Iowa 4-H Alumni & Friends

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