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TENNESSEE 4-H IDEAS VOLUME 05 - Issue 35 IN THIS ISSUE Appropriate Respones For Hurricane Affected Areas UPCOMING EVENTS September 9-18
September 9-18
September 15
September 19
September 23-October 2
September 24
October 1-2
October 2-8
October 6-9
October 15
October 15
October 17
October 30-November 3
November 25-29
Tennessee 4-H Home Page: 4h.tennessee.edu Online version of Ideas: 4h.tennessee.edu/ideas05 Ideas index: 4h.tennessee.edu/ideas05/05-index.htm APPROPRIATE RESPONSES FOR HURRICANE AFFECTED AREAS We are all deeply grieved by the disaster impacting our Extension colleagues and all citizens in the path of Hurricane Katrina. Like all of you, we here at CSREES are very interested in being supportive and showing concern for the safety and eventual recover of all Extension colleagues and all those affected by this disaster. The Land Grant University System, particularly the Cooperative Extension system and the EDEN network have abundant resources. HOWEVER, we urge you to listen to lessons learned in previous disaster experiences. We encourage you to consider the following:
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Be sensitive to the stress level and personal balance of your friends and colleagues. Make certain well meaning actions do not add stress inadvertently. Thank you for all your concern and caring for your fellow citizens. Mary Gray HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS PLANNED BY MISSISSIPPI 4-H Our sincere thanks for the many calls and emails that have come to Mississippi 4-H in support of the relief efforts. Currently, we are re-connecting with all of our Extension staff in South Mississippi and with our 4-H families. The destruction and loss is overwhelming, but we are seeing acts of unbelievable courage and caring. Currently, we are formulating a plan to coordinate the efforts of the tremendous out-pouring from the 4-H family across the country. Our plans include, ways to support the children in the numerous rescue centers across the state. We are also looking for ways to connect the 4-H families “club to club,” one of the many examples is a horse club in another state wanting to support our horse club members in Mississippi that were affected. We are also ready to orchestrate making sure our 4-H members here receive “letters of hope and caring” from 4-H members across the country. The Mississippi 4-H Foundation is coordinating with our colleagues at Red Cross and Salvation Army, as well as our local 4-H programs and their relief efforts. Our Web site (www.msucares.com) will continue to be a point of information and coordination for these and other efforts of Mississippi State University Extension Service to bring the resources needed to help our children and families the help they need. We are launching “Operation 4-H Relief,” a way to help our young people and families find their way back to a normal life through a sea of chaos. We will continue to communicate with you about needs here as time goes by. As individuals email and call, we are developing a data-base to share the needs and the role they can play in bringing order back to the chaos that has affected our children, youth and families in Mississippi. Again, our appreciate for your caring. Susan Holder Special thanks are in order to all individuals who have entered data into the Life Skills Evaluation System (LSES). As of August 29, 2005, eight of the 30 possible levels of the 10 Tennessee 4-H life skills had data entered into the database for 2005. And, the results are impressive! In Beginning (BG) Communications 8,607 youth were served and 1022 surveyed. The mean was well over 4.0 for each communications family, indicating the participants averaged a positive response to all statements evaluating listening non-verbal, written and visual, and public speaking communication skills. But, there’s more impressive data. For Beginning (BG) Responsibility, 1618 were served and 349 surveyed with a mean of 4.25. Yes, we do enhance the development of responsibility in the youth we serve. What are we learning that can be applied to program planning? For Intermediate (IT) Achieving Goals, the overall mean was 3.75 as a result of responses to statements ranging from 3.6 to 4.3 and a couple of very low scores. Although still positive, this suggests a need to look at the individual statements and find where we are not teaching as well we could/should. The life skill summaries should not only provide data for program evaluation, but also give insight to the things you are doing really well and the areas where you could improve. If you have not yet entered 2005 life skill data, please do so. It is exciting to be able to document the great things Tennessee 4-H is accomplishing. There is still time to sign-up to be a Healthy Lifestyles pilot county. See last week’s Ideas for more information. Jill Martz NRA TO SPONSOR 18TH YOUTH WILDLIFE ART CONTEST The