Welcome to Oahu 4-H's online newsletter.

MAY 2012

Aloha 4-H Leaders, Members, and Parents,

Congratulations everybody for another successful Fashion Show. I wasn’t able to make it, but I’m sure our 4-Hers did a great job modeling their clothing as well as with the photography and 2-D art.    

Would you like to be on the Executive Board? If you are a 4-Her in the 7th grade or above, or know anyone who is, we ask you to look into an Exec Board officer position for next year. You’ll be helping the community, and building life skills. If you are interested, contact Jake Lockwood. Elections will be held at the May council meeting. All candidates must attend.

Coming up is the Achievement Banquet. It’s a great way to wrap up the 4-H year, say farewell to the seniors, and meet the new officers. More info will come out shortly. 

Aloha,
Farin Fukunaga

The election for the Oahu County 4-H Council Executive Board is coming up and I thought it would be good to give you all a heads up on what's going on. The elections will be held at the Council meeting on May 20th, 3:00 pm at Urban Garden Center.   Each club will have a maximum of three voting members, only one of which can be a leader and the other two are enrolled club members.   Below is the list of 4-Hers who were nominated at the food show meeting.  Nominations will also be accepted from the floor.  All candidates need to be present for the elections.

President:
Erin Voss (was not present when nominated)

Vice President:
Kathleen Corpuz
Amy Peria
Staci Kohashi

Secretary:
Amy Peria

Treasurer:
Aiko Doike
Farin Fukunaga

Historian:
Zachary Fielding

Sergeant-at-Arms:
Kathleen Corpuz
Zachary Fielding
Shawn Le
Joseph Lockwood
Jonathan Lum

Here are bios from three of the candidates. Good luck to all our nominees.

Jacob Lockwood

Those seniors 4-H club members interested in completing the portfolio for entering for the trip to National 4-H Congress.  The County deadline for the portfolio is May 15th to my office.  I will look them over and return to you so you can submit your completed portfolio by May 25th.  All other record books…clover buds, junior and senior books are due to my office by Wednesday, June 6th.

Rose Saito

The Hawaii 4-H Foundation is seeking applications for Children, Youth, and Families at Risk projects. These projects will be funded by The Weinberg Foundation through an endowment fund. The funds are intended to improve program delivery, initiate new community collaborations and significantly expand effective programs that provide an alternative form of education for youth at risk. These programs assist youth develop life skills, leadership and individual responsibilities. This year the interest rate is 1.45%, thus the amount available for award is $4,350.00.

Applications will be accepted only from staff, volunteers or organizations authorized by the Cooperative Extension Service, College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa, to use the 4-H name and emblem.

Funding categories shall be aligned with National 4-H Program Initiatives. The funding categories for which groups can apply, include:

1. Healthy Living. To plan, implement, evaluate, and replicate Healthy Living program focused on healthy living initiatives including nutrition, physical fitness, substance abuse, safety, and social and emotional wellness.
2. Science. To plan, implement, evaluate, and replicate Science programs, promoting scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills with hands-on learning experiences to ensure global competitiveness and prepare the next generation of science, engineering, and technology leaders. 4-H Science initiatives shall focus on youth developing an interest in complex systems and issues that will ensure their contributions to their communities today and their success as global leaders tomorrow.
3. Citizenship. To plan, implement, evaluate, and replicate educational programs which assist young people to develop citizenship, leadership, and individual responsibility in a learn-by-doing environment. Citizenship programs shall focus on empowering young people to be well-informed citizens who are actively engaged and giving back to their communities and the world.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/4H/forms/Weinberg_YouthAtRisk_GrantReqApp.pdf
Please submit applications to the Hawaii 4-H Foundation, 118 Gilmore Hall, 3050 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96722-2231.  All applications must be postmarked no later than Friday, June 1, 2012.

Walter Horikawa,
Hawaii 4-H Foundation Program Chair

The Western Regional Leaders Forum will be happening here at the Waikiki Beach Marriott and Spa Hotel, March 21 – 24, 2013.  We are looking for 4-H leaders or other resources in the community who would like to do 1 ½ hour workshops related to subjects applicable to 4-H youth or to various cultural topics Hawaii has to offer.  We are expecting about 500 people.  Please go to the Hawaii State 4-H webpage and the “Call for Proposal” is listed under the WRLF page. 

