU vs. Baylor football game on October 17! Entries must be sent to iowa4h@iastate.edu and are accepted through October 2nd. Winner will be named during National 4-H Week.

Stitch This! is a 16 hour competition among Iowa high-school youth to deconstruct a wedding dress into another wearable garment. Each group is judged on creativity, teamwork, workmanship, and presentation. The Runway show will take place tomorrow, August 22 at 7:30 PM in the 4-H Building. Here are the groups with the dresses that were randomly selected. We will be streaming Stitch This! live at www.tinyurl.com/4hstitchthis.

Caine Westergard, Plymouth County 4-H'er, stopped by the 4-H Building to check out the Clover Corolla! 4-H'ers gathered to model the 4-H Store clothing for a 4-H TV commercial. 4-H Power!

During the Iowa State Fair Parade! Baton Twirlers from Iowa, Iowa State and UNI!

A fish shaped cake! A pop can tractor! A colorful barn quilt! All of these are projects brought in by 4-H’ers from across the state today. As Fair creeps closer (yes, we are only a day away!), the 4-H Exhibit Building is filled with judges, volunteers, and staff working to get the building ready for the public. Personally, I enjoy catching up with those that I see setting up for the 4-H Building each year. Several of the people I have been working with for the past two days are the same people that were at pre-fair set up my first year volunteering in the Visual Arts department. 4-H’ers- your hard work on your projects is greatly appreciated. Without you, we wouldn’t have an exhibit building filled with creative projects to show the public. Your community service and leadership throughout the year is appreciated by your individual communities and the state of Iowa. 4-H is proud to have you as a positive role model for the youth in Iowa. Volunteers- your help preparing for Fair is great

It’s only 16 days until my favorite time of the year- the Iowa State Fair. What is more fun than 4-H exhibits, people watching, the Giant Slide, chops on a stick and tons of free entertainment? The State Fair is jam-packed with fun and excitement. With over a million fair-goers each year from around the world, I know I am not alone. Do you remember your first year in 4-H? This past weekend I enjoyed watching my younger brother, Hank show at the county fair. It is his first year in 4-H and he had the time of his life showing his dog, poultry, doing an educational presentation, participating in the Pride of Iowa contest, and being involved with the clothing event. Though he isn’t old enough to show at the State Fair this year, he is excited to see the projects and animals that 4-Her’s will bring to Des Moines in just a couple of weeks. The Iowa 4-H staff has been busy for weeks and there’s no sign of slowing down ahead! Recently, I pulled the wedding dresses from the closet to take photo

Ahoy Mateys! Over 900 of Iowa's youth gathered together for the 2009 Iowa State 4-H Conference on Iowa State University's campus held June 30- July 2. This three day voyage was jam-packed with hands-on educational workshops, motivational speakers, exploring campus life, community service activities and making new friends. The Iowa State 4-H Conference was planned by the 2008-2009 State 4-H Council and the Iowa State University Extension State 4-H Youth Development staff. Check out the photos of the Voyage to Greatness below! If you would like to learn how to get involved with Conference next year as a delegate, presenter, chaperone or by donating prizes, food or supplies- e-mail me at dbohling@iastate.edu.

With the opportunity to tear apart wedding dresses and design new garments, Iowa teens are ready to Stitch This! Thirteen teams have been selected to compete in the Iowa 4-H “Stitch This!” fashion design event at the Iowa State Fair. The public can watch the action take place in the 4-H Exhibits Building from 3-9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, said Shelly Greving, marketing coordinator for the Iowa 4-H Foundation. The event will culminate in a runway-style fashion show at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22 on the 4-H Exhibits Building’s center stage. “We originally planned for nine teams because we had nine wedding dresses,” Greving said. “We were overwhelmed by the interest from teens who really wanted to participate, so we put out a call for more wedding dresses. Thanks to the additional donated gowns, we were able to expand to 13 teams.” During the two-day event, each team will be given a wedding dress. Each team must use the dress to create a new garment that will be w

