So Glad to be Back!!!

Hey PA 4-Her's,

Well for those of you who don't know me, I am Rachel Gruver, your 2010 Interim State Council Secretary...as some of you may know, I was also the Secretary for PA 4-H State Council in 2008 and I am so pumped to be back!! This 6 months is going to be fabulous! I am looking forward to making new memories with new & former council members! This past weekend the other council members & myself were busy planning new and exciting things for this year and for Council in the future!! State Days is sure to be a blast. Also during the weekend we attended workshops about teambuilding, diversity, personalities, & parli pro. The PA 4-H State Council will be heading off to Harrisburg in April for Capital Days, can't wait to see everyone there!!
Well that's all I have for now...until next month,
Council Secretary
RACHEL!! :)

Looking Forward to a Great Year!

Hey PA 4-H!

I hope all of you are enjoying this winter wonderland that PA has become! Penn State University looks really pretty in this White Out, but I'm ready for spring.

Since our induction at SLC in January, State Council has met once for our Training and Orientation Weekend, held in Milroy from February 19-21. During the weekend, we talked about what is expected of each officer, particularly by the rest of the team; for each officer, we determined how we wanted them to Encourage, Lead, Motivate, Advocate, and Represent us and PA 4-H. Later we set goals that will be carried out during our term, including: informing more members about the Council and the new voting process, encouraging more teens to attend state-wide events, and adding a new service project. Throughout the weekend we had workshops on Parli Pro, The Dog Poop Initiative, Global Whining, and several others. It was a great way for our team, made up of past 2008 and 2009 Council members, to get to know each other.

In the past month I also attended the Leader's Forum at the Penn Stater on February 13 and, along with Council Advisor Mya Rushton, gave a presentation on "Climbing the Leadership Ladder". It was great meeting the volunteer leaders from all over PA and seeing their enthusiasm for our events and leadership opportunities.

In March, Jamie and I will be attending the PSU College of Ag Capital Day (different, but similiar, to our 4-H Capial Days) in Harrisburg to talk with our legislators.

Communicating with State Council is a great way for you to have your ideas heard! We are 4-H members-just like you- who have connections with those people who make decisions about events and how PA 4-H is run. If you have concerns about anything or would like to request a state officer for your next event, please do not hesitate to contact us. My email address is jmblank3@gmail.com.

Please check out: our Council homepage, http://ps4-hc.cas.psu.edu/, our newsletter, the Clover Clipboard, at http://ps4-hc.cas.psu.edu/206.htm, our Facebook page called Pennsylvania 4-H and our Twitter page, also called Pennsylvania 4-H.

In the spirit of 4-H,
Jeanette Blank

2010 State Council President

Hello Pa 4-H

Hello Pa 4-H,
As you blog followers already know I am Chrisy Lambert. Last year I had the honor of serving as the council secretary. In January I hung my jacket up for a few minutes before putting it on again as the new 2010 Vice President of Events! I am so excited to serve Pa 4-H again for another six months! Last weekend our team met in Milroy to complete our training weekend. It was alot of fun and we made a great foundation and bonds for a strong 2010 team. We listened to workshops on diversity, body image, parli pro, and character. We learned alot and did our planning for the new year along with setting our goals. State days will be a blast with a creative theme and our new service project. Keep reading our blog to find out more as we work out details.
Take care and stay worm,
Christy

PA 4-H!!!

I hope as you get spring fever that your 4-H fever is here also!!!!! Your State Council is hard at work on event planing for the upcoming months. Last weekend the council had the opportunity to get together at the Hartman Center to team build, learn about each other and start planning our activities. It was wonderful to be able to come together as a team and be able to connect as a team. While at training weekend we came up with some goals that we want to accomplish over our term. Our goals include:

1. Inform more members about the council and the process by: providing packets with an application and letter during registration at Capital Days 2010, by providing a monthly article from March to July for A.T.S., visit a county council meeting and promote the council process by the end of July via power point/presentation
2. Encourage more teens to get involved in state wide events by: develop a brochure promoting statewide events by April 1st
3. Add new service project Penny Wars by: having a main collection at State Days, Flyer with explanation.

These goals will help to spread the word of 4-H and state council to members across the state of PA.

Over the next few months the council members will be busy with attending local meetings to promote 4-H activities to fellow 4-H members. I hope you join our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=feed&story_fbid=369439024675&id=770080573#!/group.php?gid=8695351837

Think Spring!!!

Justine Bush
2010 Historian/Reporter

Life's a Dance, You Learn as You Go

Hey PA 4-H!
I hope that all of you had a great time getting your License to Lead at SLC 2010! I know I enjoyed myself the entire time. For those of you who missed it, here's what happened:

On Friday night, Council kicked off Opening Ceremonies by coming out of a giant vault (thank you, Phil Hoy) carrying bags of stolen soda tabs. One member tripped the laser alarm, beckoning Jamie Bond and her gang of Collegiate 4-Hers to save the day. Following some introductions, Mark Lowery came up to give the opening address. Following Mark's speech, Council led some icebreakers.
Saturday was once again filled with workshops on leadership. That evening we were blessed to have Regina Vella fill in for our scheduled Keynote Speaker Rhett Laubach, whose plane was grounded in Oklahoma. Following the address we held our dance, which was fun as it always is!
Sunday morning we presented a check to the PA Farm Bureau for $269 for the more than 620,000 soda tabs YOU collected! Great job PA! Then came the Closing Ceremonies, a difficult part for me as well as my team. As we each read our thank yous and goodbye, we took off our jacket and placed it on a chair. The 2010 Council, made up of 2008 and 2009 team members who will serve until August when inductions will be held during Stater Days, then came and put on the jackets. Your new State Council Team is: President-Jeanette Blank, Vice President of Operations-Jamie Forinash, Vice President of Events-Christy Lambert, Vice President of Internal Affairs-Emily Gabriel, Secretary-Rachel Gruver, and Reporter/Historian-Justine Bush.

The ceremony was really emotional as I thought about all the memories I have from the 2009 team. At the same time I am very excited to serve again in 2010 and serve PA 4-H as its President. Whoever would have expected that a shy 8-year-old would end her 4-H career as State President? Probably not my leaders, teachers, my family, and especially not me! The 2009 Council year definitely made me a better person and I will try to continue that this year as your President.

I already miss my "sisters".

See you all at Capital Days!
Jeanette Blank
2009 Reporter/Historian
2010 President