Oahu 4-H - Newsletters

As we start the new 4-H calendar year there are some exciting events that your club members may participate in. On September 27th, HMSA will be holding the Island Fresh Fair at Kakaako Park mauka section from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. We will be selling watermelon slices again and doing Germ City. We will need one shift each for both booths. The watermelon booth will probably need 6 people and the Germ City should have about 10 people.

On October 5th, 4-H will have a booth at the Children’s Youth Day at the Capitol. Kyrra Lau-Eglinton is heading up the Health Rocks exhibit and needs your help. Please call her at 626-1685 if your club would like to help her.

Rose Saito

Since Oahu County 4-H Clubs are all not in compliance with being Certified Under the National Tax Exempt Status, I am printing the same article, which appeared in the November 2007 newsletter. Most clubs do have the charter and some clubs do have a federal EIN number, but I have not received the federal EIN number from all the clubs. Unless I get your EIN number and turn that in to the State Leader your club will not be a bona fide 4-H club. If you don’t have an EIN number, please go to the website listed below and there is a form which shows you how to fill out the form. It is a fairly simple process. I will send a reminder to the clubs which I have not received the EIN number. Here is the article that was printed last November.

As part of the new IRS reporting requirements, as a tax-exempt organization, National 4-H is now required to annually certify the list of subsidiary groups (4-H clubs and organizations) registered to use our National 4-H Group Exemption Number (GEN). If you go to the National 4-H Headquarters web site at: http://www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/library/4h_polregs.htm#tax you will see that there are four new fact sheets. Please download these fact sheets and read them carefully.

4-H will still have the tax- exempt status, but your club must be “chartered”. Two years ago we chartered most club and you should have a certificate indicating that your club is chartered. Each club/organization must also have a federal EIN number, which can be obtained by calling IRS or going online to: http://www.irs.gov and completing Form SS-4 “Application for Employer Identification Number.” Then, when you file your taxes in 2008, you will need to file the e-Postcard.

The Fact Sheet: “Electronic Filing Requirements for 4-H Groups” lists the different requirements for clubs/organizations based primarily on amount of money in the organization. So your club will need to be aware of these changes that are taking place.

Carol Ikeda will be sending the list of all clubs and affiliated organizations to National. If you want your club/organization to be included on this list, it might be a good idea to have your club enrolled before that December 1st deadline. It sounds like more paper work, but it needs to be done if we want to be in compliance.

Rose Saito

Congratulations to the following 2008 Oahu County Livestock 4-Hers who recently won awards at the State Show held at the Bishop Museum.

“Health Rocks” is a National 4-H program with a main objective of reducing youth tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. It’s not enough to ‘just say no’! 4-H & ‘Health Rocks’ program assists youth ages 5-12 to develop valuable life skills such as communicating with others, identifying facts versus fables, and dealing with stressful emotions.

4-H members will involve participants in a Fact or Fable ball toss game. The information shared develops children’s awareness about the need to resist risky behaviors, make good choices, and to build internal resilience. This knowledge teaches them to avoid choices that are detrimental to their health and may distract them from achieving their goals.

1) Children & Youth Day
at the Capitol
Sunday, October 5, 2008 – 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Looking for twelve (12) Oahu 4-H volunteers to run ‘Fact or Fable’ ball toss game. Ask kid’s fact or fable question, ball toss, provide answers and to hand out prizes. Work in teams of two (six per shift): 9:30am-12:30pm or 12:30pm-3:30pm. Lunch, parking and fun provided!

Contact Kyrra at 626-1685 or email Linda_lau_ahhee@hmsa.com with name, phone #, email address and # or volunteers, by Tuesday 9/16. Email with details will be sent to volunteers on Tuesday 9/23. Training and roles will be assigned at the event.

2) Kidfest
at the Bishop Museum
Sunday, October 19, 2008 – 9:00am to 2:00 pm

Looking for eight (8) Oahu 4-H volunteers to run ‘Fact or Fable’ ball toss game. Ask kid’s fact or fable question, ball toss, provide answers and to hand out prizes. Work in teams of two (four per shift): 8:30am – 11:30am or 11:30am 2:30pm. Lunch and fun provided!

Contact Kyrra at 626-1685 or email Linda_lau_ahhee@hmsa.com
with name, phone #, email address and # or volunteers, by Tuesday 9/30. Email with details will be sent to volunteers on Tuesday 10/7. Training and roles will be assigned at the event.

