Montgomery County 4-H News & Notes December 2015 A PDF Version of this newsletter is available on the Montgomery County 4-H Website Montgomery County 4-H 18410 Muncaster Rd Derwood, MD 20855 (301) 590-9638 extension.umd.edu/montgom ery-county/4-h-youth Alganesh Piechocinski, CFLE Senior Extension Educator 4-H Youth Development (301) 590-2804 algapie@umd.edu David Gordon Extension Educator 4-H and Agriculture (301) 590-2813 dgordon3@umd.edu Jeannine Shriver Administrative Assistant (301) 590-3210 jshriver@umd.edu Mike Laudwein 4-H Program Assistant (301) 590-2824 mlaudwei@umd.edu 4-H CALENDAR JANUARY 1 - beef registrations due Due on 5th - Volunteer Service Award form, 4-H resumes, signed record/project books, Diamond Clover Reports, achievement awards form (leaders only) 6 – 1st skillathon practice 9 - beef weigh-in 13 - record book judging 15 - out of state trip applications due 23 - public speaking & visual presentation workshop 28 - new officer training 30 - talent show IMPORTANT! HOW TO RE-ENROLL IN 4-H FOR 2016! People who are members of Adventures in Science only, and no other clubs, do not have to do this! Everyone who plans to continue in 4-H in 2016 must follow this process. You may re-enroll beginning on January 6, 2016. 1. Go to the 4-H Online login page located here (http://maryland.4honline.com) and log in to your family account. 2. Click Continue to Family to go to your member list, which shows all the youth members and adult volunteers in your family. The status next to each name should say inactive. 3. For each family member who is re-enrolling, click Edit next to their name. You should see their profile information. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Enroll for 2015 – 2016. 4. Update any personal information and Continue. 5. You will be taken to the Additional Information page. Mark the check box and/or sign each section. This section will be locked after submission. 6. Click Continue. Completion of the Health Form is optional. Click Continue. 7. Review and edit your clubs. a. If you belong to more than one club, please click the checkbox next to the one that is your primary club (this is the club you will make your enrollment fee payment to). b. You can change your club here, but you MUST first get permission from a club leader before joining their club. If you don’t, your enrollment in that club will be removed. Contact information for other leaders can be obtained from the county 4-H office. If you plan to leave a club, please be sure to inform your leader—otherwise it will cause a lot of confusion. 8. Click Continue. Review and edit your projects for the coming year. Click Continue. 9. Review your enrollment and click Submit. Please give your $10 enrollment fee to your primary club leader. Clover members do not pay this fee and you only need toBOOKS pay for DUE the first three youth members in your family. RECORD If you are doing a record book, you will need to turn it in to your club leader because they need to sign off on it—check with them to see when they need it. Then, your leader will need to turn it in to the county 4-H office by January 5th. If you need a record book cover, you can pick them up at the 4-H office for free; your leader may also have some. To find out how to complete a record book and to 1 FEBRUARY 20 - fashion revue committee meeting 27 - recognition night & silent auction MARCH 12 - communication contest APRIL 9 - healthy lifestyles workshop 16 - gardening workshop MAY 21 - healthy lifestyles contest 21 - visual communications contest JUNE 1 - camp registration & payment due 8 - fashion revue judging 11 - fashion revue JULY 10-15 - 4-H Camp Tawasentha download the appropriate forms, go to our 4-H member page: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/4-h-youth/4-h-member-area. RECORD BOOK JUDGES NEEDED Record Book Judging will take place at the 4-H Office on January 13 starting at 4:00. Each 4-H Club MUST send at least two volunteers to assist with the record book judging process. An extension educator will be available throughout the judging to provide onthe-job-training and to answer questions. Club leaders, please RSVP to Jeannine (301 590 3210 or jshriver@umd.edu) by January 5th with the names of your volunteers. CLUB LEADERS: ITEMS DUE ON JAN 5 As the end of the 4-H year and Recognition Night approach, there are several things we need from you: Record/project books—must be signed off by a club leader. You may also turn in your Secretary’s Book and Treasurer’s Book to be judged. President’s Volunteer Service Award forms—some 4-H’ers choose to turn this in directly to our office instead of to their club leaders. Achievement award nomination form—these awards