November has come and gone

Hello to everyone,

It is so hard to believe that tomorrow will be December and then this year is over. The State Leadership Conference is getting closer! This month was a busy one for myself as an officer. On November 21st was the Indiana County 4-H Achievement Night and Carol asked me to speak since I am the first member from our county to be on the State Council. I told the members and their families who were present what all we do as a council, the different things we have done over the past year, and what is being planed for the months to come. I also encouraged everyone there to ask questions at the end of the night to learn more about becoming future council members themselves. Not to my surprise, some of the members did approach me and a few are seriously interested for future councils. Even some of the parents wanted to know more about us. I am so happy that I can represent 4-H in the way that I do.

My hometown of Punxsutawney has an annual "Home For The Holidays" Parade and this year there were two 4-H floats. Great job to the Gateway Horse club and the livestock club that put together their wonderful displays and showed our town who we are. Seeing all of you walking and participating in the parade made me proud of you and our amazing organization. It was a great idea and it showed all of those watching the parade what 4-H is and that it is not just sitting in the barn and showing at the fair.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and to see you all in January at the State Leadership Conference. Bye for now!!

Laura Pifer

November Updates

Greetings Pennsylvania 4-Hers!!

I hope that you all had a good Thanksgiving! I went to Arizona to visit my family and what a temperature change! It was quite an exciting opportunity, especially since I have never been on the west coast during the holiday season!

For the month of November, I attended some club meetings and spoke about the upcoming Leadership Conference in addition to reminding them to collect soda tabs for the “Check out the Silver” campaign for the Ronald McDonald House. Also held on the 18th of this month was a conference call where we discussed leadership conference planning/setting up and farm show.

Our next council event is the Farm Show Governor’s Dinner in January and shortly after is a hotel walk through… and before you know it—the 2010 Leadership Conference will be hitting the Penn Stater-- and there is still time to register for this year's conference held Jan. 29-31, 2010!!

We look forward to seeing you around!

Have a good holiday!

Alex Stepnoski
State Council VPC

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gobble, Gobble,
I hope everyone has enjoyed their fall as the weather begins to become cold again and our winter months are soon to be here! I hope everyone enjoys the time off from school and time with their family. Also good luck and safe times go out to all those hunters!
Our council has had an exciting month once again as we get ready for SLC which is closer than we can ever imagine! We have some great activities planned and can not wait to share them with you all! I am both excited and sad about this event since it is the end of the 2009 council teams year. I look forward to bonding as a new team for next year though. We have also been busy planning for the 2010 Farm Show. I will have a busy schedule since this year I will be helping out with the State Council along with Showing a market goat and square dancing with my county 4-H club. If you see me around Farm Show don't hesitate to come and talk! No matter how many events I attend I still get excited to see Pa 4-H at it's best and all of our active members in action!
In the next few months please remember to keep saving those pop tabs and dont forget to register for the 2010 State Leadership Conference theres still room!
Until next time your State Secretary,
Christy Lambert

Happy Thanksgiving PA 4-H!

Happy Thanksgiving PA 4-H!
If fall is going anywhere as fast for you as it is for me, then it's flying by! I can't believe that it's almost time for State Leadership Conference and my first semester of college is almost over! I hope this finds you well and ready to enjoy some time off school with your family.
On October 31st we had a meeting in State College, PA where we discussed more planning for State Leadership Conference of the opening ceremonies and Farm Show in January. During Farm Show in January we will be attending the Governor's Dinner on Friday night and giving a bio-fuel presentation on Saturday. Also at our October meeting we were able to dress up in Halloween costumes and we had a special guest - State Council's former advisor, Dr. Bruce and her beautiful little girl Ainslee stopped by to say hello to everyone!
Reminder: STATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!!! Register as soon as you can and be prepared to receive your "License to Lead" on January 30-February 1, 2010. This year there are some great workshops planned ranging from Team building to a workshop about how to teach a workshop. Other workshops also include marketing, stress management, creativity, role modeling, delegation, and wellness in leadership, just to name a few!
Also, please keep collecting your soda tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. These tabs are very easy to collect, but they can make such a large difference for families who need to stay at this great place while their child receives treatment at Geisinger Medical Center. This is a great chance to give back to your community and it only requires you to collect soda tabs!
The quote for the month is:
"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent."
-Barbara Bush

