Hi all!

Hi all!!

Hope you all are having fun so far this year! My name is Jennifer Lucas and I’m the 2008 Pennsylvania State 4-H Council Historian. I’m from Clarion County in the Northwest region of the state. I began showing sheep my first year enrolled in 4-H at age 8, and for the past 7 years I’ve been showing Jersey dairy cattle as my projects.

The end of February brought the council to State College for its orientation weekend retreat. This weekend was very informal and helpful to me. One of the most memorable things I learned over the weekend was that 4-H has an alliance with the handicap dog training association. I found this fascinating because I never connected 4-H with training handicap dogs. Come back later for more cool information!

Jennifer Lucas

Leadership Example

Hello Everyone, I hope everyone is getting a good start on this 4-H year and all is well! Last evening, as I was watching the final Celebrity Apprentice episode, it made me think of some of our council goals for this year. We have determined that we would, of course, like to set a positive leadership example for others in the 4-H community to respect and follow. Although Trace Atkins did not win (he was my pick), I feel that he set a very good example for America to follow. He felt his goal was to represent his charity in a way that would not disrespect the organization. I believe that as a celebrity he did a great job of using his high position in the American society the set an example for others to ethically conduct business. His competitor did not mind that others didn't like him, but I think that Atkins definitely had more support from his fellow celebrities and fans thanks to his good qualities. I'm sure others may disagree with me but I also think it is important that we can learn valuable lessons from events such as these.

Well...just some food for thought!

Best Wishes everyone,

Danielle Shaffer

President

4-H is 4-FUN

Hello Everyone,

My name is Emily Gabriel. I am from Westmoreland County, in the Southwest region. I’m one of two girls from the region on the PA 4-H State Council. For the 2008 year, I have been selected as the Vice-President of Conference.
In brief, I love 4-H. The activities are fun, and I love meeting new people. For my projects, I show my dog, rabbits, cooking, and sewing. I’m interested in doing more with public speaking this year, too. This will be my eighth year in 4-H, which means I have been involved in it since I was first old enough to join. I LOVE it!
Training weeked was extremely busy, but very educational. I learned several new things I would not otherwise have learned, from facts about 4-H, to how to present a great workshop. One of the favorite things I learned during the weekend was to form great answers to "elevator questions," which are commonly asked and usually tricky questions.

Stay tuned for more!

Emily Gabriel

Dear readers,

Hello! My name is Joshua Kays, the 2008 PS4-HC V.P. of Internal Affairs. I joined State Council to improve 4-H through my love of 4-H. This year, I hope to raise money for the Leadership Conference, to improve participation in the conference state wide, and to encourage members of the 4-H community to "live the motto" by making the best better in all that they do. Luckily, I was provided the tools necessary to accomplish these goals at the 3-day training weekend in the Penn State Days Inn Hotel.
Speaking of which, wow! What a weekend we had! I thought I would be missing school and getting a break when I called out on Friday to drive to Penn State. However, from the moment we started till the second we stopped, I felt that I, and the rest of our 7-member council, seemed to never stop learning! That weekend was probably the most challenging event that I have ever participated in, both mentally and cognitively. I am SO glad I'm part of this wonderful opportunity, and I'm looking forward to the next event on our calendar: Capitol Days! Until next time….

ttyl!

Josh

Introduction

Greetings everyone! My name is Danielle Shaffer and I am thrilled to be representing the wonderful 4-H program as the 2008 State Council President. I proudly hail from Somerset County of the Southwest Region. Some of my favorite projects include cooking, horticulture, market lambs and steers. I really look forward to the many amazing people we will meet this year and the events we will attend. Your council team is composed of many special individuals who are very dedicated to the 4-H program.

At the recent State Leadership Conference (February 15th -17th ) these individuals officially began their council year. It was very exciting for us to finally meet face-to-face and we immediately began sharing our experiences and ideas. We were “Groovin’ into Leadership” with other members, as we attended various workshops including Communications, Time Management, and Team Building. My favorite part was the guest speaker, he had amazing dance skills and a superb sense of humor.

The skills and preparation we experienced at the conference were just the beginning of our initial training. We just completed a jam-packed weekend of workshops and activities. Not only did we learn many important skills, we learned more about our duties in order to better serve all of you. I learned this weekend how to be more “tech savvy” and how to develop good workshops. This was also a huge opportunity for us to get to know each other better and begin to lay the foundation of our team.

I can’t wait for all that is to come, especially Capital Days next month! This will be my first year to attend this event, so I will be working extra hard to prepare! It going to be tons of fun, and remember I will be learning too!

Also, please be sure to check back here often to find out the latest news and information from your State Council. Of course, no matter what, good news should be shared with others! Keep your friends and local leaders informed of the opportunities this year holds. I would like to wish everyone a very happy and successful year!

Yours in green,

Danielle Shaffer

Pennsylvania 4-H State President

Hi Everyone

Hi Everyone!

My name is Justine Bush from Lycoming County part of the Central Region. I am very excited to be serving as your State Vice President of Operations. I have been in 4-H for9 years, participating in many projects and activities. I am very actively involved in the horse projects, teen leadership, and scrapbooking. I was inducted in at state leadership conference. I had my first training weekend while on state council. One thing that I learned while at training weekend was how to set goals. This is very important while being on council.Once again I am excited to be serving on the state council. I can not wait to meet you all at capital days!

Until next blog,

Justine Bush

State Vice President of Operations

Hey!!

This is Rachel Gruver, your new State Council Secretary from Clarion County. I have been in 4-H for 8 years. I show horses, pigs, and sheep! I am also very active in my county's Teen Council.

In February, we were all inducted at the Leadership Conference at the Penn Stater out in State College.We are so excited to get our year started.

This month we had our training weekend and tryed to learn the ropes of a State Council member. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot!!
It has been amazing...and very busy!!

This April, we are all heading out to Harrisburg for Capitol Days. It's a lot of fun and I hope to see everyone there!!! I am so excited!!

Hope to see you soon,
~Rachel Gruver

Hello Everyone

Hello Everyone!
Wow! Already so soon into the New Year, the fun is beginning! The State Leadership Conference held in mid-February was awesome! I can't wait until next year! It'll be So AMAZING!
Oh! I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Abby Dressler, your 2008 PA State 4-H Council News Reporter! I'm from Clearfield County which is in the Central Region. My projects are Horse (performance and production), Swine, Beef, Sheep, Poultry, Leadership and Public Speaking. I'm the president of my 4-H Club and my county's teen council! As a State Council member, I’m planning to promote 4-H to anyone and everyone! I hope to make this year one of the best years ever!
Our State Council met this past weekend and had a blast! It was great learning new ways to being a great leader! We worked very hard to learn our about our new roles and technology! We're on the Web! Woo! Haha! So please feel free to drop us a line on our website! Our Website is….
--> http://www.ps4-hc.cas.psu.edu

Well, gotta go! I look forward to working with you this coming year!
Your Friend,
Abby Dressler!*