are given out at Recognition Night on Feb. 27. This form may be downloaded here: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/4-h-youth/club-leader-area. Also, please remember to send us your club charter renewal paperwork ASAP if you haven’t already done so. You can find all the forms you need here: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/charter-renewal. PORTFOLIOS & OUT-OF-STATE TRIP APPLICATIONS 4-H seniors (4-H age 14 and up) from across the state will be selected to represent Maryland at the following events: National 4-H Congress West Virginia Older Youth Conference Virginia 4-H Congress Camp Miniwanaca in Michigan Youth who are selected for one of these trips will receive a full scholarship and travel expenses. In order to be considered for this great opportunity, you must submit a portfolio and an out-of-state trip application to the state 4-H office by January 15. A portfolio consists of a resume and an essay. You will also be interviewed by state 4-H staff—you will be contacted with the details. Your essay should describe your most memorable 4-H experience and highlight the positive experiences you have had in 4-H and what you would share with someone 10 or 20 years from now; it should be no longer than two pages, double-spaced, with one inch margins, and a font of 12 point Times New Roman. The resume should be no longer than three pages, single-spaced, with one inch margins, and a font of 12 point Times New Roman. Visit the state website to find out more about this program, download the application, and see the score sheets for your resume, essay, and interview: http://extension.umd.edu/4-h/youth-families/awards-recognition. Submit your trip application and portfolio online here: http://www.jotform.us/form/50544325917153 You can also send your portfolio to the county 4-H office by Jan 5 to have it judged with the record books, but you are still responsible for submitting it to the State Office. If you need help with your portfolio, call Alganesh Piechocinski at the 4-H Office, 301 590 2804. 2 4-H CAMP TAWASENTHA This year the camp will take place from July 10 – 15, 2016. 4-H Camp is for any youth (not just 4-H’ers) who will be 8 – 13 on January 1, 2016. We offer swimming, fishing, and canoeing on 24 acre Cunningham Lake and campers sleep in rustic cabins throughout the grounds. We have several nature trails and a nature education center. Campers can enjoy educational hikes led by a trained naturalist. Campers who want a challenge can experience our outdoor confidence course, led by professionals trained to help campers safely test their physical ability and gain team building skills. We also have a rifle and archery range with certified instructors. We offer crafts classes, leatherworking, multiple group activities, and we provide our culinaryinclined campers a chance to learn outdoor cooking skills. All the forms you need to register for camp will be uploaded to our website in early February: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/4-h-youth/4-h-camp-tawaswentha. Camp Counselors: If you are 14 as of January 1st, we are required to have you in a leadership role while at camp. If you are interested in coming to camp and you are 14, find the required forms at the link above—you must fill them out and send them to the 4-H office before January 10th. Interviews will be Sunday January 10th at 1 pm at the 4-H office. 4-H’s GOT TALENT! – CENTRAL CLUSTER TALENT SHOW We had to postpone this year’s talent show and it will now be held on Saturday, Jan 30, so if you want to perform, you still have time to sign up! Have you ever wanted to share your talent with your community? This is your big chance! The Central Maryland 4-H Cluster (Montgomery, Howard, and Frederick Counties) has decided to begin a new tradition—4-H’s Got Talent! We invite our 4-H’ers to show their talents and we invite the community to come and watch—there will be refreshments at intermission! Show Location – Bushy Park Elementary Date/Time – Saturday, 1/30/16 from 7 – 9 pm Ticket Price – $1 (there is no price to perform) Our talent show is open to all Central Cluster 4-H members who are 4-H age 8 to 18. Categories you may participate in: Vocal Music Instrumental Music Dance Miscellaneous—poetry, comedy, magic, drama, etc. Club performance—a performance by a club. Prizes—we will be giving out prizes for runner up and champion. There will also be a People’s Choice Award, where the audience chooses their favorite performance by placing money in a jar for their chosen act. REGISTER ONLINE by Fri, 1/15/16: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/4-hs-got-talent. IMPORTANT! If you are performing as a group or club, please