Forget Susan Boyle and David Hasselhoff. Britain and America may have talent, but so do Iowa’s former 4-H’ers. They’ll have a chance to show it during Alumni 4-H’ers Got Talent, Thursday, Aug. 13 at the Iowa State Fair. Former 4-H members from across the state are invited to perform on the main stage of the 4-H Exhibit Building in this second annual Share-the-Fun competition specifically for alumni, said Shelly Greving, marketing coordinator for the Iowa 4-H Foundation. Share-the-Fun is 4-H’s version of a talent show. 4-H youth first perform at the county level and top acts compete at State Fair. “Alumni 4-H’ers Got Talent is open to 4-H alumni who may or may not have participated in Share-the-Fun when they were in 4-H. We’re looking for talent in all ages, shapes and forms,” Greving said. “As long as the individual performer or at least one member of a group is a former 4-H’er, just about anything goes.” Applications are available from the Iowa 4-H Foundation Web site, http://www.iowa

Meet Maddi Maddi Sieck grew up in Glenwood, Iowa and is currently a senior in Advertising at Iowa State University. She loves to golf, paint and play piano. Maddi is the Iowa 4-H Foundation Marketing Intern working with Silas to schedule, promote, and exhibit the '09 Iowa 4-H Clover Corolla Raffle. They are traveling all over Iowa to county and state events selling tickets and raising money for 4-H in Iowa! If the Clover Corolla isn’t coming to your county - catch up with Maddi and Silas at the Iowa State Fair in the 4-H Exhibit building! D.B. Why doesn’t the U.S. drop daisies on other countries to let them know we love them? M.S. 1) We don't have enough daisies. 2) Some people might have allergies. I propose we drop cupcakes on other countries. Cupcakes are smaller versions of cakes, and are in no way offensive, they would also help feed the hungry! D.B. Would you rather be able to stop time while you slept or never need to do laundry? M.S. I hate doing laundry! So I would sto

Calling all Iowa 4-H Alumni: Alumni 4-Her’s Got Talent! A Share-the-Fun competition for all past 4-H’ers! Former Iowa 4-Her’s are invited to participate in the 2nd Annual Alumni Share-the-Fun competition, Alumni 4-H’ers Got Talent! On the evening of Thursday, August 13th, 2009, former 4-H’ers from across the state will perform a variety of acts on the Main Stage of the 4-H Exhibit Building at the Iowa State Fair. We’re looking for talent in all ages, shapes, and forms, to apply today! As long as one member is a former 4-Her, anything goes! A committee will review the applications, due July 20th, 2009 and select a variety of performers. To apply go to: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4H/StateFair/Documents/2009AlumniTalentShow.pdf 2009 4-H Research Studies Last month we announced the updates to the 4-H research. The national longitudinal study of the Positive Development of Youth called Waves of the Future is now available online. Find out how 4-H is making a difference across the nati

The wedding dress that you no longer need could get a new life as a deconstructed and reconstructed new designer garment. All you have to do is donate it to the Iowa 4-H Foundation for the Stitch This! fashion design competition at the Iowa State Fair Aug. 21-22. We got the idea for Stitch This! as a way to use the nine wedding dresses that didn’t sell at last year’s 4-H auction. We’d get nine teen teams -- one per dress. Then, over the course of two days at the Iowa State Fair, each team would take the dress apart and use their creativity to design and construct a wearable garment from the pieces. Each team would be paired with an Iowa State University Textiles and Clothing student who would provide direction and overall expertise on patternmaking and construction. Well, we have been overwhelmed by the response. We have applications from 50 individuals for a total of 14 teams. (You can view video applications from some of the teams on the Iowa 4-H YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/iowa