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me!
Jessica Lehman
j.lehman09@gmail.com
Pennsylvania State Vice President of Internal Affairs

Pennsylvania 4-H Rabbit and Cavy Club Project Members Hop to San Diego, California for the National Convention

Held in San Diego, California on November 1-5 was the 86th Annual American Rabbit Breeder’s Association (ARBA) National Convention and Show. There were just over ten proud Pennsylvania 4-Hers who attended and competed in this event. At the ARBA Convention, members of this association have the opportunity to display their animals, socialize, and attend educational seminars. The youth members of the ARBA have the opportunity to participate in such contests as judging, breed identification, management, achievement, educational, and royalty. We have several youth to recognize for doing an excellent job in the national contests this year!

We are proud to have the American Rabbit Breeder’s Association King, Richard Vaerewyck. Hannah Wisniewski (our current PA State Rabbit Breeder’s Association (PaSRBA) Queen and Commodity Representative), Sarah Gregory (current PaSRBA Duchess), and Lia Schmittel were among the National Senior Judging winners. Sarah and Hannah were also tied for Second Runner-Up ARBA Queen. I received titles of the National Limited Management winner and District 9 Achievement winner. Morgan Turner and I also received an ARBA Academic Scholarship. Younger members Veronika Rodriguez, Tim Werner, Hailey Wolfe were among the National Junior and Intermediate Achievement Winners. Tim Werner also received a National Runner-Up Average Management award. Ashley Sloan received District 9 Unlimited Management winner. Bobby Sautner’s “Bunopoly” board game received national recognition in the Educational Contest. We are also proud of Rehanna Stepnoski for receiving National Best of Breed-- Youth with her Texel cavy (guinea pig).

If you would like to have more information or have any questions about what is involved in the 4-H rabbit and cavy projects, about PaSRBA, or ARBA, feel free to contact me at astepnoski@gmail.com!

Way to go Pennsylvania!

The month of October was filled with many different spookiness and of course 4-H!
I attended the annual Crawford County 4-H teen council's recruitment party. The theme was pirates and was held at our extension office. We had some new faces that were very interested in learning more about our county council and becoming more active in our 4-H program.

Our State 4-H Council has been completeing club visits and anticipating January for the 2010 State Leadership Conference! We have an exciting weekend planned and I know you don't want to miss out. Sign up today!! Contact your local extension office for more details and please feel free to contact myself or any of our State Council Ladies because we would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
REMEMBER TO SAVE YOUR SODA TABS!!!

If you have free time rake some leaves or go for a walk, remember winter months are coming so bundle up if you go outside and enjoy the fall colors while they last.

Jamie Forinash
President

Bumps in the Night

Happy Halloween Everyone!
Yesterday the Council held our monthly meeting, while dressing up to get into the spirit of things. We got alot accomplished including State Leadership plans, planning for the final upcoming months, and were able to talk about our SLC sponsors. The meeting held a surprise for everyone when our guest showed up. Dr. Bruce was in town and able to visit with our team for awhile!
The past month has kept the whole council busy as we participated in National Youth Science Day, held at Penn State. We also have been working hard to make contacts for sponsorship for our State Leadership Conference.
The next few months will be crazy as we prepare for conference, make our last club visits, and prepare for farm show. Just a reminder to everyone that registration is open for SLC. We all hope to see you there and hope that you are excited to see our surprises! Also, don't forget to keep saving those pop tabs!
Until Next time,
Christy Lambert
Council Secretary

Red, Orange, Yellow, and Snow!

Hey PA 4-H!

October has been a hectic month for me between classes and going to Penn State football games (and then that snow! It's October!), but I have also been getting to know 4-H members who live in my new home- Centre County.

During National 4-H Week (October 4-10), Christy and I along with members of the Centre County Teen Council, participated in National Youth Science Day in the Food Lab at Penn State University. We completed the Biofuel Blast experiment using various materials such as yeast and corn syrup to inflate a balloon. I also wrote a press release about National 4-H Week.

On October 18, I did my 8th club visit with the Centre County Teen Council, which was held at the Home Delivery restaurant in State College. It was nice to see people who I knew from early on in my 4-H years but lost contact with.