May 15, 2012
10am-12pm Schofield School Age Center
Lyman Road, Schofield Barracks

All Military club leaders, directors and trainers are invited to attend to show appreciation. We will also be sharing positive impacts of 4-H club programming and you are encouraged to bring a lesson plan or activity to share with others.

As always, you are also encouraged to bring photos of club work and youth in action. Please RSVP to military4-h@ctahr.hawaii.edu by May 3. Hope to see you there!

Carmen Golay

We are seeking participants for two Hawaii Adventure Camps that will be held at Camp Erdman (Hawaii) this summer.  Camp dates are June 25-28 and July 9-12 and both camps are open to any military teen in Hawaii or the Pacific Rim, 14-18 years old.

Each camp will offer a unique outdoor experience that will allow campers to build leadership, self-confidence, and teamwork skills while participating in activities like hiking, surfing and archery.  Mindfulness activities are planned at the camp to help youth develop skills to deal with stress.  (*Mindfulness is the ability to focus on the present moment with acceptance, which resonates with aloha literally means "presence in the breath"). Participation in the Hawaii Adventure Camp will enhance problem solving, self-responsibility and decision making skills, as well as provide youth with an opportunity to form strong connections with other military youth from the Pacific Rim region.

Both camps will have a maximum of 40 teens. To reserve a spot, teens must complete an application with all of the required information and documents plus send in a $25 deposit. This is on a first come first served basis.

Funding for Military Teen Adventure Camps has been made available through a partnership between the Department of Defense, Office of Military Community & Family Policy and the United States Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food & Agriculture.  Besides covering registration and activity fees for all campers, there is also funding to cover transportation costs for military youth in the pacific rim and on the neighbor islands of Hawaii.  (Teens from the Pacific Rim will be designated for up to $1000 travel stipend to cover fare.    Grant funds will cover travel cost for neighbor island participants up to $250.   Once officially accepted as a camper, parents will be responsible for booking the flights for the teen, and UH will reimburse them up to $1000 or $250.  They will need to send the receipt for their child’s bookings to get reimbursed.  Parents will also need to check the airline policy about unaccompanied minors.)  Ground transportation to Camp Erdman will be provided for all campers.

Applications and all other required forms are due 4 weeks before the camp start date.  Applications for the Hawaii camps should be sent to:

Dr. Thao N. Le
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
2515 Campus Rd, Miller Hall 201
Honolulu, HI  96822

For more information on the Hawaii Adventure Camp, call 956-2256 or email HawaiiAdventureCamp@yahoo.com
http://hawaiiadventurecamp.webs.com/

Please also note:
11 other states have been selected to offer Adventure Camps as well which are being offered between April 2012 through March 2013.  For more information about these opportunities, check out http://www.extension.purdue.edu/Adventure_camps/campshome.html

Claire Nakatsuka

The Oahu County 4H Fashion/Photography/2D Art Contests were held this past Saturday at the Art Auditorium on the UH campus.  It was a nice event with 26 fashion show entries, 16 photographs and 10 2D Arts entered.  Here are the winners who won top honors…Congratulations to the following:

Top of Show for Fashion Revue
Senior Division………………………………….Erin Voss
Junior Division…………………Stefani Sakamoto

Purple ribbon for 2D Art
Joelle Lee for her art work entitled “Fire Fox and The Pond”

Purple ribbon for Photography
Kym Kanenaka for 3 photographs entitled “Honey, is That What You Caught for Dinner?”; “Moon over Diamond Head”; & “I Thought I Saw a Putty Cat Stuck in the Window. I Did! I Did! I Did!

Everyone who participated in these three events is a winner.  And the entertainment was just fantastic.  Great job to all the chair clubs and individuals  who served on the committees and the Executive Board for spear heading this event.