Thank you for your 4-H volunteerism! See you soon :)

Kyrra Lau-Eglinton

At the Achievement Banquet held in July at the Nehelani Restaurant, the incoming officers of the Oahu 4-H Organization were installed by Aunty Rose in a very impressive ceremony. She used the stately pine tree and bamboo symbols of perseverance, resilience and long suffering to impress upon the officers the hard work that is ahead of them for a successful year.

They are from left to right: Aunty Rose, President Valerie Inafuku, Hannah Wong standing in fro Executive Vice-President Kyrra Lau-Eglington, 1st Vice President Dayna Domingo, 2nd Vice President Kathleen Labuguen, Secretary Nicole Kahuanahana, Treasurer Tobi Kaneshiro, Stacie Nakashima standing in for Seargent-at-Arms Ashley Daida, and Historian Solomana Pula.

Also at the Banquet, we heard farewell speeches from the graduating seniors, Hannah Wong, Renni Fay Iwasa, Brittany Chang, Kayla Schlaich, Ross Shibata, Aunty Rose standing in for Lauren Higuchi, Stacie Nakashima, Devin Chun and Kellie Takamori. The group also presented a check of $180 to the Oahu County 4-H Organization, earmarking their donation for Food Show expenses. Mahalo, seniors and good luck to you as you embark on another phase of your life!

On Saturday, August 16, 2008, the Double Deckers II 4-H club participated in the 15th Annual Oahu Heart Walk at Kapiolani Park. It was grueling to arise at 5:30 am in order to be there at 6:00 am. We served a delicious gourmet breakfast as a community service to the many walkers and vendors. The Double Deckers assembled the dish, which consisted of lean beef and sweet potatoes, topped with onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and a special dressing. We served the dish and acted as host and hostesses. Thanks to all of the members for their time. Special thanks to the Hawaii Beef Industry for donating the beef and to the chefs from Michel’s At The Colony Surf for cooking and preparing the healthy food. Mahalo!

As you start to plan for your new 4-H year, please consider helping with Operation: Military Kids’ Hero Packs. Our goal for this year is to put together and distribute 1000 Hero Packs statewide as in the fall, 1700 guard and reserve soldiers will be deploying (again) to Kuwait. Our neighbor island 4-H’ers are taking care of the packs on the neighbor islands but that still leaves us with filling about 750 packs for Oahu children. We do have some items to fill the packs with but we are seeking assistance from other youth groups to either gather donated items or to create items for the backs. If your club (or you know of others) is willing to create/donate picture frames, journals, mini scrapbooks, baby bibs, etc with a “Hero” theme, please contact me at 956-7196 or email nakatsuk@hawaii.edu. We will need items by mid November. Mahalo!

Twenty five new military (Army, Air Force and Navy) 4-H club leaders participated in the 2008 4-H 101 training held at Schofield’s Bennett Youth Center. The group met for three sessions and covered the basics of 4-H all the way to how to create 4-H project plans for the year. A special thank you to our trainers – Julie Ariola, Max Siaumau, Lupe Scanlan, Rita Hall, Corinne Burns and DeAnn Acosta for adding their special touches to the training sessions.

We are proud to announce that the 2008 National 4-H Week promotional kit is now available for download and customization for use in your communities. Visit www.4-HBrandNetwork.org to access templates for bookmarks, flyers, certificates and much more! This year's theme, "Keeping it Green", shows how 4-H is bridging old ideas with new to teach youth environmental stewardship and connecting youth to science-related issues. The green theme also showcases 4-H pride and is a direct connection to our well know brand emblem.
This year's National 4-H Week also includes the first annual 4-H National Youth Science Day on October 8, 2008. A promotional kit along with details on the 4-H National Science Experiment will be added to www.4-HBrandNetwork.org next week for you to use in your communities. The 4-H National Science Experiment, created to help youth learn more about science while having fun, features concepts about water conservation using hydrogrel polymers. Additional interactive activities will be available online during National 4-H Week with the launch of the new www.4-H.org - 4-H's new online internet platform.
Stay turned to Clover Corner News and www.4-HBrandNetwork.org throughout the month of September to get involved in 4-H National Youth Science Day and National 4-H Week.
If you have any National 4-H Week promotional kit questions, please direct them to me at (301) 961-2913 or jgoldsmith@fourhcouncil.edu. Any National Youth Science Day or experiment questions, direct them to Allyson McMahan at (301) 961-2915 or amcmahan@fourhcouncil.edu at National 4-H Council.
4-H Reveals National Science Experiment to be Featured
DURING Upcoming 4-H National Youth Science Day

Science Guy Host Steve Spangler to Lead Youth in Water Conservation Activities

National 4-H Council announced details of the first-ever National Science Experiment (NSE), the designated science activity of 4-H National Youth Science Day (4-H NYSD) to be held October 8, 2008. The National Science Experiment will focus on the environment and will use science principles to teach youth across the country about the importance of water conversation. Science education expert Steve Spangler worked closely with 4-H and Dr. Bob Horton, 4-H science education specialist for The Ohio State University Extension, to create the NSE and related activities, which will be made available to the 6 million 4-H youth plus parents, teachers, students, and youth organizations nationwide.