First let me introduce myself! I am DeEtta Bohling, daughter of Lynn and Elaine Bohling of Greenfield, Iowa. I’m a ’09 Communication Arts/ Public Relations graduate of Wartburg College. I am a former State 4-H Council member, National 4-H Congress delegate and National 4-H Conference delegate. Some of my greatest memories and friends have come from experiences within the 4-H program. My little brother, Hank is in his first year of 4-H and enjoying every minute of it! I have enjoyed watching him work with his chickens, practice his club demonstration, and grow with the help of the 4-H program. I have a passion for the Iowa State Fair and have spent the last two summers as an intern at the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation. This summer, I am working at the 4-H Foundation as the Events and Social Networking Intern. I am coordinating the Stitch This! event, 4-H Alumni Day at the State Fair, Alumni Talent Show and connecting with many 4-H’ers through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and th

In response to a question posed by a volunteer, we thought you might be interested in knowing what is being done to help the local county Extension staff transition to a new Extension structure in Iowa. Here is the response from Joe Leisz, Executive Director of the Iowa 4-H Foundation. I read the editorial from the Register and have had the opportunity to attend two of the listening sessions where extension director Jack Payne discussed the budget situation, background, and decisions that were made. I've also had the chance to visit with many of our County Extension Education Directors and Area Extension Education Directors -- this is a rough time personally for many of them and anything we can do to listen and help and provide personal support is important to do. Our 4-H Foundation, under the leadership of our president, Dennis Goering, and trustees like Rozanne King and Barb Determan (among others) took the lead to limit the budget cuts dealt to 4-H, and they are continuing with

While many 4-H clubs, volunteers and staff from across the state came together to overcome the disasters of 2008, we received many stories regarding the impact of these efforts. Despite the disarray caused by the disasters, 4-H youth and families were able to overcome these challenges and help those in their communities and around the state. Click on the comments below to read these heart-warming stories.

4-H is making headlines next to people who impact our world once again. Katie Stam, winner of Miss America 2009, credits her passion for community service to her involvement in 4-H The recently crowned Miss America from Seymour, Ind., would spend hours in 4-H performing in creative dramatics, competing at the county fair, and visiting 4-H friends with her family. She recognizes this as where she learned the values of leadership, mentorship and community service. With community service as her national platform, Stam could potentially transform the way millions of young people think about giving back to their communities and 4-H. “4-H is such an advocate for community service,” says Stam.” It encourages you to reach out to people in so many different ways.” Stam uses her 4-H background towards getting the message out about the great things that come from community service and how important and rewarding it is. Her 4-H pride is shown as she aims to get youth involved in their own neig

Summer is quickly approaching, which means it is time to get registered for camp! Camps start as early as the first week in May, and run until the beginning of August. There are several 4-H camps available for all ages. Whether you want to stay a day, a night or a whole week - the Iowa 4-H Center has a program to offer for everyone. Here is a sample of a starting point schedule for State 4–H Camps: 7:15: Rise & Shine & Get ready for the day 7:45: Flag Raising & Cabin Clean-up 8:00: Breakfast 8:15: Day Campers Arrive 8:45: Morning Huddle Morning Program Time 9:15-11:45: Specialty Camp program focus 9:15: General Camp first program 10:45: General Camp second program Noon: Lunch 1:00: Swimming 2:00: Shower/camp store/rest time/ mail & emails distributed Afternoon Program Time 3:45: Specialty Camp program focus 3:45: General Camp cabin choice time 5:00: Day Campers Depart 6:00: Dinner 6:45: Flag lowering 7:00: Weekly themed all-camp programs (Opening campfi

Greetings Friends of 4-H, We’re writing today to share concerns facing 4-H in Iowa. Budget cuts are happening everywhere, but one significant cut will affect the 4-H program. The Iowa House passed the Regent’s budget yesterday with a cut of $361 million to education. ISU is slated to receive $184.9 million which represents a 10.7% cut. This is significant because ISU’s cut is larger than that of the other regents’ universities. The budget bill “Senate File 470” is currently at the Senate and will then go to conference committee. We know preliminary plans are to cut approximately $4.5 million from Extension and $500,000 from the 4-H program. You can make a difference. We all know the value of Extension and 4-H to Iowa. Help us by sharing your passion for these programs and explaining specifically how they benefit you, your family, and your community. These are difficult times for many. However, the proposed cut for ISU and the resulting plan to balance the reduced budget by cutting Exte