NRA is now accepting entries for its 2005 Youth Wildlife Art Contest. The contest, the 18th in the annual series, is open to students in grades 1 through 12 (including home-schooled youth). NRA membership is not required. The deadline to enter is October 3, 2005. The prize money for this year’s contest has been increased. Winners in each grade category will receive $500. Second-place finishers will receive $250, and the third-place award will be $100. Entries may be submitted in one of four categories, based on school grade. Category I includes grades 1 through 3. Category II is for grades 4 through 6. Category III covers grades 7 through 9, and Category IV includes grades 10 through 12. Entries may portray any North American game bird or animal that may be legally hunted or trapped. Endangered species and non-game animals, such as eagles and snakes, are not eligible subjects. Call 703-267-1531 if you need to confirm whether a certain animal or bird is eligible. Contestants are limited to one entry each. Entries may be in a medium of the artist’s choice (oil, water color, pastels, pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, etc.). Submissions should be on good quality bond or drawing paper or illustration board. Preferred sizes for the image are 81/2 x 11 inch or 11 x 14 inch; matting is optional. Entries need not be framed. Composition must be original. Photographs may be used for reference, but artwork determined to have been traced or copied from an existing photograph or work of art will be disqualified. Entries must arrive at NRA by October 3, 2005, and must be accompanied by a brief statement signed by the student’s parent, guardian, or teacher attesting to the originality of the work and verifying the artist’s grade level as of October 3, 2005. In addition, the artist’s name, home address, phone number, age and grade must be printed on the back of the entry or on a note attached to the back of the entry. Entries will be judged on effort, creativity, anatomical accuracy and composition. Send entries to: NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, Virginia 22030. Entries will be returned only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. NRA assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged artwork and reserves all rights to reproduce entries. The immediate families of NRA staff members are not eligible to enter. Questions regarding the contest may be directed to 703-267-1531. Steve Sutton NATIONAL DAYS OF SERVICE One Day's Pay Patrick Hamilton PLEASE KEEP BUYING THOSE AG TAGS! The Tennessee Department of Agriculture recently announced that the Tennessee 4-H Foundation is to receive $55,000 from Ag Tag funds during the 2005-2006 state fiscal year. The contract provides the following.
Mark Gateley SRLF REGISTRATION AT AN ALL TIME HIGH The 2005 Southern Region Leader Forum will be held October 6-9 at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia. As of September 1st, Tennessee is pleased to boast a delegation of 105 volunteers and staff from across the state. Thanks to the generosity of the Tennessee 4-H Foundation, Inc., a charter bus and passenger vans are being provided to the 2005 forum. Those registered should look for an informational packet in the mail early next week. If you have questions or need additional information on the 2005 SRLF, please contact Patrick Hamilton at 865-974-2128 or via email at patrick@utk.edu. Patrick Hamilton WILD HORSE AND BURRO ADOPTION COMING TO CLINTON The U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management-Eastern States will be holding a wild horse and burro adoption in Clinton, Tennessee, September 24-25, 2005 at the Sports Horse Complex (formerly known as the Miller Hollow Equestrian Center) at 500 Miller Road. You can find a the flyer for the adoption at 4h.tennessee.edu/ideas05/attach/horseflyer.jpg which has information about the adoption and the toll free phone numbers to call for additional information. If you are interested in helping to find homes for these magnificent animals, feel free to print off a few copies of the flyers and put them up where you think people might see them. Steve Sutton YOUTH GARDEN GRANTS PROGRAM The National Gardening Association and the Home Depot will award Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered, outdoor garden programs. In 2006, 150 programs will receive Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of gardening materials and supplies particular to the needs of their program and an activity package from NGA. Fifty first-place winners will receive $500 gift cards, and 100 second-place winners will receive $250 gift cards. The application deadline is November 30, 2005. For more information, visit the Web site at www.kidsgardening.com/grants.asp. Steve Sutton THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK The problem with troubleshooting is that trouble shoots back.
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