TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN!!!!

Hello again fellow 4-Hers! It seems like the last few months have just flown by. Capital Days was the week of April 13th, and I had the chance to meet some 4-H members who were very interested in how our state government is run. (Plus I got to show off some of my dance moves on Monday night.) Personally, I learned a lot about state government, passing bills, making laws, and more. I was very excited to get to meet and spend time with Mr. Mark Singel, our former Luitenant Governor, in Pennsylvania, plus other Pennsylvania dignitaries! At the closing ceremony, State Council members passed out small brochures that had state leadership conference information, plus the service learning project information on it.

The 2008 leadership conference date has been moved up! Save the dates January 30th thru February 1st. Circle your calendar! Keep an eye out for all the early bird registration information. The "Dive Into Leadership" theme is pretty "fishtastic", if you ask me. Finally, I want everyone to "Check Out the Silver" , which is the 2008 statewide service learning project. Our goal is to collect pop tabs all year long, and then remember to bring the to the conference. The pop tabs will be transformed into money, which is then donated to "Ronald McDonald Houses." The more regions that take part, the more people we can help out. As a reward for participation, the region that brings in the most will be recognized during the closing ceremony.


That's all for now,

Emily Gabriel

"President's Message"

Hello Everyone! I’m State Council President Danielle Shaffer and I hope everyone’s 4-H year has started out great. I can tell you mine sure has!

State Council has been very busy lately, beginning to plan for State Day’s and the State Leadership Conference. You may have seen us at Capital Days this month. The event I most enjoyed was meeting with Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff. He gave us some insights to current legislation dealing with agriculture. Another big event at Capital Days was the mock legislative session. I had the duty to preside over this event that allowed the 4-H members to put the skills they learned at previous workshops into action. It was definitely an interesting experience for me.

In my home county of Somerset, we recently held our annual presentation contest. Upon the conclusion of judging, the winning speeches were presented on stage. Topics included the importance of preserving the Black Rhino, keeping our family history alive, organic farming and hemispheric dominance of our brains. It was a great evening for all who attended!

Well, once again I send best wishes to all of you. I know this is a crazy time of year for most people. I am busy, too, with preparations for graduation and college!

Yours in green,

Danielle Shaffer
State Council President

HEY~

Howdy Everyone!
Rachel your 4-H State Concil Secretary here! Hope everyone around the state is doing great!! Well I know I've been really busy these last couple of weeks since Capital Days. But we have we have to recover because State Acheivment Days is coming up before you know it!! On August 5th-7th you can head out to State College for a fun filled time!! I 've also been really busy with my projects for 4-H!! I was so excited t oget my pigs and I've been working really hard with my sheep too!! Good Luck to everyone on there projects for this year!! Can't wait to see everyone soon!!
~Rachel~

Hello 4-Hers

State Council has been active this month with many different activities. We had our first big event, Capital Days. At Capital Days we had the opportunity to meet with your representatives, participate in mock legislative visits and the ability to meet other 4-H members from across the state. I have also been busy myself with council activities and other activities that I am involved in. At the end of March I was able to attend the Central Region Teen Retreat, where I met some 4-Hers from the northern part of the Central Region. At the retreat my fellow Council member Abby and I held a team builder at the beginning and also held a workshop on different teen opportunities. Back in my home counties I have been attending my own club meetings and also giving presentations in them. I am looking forward to upcoming events like State Achievement Days.


Until next blog

Justine

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