October 31 was our second Face to Face business meeting. Four members were present and in costume to liven up the meeting! We were excited to have a visit from our former Council advisor Dr. Jackie Bruce who was visiting from North Carolina! We also listened to Eric McGinnis talk about fundraising and the Keystone Society. Our State Program Leader, Christy Bartley, also stopped by to have lunch and meet with us. We continued to make plans for SLC about Opening Ceremonies and adjusting to the new changes that will be made for Closing Ceremonies. Our next big event will be the Governor's Dinner at Farm Show.

Registration is now open for SLC so be sure to get yours in and continue to collect soda tabs!

COUNTDOWN TO SLC: 90 days!

Jeanette Blank

State Council Reporter/Historian

"Good things come to those who wait. Better things come to those who try."

October is gone already

Greeting to one and all!

This year is flying by, and the month of October has already come to a close. Between talking to donors for the State Leadership Conference, and visiting 4-H groups, there is no wonder where the time disappeared to. Earlier this month I had the chance to represent 4-H at the Jefferson County 4-H Achievement Banquet. I felt this an honor because even though I do not participate in 4-H in the county it is still the one I grew up in, and my step-mom and little sister are active in the program there. While there I gave a small speech about what sort of opportunities there were outside the club level, and challenged the leaders who were present to urge the members of their clubs to become more involved. It was not just about becoming more involved in their counties, but to expand their knowledge by attending, regional and state events, such as State Leadership Conference. After the program was over for the night, many of the leaders came up to me to thank me for coming and tell me that they would begin to encourage their members to become active outside of the clubs.

Besides talking with other 4-H members, parents, and leaders this month, the entire team has been busy contacting donors to make this year's State Leadership Conference the best one ever. The date is quickly approaching, and the fun is just beginning. Today is a meeting of the State 4-H Council where we will continue to talk and make plans, as well as finalize some business that needs done in order to make the best conference yet. Keep watching our blog to find out what is new with the State 4-H Council, our members, and Pennsylvania 4-H.

Laura Pifer

October Updates

Greetings!

Currently, the council is working on further fundraising efforts for the 2010 Leadership Conference. We are also talking to local clubs promoting this event. I shared my conference experiences with the attendees of the Bucks County 4-H parent and leaders’ meeting as well as a few other local clubs.

Council members Jeanette and Christy attended the National 4-H Science Day at Penn State this month.

The 2009 PA State 4-H Council is having a face-to-face meeting on October 31st at Penn State Main Campus. Further planning for the 2010 Leadership Conference will be discussed at this meeting. We will also have a conference call in November. I will also be attending Farm City Day on November 20th at Philadelphia City Hall.

Keep saving those soda tabs for the service project and we are looking forward to seeing you at this year's leadership conference!

Alex Stepnoski
State Council VP-Conference

SLC Registration is now open!!!

Greetings PA 4-H!
I hope each of you are enjoying your fall and the beautiful changing of the leaves. This fall has gone so fast, however; winter follows all too closely. Now what goes best with winter? You may be thinking hot chocolate or an open fireplace but I'm thinking STATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE!
The registration for State Leadership Conference is now open! Sign up today! This year we have great events planned ranging from workshops on 'How to Teach a Workshop' to our speaker for Saturday night, Mr. Rhett Laubach! Prepare to receive your "License to Lead" at this one of a kind event just for you, the Pennsylvania 4-H youth! This awesome event may only be three days in State College, but you will meet friends and make memories which will last a lifetime, and that's not all! You will learn leadership skills to take back to the clubs in your county which will last a lifetime!
Also a quick reminder to keep collecting your tabs because they go to a great cause called the Ronald McDonald House located in Danville, PA. These tabs help to pay for families to stay there when their children are receiving treatment at Geisinger Medical Center.
The quote for this month is one which I have posted on my mirror in my dorm. I hope you get as much from it as I do.
"You're alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative was so uncomplicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences. It sounded like this: Look. Listen. Choose. Act."
-Barbara Hall

Enjoy your classes, register for State Leadership Conference, and keep collecting those tabs!
Great job so far PA 4-H! Please contact me with ANY questions you might have!
Sincerely,
Jessica Lehman
j.lehman09@gmail.com
PA State 4-H Council Vice-President of Internal Affairs

PA 4-H on Facebook and Twitter

Hi Everyone!

Pa 4-H is now on facebook search for Pennsylvania 4-H
and you can follow us on Twitter @PA4H

See you all soon at 2010 SLC!
The State Council