Youth who participate in the National Science Experiment will examine the properties of water-absorbing polymers, which are long chains of molecules that can be used in environmental applications such as agriculture, erosion control, soil management, and environmental clean-ups. Youth of all ages will test the effectiveness of polymers in an easy-to-administer soil and water experiment and then post their findings online to engage in dialogue with fellow youth nationwide.

One of the goals of the experiment is to encourage youth to discuss the potential impact of superabsorbent polymers as well as environmental issues relating to water conservation and groundwater contamination. 4-H, part of the Cooperative Extension System of the United States Department of Agriculture and the 106 Land-Grant Universities across the country, has been educating youth on agriculture and the sciences for over 100 years. 4-H NYSD and NSE exemplify the kind of exploration that the organization encourages so that youth become skilled, responsible, and caring adults in the future.

“The National Science Experiment is a hands-on project with practical benefits that educate youth about our environment -- all the while making science fun,” said Dr. Horton. “The experiment helps youth not only understand how superabsorbent polymers can be used in horticulture, gardening, landscaping, and specialty crop farming, but also how they can address water conservation and groundwater contamination issues in their own community.”

“4-H has an incredibly strong foundation in the sciences thanks to its relationship with Land-Grant Universities across the U.S.,” said Donald T. Floyd, Jr., CEO and president of the National 4-H Council. “This experiment is an example of the way 4-H encourages youth to make a real difference in their community and in the world. 4-H National Youth Science Day will inspire young people to study and to pursue careers in the sciences so that our country is more prepared to handle global challenges in the future.”

Steve Spangler, a science author, teacher, and TV personality, will serve as a 4-H NYSD spokesperson, demonstrating water conversation activities at select events across the country. Spangler is widely-known in cyberspace for teaching millions of youth how to create an exploding geyser using ordinary soda and Mentos. He has made over 500 television appearances, including several stints on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and as the science education specialist for the NBC affiliate in Denver. He won an Emmy in 1997 as host of the nationally-syndicated News for Kids show. Spangler is an authority on hands-on science and inquiry-based learning and regularly leads teacher-training seminars across the U.S.

“I’m excited to be a part of this amazing 4-H event where people of all ages will get excited about science and the steps we can take to make our world a better place to live,” said Spangler. “This project is a great opportunity for getting kids to ask questions, make discoveries, explore new ideas, and truly be engaged in their own learning.”

Ready, Set, Go
Are you an educator or youth worker interested in learning about how to assist military children? As part of Hawaii’s Operation: Military Kids efforts, there are two workshops set that will address military culture, the deployment cycle, fostering resilience in kids, and building community capacity. The intent of the Ready, Set, Go training is to increase understanding of the unique issues facing military youth.
The following are workshops scheduled:

September 17, 2008 Hale Ikena (Fort Shafter) 9 am – 11:30 am
September 24, 2008 Nehelani (Schofield) 9 am – 11:30 am

If you are interested in attending this FREE workshop, please contact:

Cherise Imai - Dept. of Education Miltary Liaison
ph. (808) 586-5010
email: cherise.imai@notes.k12.hi.us or

Tamsin Keone - Army Youth Education Support Services Director
ph. (808) 655-8326
email: tamsin.keone@us.army.mil

The Horatio Alger Association is accepting applications for scholarship opportunities from current high school seniors. The Horatio Alger Association is one of the nation's largest college financial aid programs and this year will award over $10 million in college scholarships and grants to high school seniors throughout the country. While the association has been awarding high school seniors with college scholarships for over two decades, this is the first time the association has designated scholarships specifically for students living in the State of Hawaii.

Scholarship Information:
To be eligible for a Horatio Alger National Scholarship or a Horatio Alger Hawaii Scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria

If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact Krista Stehn, State of Hawaii field director, at (808) 644-1757 or kstehn@hawaii.rr.com

BE A DIGITAL HOT SHOT!