Rose Saito

The lucky winners for the 2012 BZS drawing are:

“Best of Big Island” Gift Box
            Claudia Chang- Kona
            Sue Dela Cruz- Hilo
            Jeanette Kohatsu- Maui
“Best of Maui” Gift Box
            4-H Clover Lopers- Molokai
            4-H Clover Lopers- Molokai
            Kendra Kawamura- Kauai
“Best of Molokai/Lanai” Gift Box
            Carol Thamtrachai- Oahu
            Kona 4-H Federation- Kona
            Charlene Pascual- Hilo
“Best of Oahu” Gift Box
            Richard Chung- Oahu
            Gary Heusel- Oahu
            Devin Chong- Kona
“Best of Kauai” Gift Box
            4-H Clover Lopers- Molokai
            Steven Nagano- Oahu
            Devin Chong- Kona
“The Creative Chef” Gift Cards
            Claudia Chang- Kona
“Waikiki Beach Marriot Hotel 2 Night Gift Certificate”
            Darren Tadeo- Oahu

“Exploring the Treasures of 4-H” is specially designed for our youngest 4-H members!  Project activities provides 5-8 year olds with an fun, introduction to 4-H project areas.

In honor of Month Of the Military Child, community members from across the state sported purple attire as a visible tribute to military children and youth across the nation.  An effort that was initiated last year by New Hampshire Operation: Military Kids (OMK), April 13th marked the first annual National OMK Purple Up! For Military Kids Day with every OMK state in participation.  Students, administrators, D.O.E. and University faculty,  youth programs, businesses and community organizations took part in this celebration of the strength, courage and sacrifices of our nation's young heroes.  Whether you dressed in purple, dawned a purple ribbon or simply took the time to approach and recognize a military child, thank you to all who made April 13th a success! For more information about OMK or to get involved, please visit www.operationmilitarykids.org.  If you have any Purple Up! pictures that you would like to share, please send to omk@ctahr.hawaii.edu or call 808.956.4125.

Kiki Yoshimoto

This past Prince Kuhio Day, Oahu County 4-Hers had the pleasure to meet with some kids from other clubs from Alaska! Six kids from two different clubs, along with their advisors, visited Hawaii for three days in March. In between touring the sites and soaking up the sun, Oahu 4Hers had the pleasure to meet up with them one day at the Pearl City Urban Garden Center and share our experiences. There were different fun activities the kids could do which included t-shirt painting, scrapbook making, and cloth flower making. Of course, it would not be complete if there was not a service project involved! Everyone got to help Uncle Steve weed in the garden. A hula teacher came out and taught both Hawaiian and Alaskan 4eHers a short dance. While it was their first time dancing hula, everyone did wonderful and mastered the dance in just an hour! 

After a large lunch, the Alaska 4-Hers showed the Hawaii 4-H’ers some pictures of Alaska and what their club does. They were doing everything from riding ATVs and kayaking through the frigid waters, to teaching little kids how to ride horses. It seems that, while we are separated by a larger ocean, we all share the same spirit of personal intrigue and love to volunteer. (On a side note, the landscape was just beautiful!)

Thanks to the club members from the Warriors and Keyblade Bearers for coming and helping our Alaska friends feel the true "aloha" of Hawaii! It was a wonderful experience and hopefully everyone can stay in touch with their new friends! 

Erin Voss

Green Day Event Current and former 4-Hers gathered at the Urban Garden Center March 17 for a St. Patrick’s Day brunch and sharing day. Nearly 40 people took part in a potluck buffet, student-designed scavenger hunt and crafting workshop. Alumni 4-Hers such as Sylvia Kop (pictured), Gary and Karen Heusel and Walter Horikawa, described how their 4-H experiences shaped the person they became. Just Us club’s adviser, Sakaye Nomura, brought along her secretary’s minutes record book from her Lanai-based club, which was active in the 1950s. The Oahu Small Animal Club brought a live rabbit and a slideshow of their club’s activities.

Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup

March 1 to May31

Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest annual community improvement program, brings the power of 3.8 million volunteers and participants to create local change. There are nearly 1,000 Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup participating organizations from coast to coast ... and internationally. Find the Great American Cleanup participating organization near you or learn how to organize your own Great American Cleanup event. http://bit.ly/z1OHs4 

Special Olympics Project Unify Grants

Deadline: Rolling through May 31

The goal of Project UNIFY is to activate youth around the country to develop school communities where all young people are agents of change - fostering respect, dignity, and advocacy with and for people with intellectual disabilities by utilizing the programs and initiatives of Special Olympics. To be eligible, you must be between the ages of 12 to 20, or a current undergraduate student in college. A Special Olympics North America program is required to be your main partner organization. Projects must demonstrate the core essence of service-learning. Budgets for projects can range from $100 to $5,000.  http://bit.ly/wQUgJV

Afterschool Awards

Deadline: June 25

The Afterschool Awards is a nationwide contest spotlighting after school achievements for Elementary, Middle School and Junior High students. IZOD, JCPenney and NOW Music have teamed up to bring students a chance to turn their afterschool passion into cash for their future education. Students are invited to enter Afterschool Awards between now and June 25th for a chance to win up to $10,000 in scholarship money! Students can enter in up to four categories: Sports, Community Service, Science and Music & Arts to show everyone what they've got going on after the bell rings! Last year's winners were a wave-catching surfer, a fund-raising philanthropist, a star mathlete and a pop-lock dancer!  http://bit.ly/I3bGtP

Get Ur Good On Grants

If you're ready to make a positive impact in your community, Miley Cyrus and her friends at YSA want to help! With $500 Get Ur Good On Grants, you'll have the inspiration, project support, and necessary funding to turn your idea into a reality. Kids and young adults ages 5-25 worldwide are eligible to apply for a $500 Get Ur Good On Grant to support youth-led projects. Projects must address a demonstrated community need or issue, and must take place during June, July and/or August 2012.  www.YSA.org/grants/gurgo 

Epic Book Drive (through May 18)

Donate your books to help low-income families in your community. By participating and sharing your story, your team could win scholarship money! The drive that collects the most books will win a $1,000 scholarship for an individual or $10,000 for their group (up to 10 members). http://dsorg.us/JqsDid

Prom For All (through June 22)

A quarter of American families can't afford to send their teenagers to prom. Your fabulous dress could be another girl's ticket to a dream night. DoSomething.org wants to activate 100,000 young people to collect thousands of dresses for girls who couldn't otherwise afford to go to prom.  Clean out your closet and donate your gently used dresses to girls in need. Tell us about the awesome stuff you did by June 22 so you can be in the running for a limo ride with your friends! Get 5 of your friends involved by entering their numbers below and you could win a $2,000 scholarship. http://dsorg.us/IcAFwf

4th Annual Clifford Be Big In Your Community Contest

BE BIG™ is a national campaign that invites everyone, big and small, to take action and raise awareness for how Clifford's BIG Ideas (Share, Be Kind, Help Others, Be a Good Friend, Play Fair, Have Respect, Be Truthful, Believe in Yourself, Work Together and Be Responsible) can make the world a better place. As part of the BE BIG campaign, the contest will award $10,000 in community grants (one $5,000 grant and five $1,000 grants) to the BIGGEST ideas that best demonstrate Clifford's BIG Ideas! Scholastic and HandsOn Network will work with the winners to bring their Big Ideas to life!  Parents, kids, teachers, and community leaders are invited to submit their ideas. http://bit.ly/eSU7Om

NASA Earth Day Video Contest 2012

To mark Earth Day 2012, NASA presents the Earth Day Video Contest 2012. For the second year in a row, NASA is challenging the public to create a compelling video vision of NASA's exploration of Earth -- The Home Frontier.

To enter, produce a short video that captures what you find inspiring and important about the unique view and understanding of Earth provided by NASA science. Upload your video to YouTube and tag it using the instructions found on the contest website. NASA will feature the best entry -- chosen by a panel of NASA scientists and communicators -- on the NASA website. And, the winner will receive a behind-the-scenes look at the next rocket launch of a NASA Earth-observing satellite.

Submissions will be accepted until May 31, 2012.

For more information, official contest rules and to see the winning video from last year, visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/earthday-vid-2012.html.

If you have any questions about this contest, please email Patrick Lynch at Patrick.Lynch@nasa.gov.

4-H Power of Youth

For additional articles on 4-H youth development nationwide, check out the National 4-H Clover Corner News at http://www.4hblogs.org/ccn/

We welcome your story ideas. Please e-mail them to nakatsuk@hawaii.edu

The 4-H Name & Emblem are protected by 18 USC 707.