A recent study has proved that 4-H builds youth skills. Dr. Richard Lerner, director of the Tufts study, reports these key findings. In 4-H, youth contribute more than non-4-H youth to: Self Family Community Society In 4-H, youth had higher scores than non-4-H youth in: • Competence • Confidence • Character • Compassion In 4-H, youth are more likely than non-4-H youth to show high: • Personal development • Family and community contribution In 4-H, youth work toward the future more than non-4-H youth through: • Higher grades • School participation • College plans In 4-H, youth are more likely to score higher than non-4-H youth in: • Selecting positive life goals • Overcoming obstacles in the way of goals In 4-H, youth are less likely than non-4-H youth to show: • Risky behavior • Depression Lerner, R. et al. (2008). The positive development of youth: Report of the findings from the first four years of the 4-H study of positive youth development. Tufts University, Institute of Applied

4-H Night at the Iowa State Women's Basketball Game was a huge success Saturday. It was great to see everyone out and supporting the Cyclone's. We hope everyone had wonderful time. A recap of the night.... Over 1000 4-H guests were in attendance Glen and Mary Jo Mente were recognized on the court for all the great things they do the Iowa 4-H Program One lucky fan won a basketball autographed by Bill Fennelley and the women's basketball team 4-H alum interview with Anna Grimley was broadcasted on Cyclone Sports Radio Network AND..... Chris Clover, famous 4-H mascot, made his appearance at the game throughout the night Overall, everyone had a great time. We have some fun pictures that were taken during the game, and we invite you to check them out at our facebook fan page located at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Iowa-4-H-Foundation/59560467951?v=posts&viewas=16926868

Hey everybody, Just wanted to remind you that we are sponsoring a 4-H Night at an ISU Women's Basketball Game. We already have 446 people signed up. WHO: All 4-H members, volunteers, donors, leaders and alumni WHAT: ISU Women’s Basketball vs. Kansas (last home game & senior night) WHEN: March 7, 2009 7:00pm WHERE: Hilton Coliseum, Ames COST: $10 (includes admission, hot dog, drink & exclusive I-State/4-H t-shirt) TICKETS: Go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/t16bgz Click on FIND TICKETS Select the number of tickets under IOWA 4-H PROMOTION Enter code IOWA4H to receive this discount. Make sure to get your tickets by February 25th in order to receive the promotion!! Hope to see you there!!

Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day is right around the corner, so we thought we'd share some 4-H love stories we've heard throughout the years. We hope you enjoy! You may even know some of the couples or have your own story to share. We'll start off by sharing a story about two generations in the same family who fell in love at 4-H camp! So what's your 4-H love story? Share in the fun by submitting your own story! Check back frequently to read more 4-H love stories! Happy Valentine's Day!

Welcome to the beginning of the Iowa 4-H Foundation Blog. In hopes to connect former 4-Hers, the Iowa 4-H Foundation is excited to hear stories, how 4-H has impacted your life, and just things you want the Iowa 4-H Program to know. Discussions will be posted every so often, and feel free to bring up any topic or memory you have of 4-H. Keep in mind future contests which may include videos, pictures, and personal 4-H stories. Check out the following other ways you can connect with 4-H online: Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/ ): Search Iowa 4-H Foundation and be apart of our group as well as our fan page! We will keep events updated here as well as current 4-H news. http://www.iowa4hfoundation.org/ is our website and a great way to donate to the program and find out what is currently going on with 4-H. Visit this address ( http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/fordtruck/ ) to see the details of last summers 4-H Truck Raffle. Pictures, videos and blog posts can all be found.