Tech & Learning invites K-12 students to participate in Portraits of Learning, the seventh annual digital photography contest. The competition, open to all K-12 students, challenges you to capture - and share - your unique vision of the world. If you have an artistic side, you also have the option to digitally enhance your photos with your favorite imaging software. The best digitally enhanced photo wins a special prize from Adobe. Other prizes include a digital camera, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and more! For more information, check out: http://www.techlearning.com/portraits/ DEADLINE: OCT. 1

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards (Deadline: October 31)

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards online application is now available! These awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial, Inc. in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honor outstanding community service by young people in grades 5 through 12 at the local, state and national level. Over the past 13 years, Prudential Spirit of Community Awards have been given to more than 80,000 middle and high school students across the country for helping the less fortunate, promoting health and safety, protecting the environment, and serving their communities th rough many other volunteer activities.
Young volunteers can apply online through http://www.principals.org/prudential or http://www.prudential.com/spirit. Applications must be completed by October 31, 2008 and return to principals for certification. Application deadline is November 7, 2008.

Take A Child Outside Week

Take A Child Outside Week is an international program designed to help break down obstacles that keep children
from discovering the natural world. By arming parents, teachers and other caregivers with resources on outdoor
activities, our goal is to help children across the country develop a better understanding and appreciation of the
environment in which they live, and a burgeoning enthusiasm for its exploration.
Going outside:

On the “Take a Child Outside” web site, you can:
• pledge to take a child outside and record your outdoor experiences
• get ideas for outdoor activities

Wild Ones Seeds for Education (Deadline: November 15)

For years Wild Ones® members and chapters have worked with schools and nature centers to plant and maintain natural landscapes in these centers of learning. Wild Ones is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the use of natural landscaping with native plant species as an ecologically better alternative to traditional landscaping practices. Schools, nature centers and other nonprofit organizations may apply for a grant annually. Projects must emphasize involvement of students and volunteers and increase the educational value of the site. Creativity in design is encouraged, but must show complete and thoughtful planning. The use of and teaching about native plants and the native plant community is mandatory. Funds will be provided only for the purchase of native plants and seed. For additional guidelines, visit http://www.for-wild.org/sfecvr.html

"The National Learn & Serve Challenge, October 6-12, 2008, is a concentrated week of special events and activities designed to spotlight service-learning successes around the country. It is also designed to show support for Learn and Serve America and inspire other schools and communities to launch their own service-learning initiatives." Suggestions for events include hosting a "service-learning t-shirt or button day at your school or organization" or presenting to your local school board and/or community groups. The Learn & Serve Challenge is a signature event of the National Service-Learning Partnership, made possible with support from State Farm® Companies Foundation. URL: http://www.learnandservechallenge.org/index.php

Register Now! Youth Service Institute 2008 will be October 26 - 28 2008 in Orlando, Florida!

Across the Street, Around the World youth are improving their communities through service and service-learning. Whether teaching a child to read or raising money to send bed nets to Africa to eradicate malaria, there’s no issue — large or small — not being addressed. Mark your calendars to join Youth Service America in Orlando, FL for the 2008 Youth Service Institute October 26-28. The Institute will present opportunities for participants to strategize critical ways to think AND act both locally and globally. It is the ideal environment for individuals and organizations to further develop their programs while learning inventive ways to engage young people as assets and resources on Global Youth Service Day and throughout the year.

The Youth Service Institute will focus on four target areas of service and service-learning success:
• Taking programs to Scale by engaging more youth for greater impact
• Fostering and strengthening Diversity outreach and inclusive initiatives
• Collaborating to positively Improve Communities at home and abroad
• Examining our perspectives around the meaning of Substantive Service
For more information and to register, please visit www.ysa.org/institute.

Join Youth Service America and its partners in accepting the National Learn & Serve Challenge,
October 6-12, 2008!

Through service-learning, young people can “BE A SOLUTION” to real world challenges that face our community, nation, and the world. Join your peers from around the country for a concentrated week of special events and community outreach activities designed to raise awareness and build support for service-learning. October 6-12 marks the kickoff week to raise awareness about service-learning successes across the country with the spirit of continuing the effort throughout the year. Organized by the National Service-Learning Partnership, visit the program’s newly revamped official website for the National Learn & Serve Challenge at http://www.learnandservechallenge.org for more information, Challenge Gear, activity ideas, and cool tools you can use.

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

If you have a disability and require special assistance during any of our planned 4-H activities, please call the applicable County Extension 4-H Youth Development Agent two weeks prior to the event.

We welcome your story ideas and 4-H job listings.
Please e-mail them to nakatsuk@hawaii.edu