choose a group leader or club leader to do the registration—we don't need a registration from each person in the group/club. 3 BEEF REGISTRATIONS DUE JAN 1 Any 4-Her planing on having market steer as a project this year needs to complete the Livestock Registration Form and send it to the county 4-H Office (18410 Muncaster Rd, Derwood, MD 20855) no later than January 1. You can find the form, and more information about 4-H animal sciences, here: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/animalscience-info-forms. Registration forms for other animals are due at a later time. BEEF WEIGH-IN 4-H Beef weigh-in will be held at 8am on Saturday, January 9th at the Montgomery County fairgrounds. If you are not in the beef club you are still required to weigh-in your steer to show. For more information you can contact the beef club leader Peggy Davis, montbeef@aol.com or 301-447-2651. SKILLATHON Interested in learning more about farm animals? Think you might be interested in being a veterinarian? Regardless of whether you own an animal or simply have a desire to learn about them, we want you! The Livestock Skilla-thon Team is getting ready to start practices. You will learn everything you would in an introductory animal science class, including feeds, meats, animal identification, equipment, and everything in between. If you are interested, please contact David Gordon at (301) 590-2813, email at dgordon3@umd.edu, or simply come to one of the first meetings. This year, we will again be practicing with Howard County, and the first two meetings are at the Howard County Fairgrounds dining hall on Jan. 6 and 13 at 7pm. Most practices will be on Wednesday nights. Everyone who participates will have the chance to attend the State Skill-a-thon Contest held in connection with the Maryland Cattleman’s Convention on the first Saturday in March in Hagerstown, MD. Please contact David Gordon if you have any additional questions. NEW OFFICER TRAINING Training is required if you hold a new club position that you have never been trained for. The new officer training session will be held at the 4-H Office on January 28 at 6:30 PM. Training will be provided for the following offices: president, vice president, club secretary, corresponding secretary, treasurer, and historian. There will also be a session for new club leaders. We are looking for experienced volunteers to help us run the training sessions. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Alganesh Piechocinski at 301 590 2804. To register, visit our website: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/4-h-youth/4-h-activities-events, or contact Mike Laudwein, mlaudwei@umd.edu, 301 590 2824. You MUST register no later than January 20. COMMUNICATION & VISUAL PRESENTATION WORKSHOP Saturday, January 23, 2016 9:00 – 12:00 at the Howard County Fairgrounds (2210 Fairgrounds Rd, West Friendship, MD 21794) Montgomery, Howard, and Frederick Counties are providing a great opportunity for all 4-H youth to participate in a communication and visual presentation workshop that allows you to express yourself and to improve your ability to speak before an audience. You will expand your communication talents and learn many valuable lessons that will help you in school, college, and in the job market. You can also use what you learn to compete in the cluster communication contest on March 12, 2016 4 (champions can compete in the state contest. In addition, this will prepare you to give demos/illustrated talks at the county fair. To register for the workshop, visit our website: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/4-h-youth/4-hactivities-events, or contact Mike Laudwein, mlaudwie@umd.edu, 301 590 2824. Register before January 19! FASHION REVUE COMMITTEE MEETING The 2016 Fashion Revue for the Central Cluster (Montgomery, Frederick, and Howard Counties) will be on Saturday, June 11, 2016 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. We have a planning meeting scheduled for Saturday, February 20th at 9:30 a.m. All youth and adults from the Central Cluster are invited to attend the meeting. We will start organizing our plans and committees for the 2016 Fashion Revue Show and the youth in attendance will vote and choose the show’s theme. Please keep in mind that you don’t have to be carrying the sewing project to be part of the Fashion Revue Show. We have several committees needing 4-Hers to help make the show happen. If you are looking for a great leadership opportunity, come out on the 20th and volunteer for any of the following committees for the show—narrations, decorations, foods, and others as needed. If you would like to attend the meeting, contact Alga Piechocinski (301 590 2804 algapie@umd.edu). RECOGNITION NIGHT Montgomery County 4-H will hold its annual Recognition Night in the Heritage Building at the County Fairgrounds on Saturday, February 27 from 7 – 10 pm. Please come help us acknowledge the achievements our 4-H’ers made in 2015. There will be food, prizes, and fun! PRESIDENT’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD The President’s Volunteer Service Award will be presented once again this year at Recognition Night in February. To earn an award, you must submit a record of your volunteer services for a 12 month period (Jan 1, 2015 – Dec 31, 2015). To learn more about the award and to download the record form, visit our website: https://extension.umd.edu/montgomery-county/presidents-volunteer-service-award. Please send the form to the 4-H Office no later than January 5 to receive credit for your hours. Below are the requirements for earning the award. There are three different levels you may earn—bronze, silver, and gold—and there are three different age categories, each with different requirements. Remember, the award is given based on your age on Dec. 31 2015, NOT 4-H age. Calendar Age (not 4-H Age) Bronze Silver Gold Kids (5-10) 26 – 49 hours 50 – 74 hours 75 + hours Teens (11–15) 50 – 74 hours 75 – 99 hours 100 + hours Young Adults (16-25) 100 – 174 hours 175 – 249 hours 250 + hours 5 WIN A FREE AQUARIUM SET-UP AT THE BIG FISH DEAL March 5, 2016, Gaithersburg Hilton The Capital Cichlid Association (CCA) is donating up to fifteen ten-gallon aquarium set-ups at its “Big Fish Deal” event on March 4-6 at the Hilton in Gaithersburg, MD (across the street from the Montgomery County Fairgrounds). To enter to win an aquarium set-up, kids between the ages of 8 and 15 should mail their answer to the question, “Why would I like to have a fish tank?” to CCA Kids Contest, 1056 Pipestem Pl, Potomac, MD 20854 no later than Feb 20, 2016. Answers can be in any format (essay, picture, collage…whatever). Applicants should also include: Name, contact information, parental permission and availability to receive and set-up the aquarium at the Hilton in Gaithersburg on Mar 5, 2016. More information available at: www.capitalcichlids.org/aquamania. 2016 4-H FUNDRAISER DOG AGILITY FUN MATCH Sponsored by Kids ‘N Dogs 4H Club of Montgomery County When: February 20, 2016 – match doors open at 8:00 A.M.; match commences at 9 A.M. Where: Breakaway Action Dogs, 900 East Patrick Street, Building 8, Frederick, MD Who: 4-H/FFA youth ages 8-19 & adults above age 19 This dog agility competition is held as a fundraiser for the Kids ‘N Dogs 4-H Club. Judging will begin immediately following walkthroughs for each class. Indoors on 3/4 in. hard rubber matting, ring size is 92' x 80'. ENTRIES WILL OPEN Once Premium Posted. Registrations by Mail or Delivery ONLY. Overnight or certified mail must be sent with the “No Signature Required” waiver signed. ENTRIES CLOSE ON Friday January 30, 2016 at 6 p.m., after which time entries cannot be accepted, cancelled, altered, or substituted. No Reschedule Date if Match is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. Online Rules & Regulations and Entry Form link: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?page=view&resid=FA2325A4F475D3C8!45212&authkey=!AKpL163kLfggNpo Match Secretary: ahotung@gmail.com AARDVARKS TO ZEBRA FISH & THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH INSECTS The 4-H Entomology Project Group and Back In Time 4-H Club invite 4-H members, friends and families to attend a guest speaker, Judy Flynn Cockey, to explore how entomology affects the animals who are our companions and share our world. Specifically, she will discuss parasitism, zoonosis, and food production. Judy’s goal is to help us appreciate the intricate balance among living critters and our environment – how it affects all of us. Judy is an equine dentist working on the Maryland Eastern Shore and beyond. She is also a veterinarian student at Ross University. In her spare time, Judy works with horses that need caring homes and matches them up with new owners. Since this is being offered during the Christmas break on Tuesday, December 29, at the Agricultural History Farm Park, we hope that you can take break between your celebrations and family get-togethers to learn entomology with a practical point of view for owners of cats, dogs, horses, and other animals that 4Hers interact with in our own lives. 6 *Please email Sandy Staples at sandybackintime@aol.com if you hope to come so if there are any changes in the schedule, we can notify you – After all, it is December and so far we have been blessed without any snow, but who knows. Date: TUESDAY, December 29, 2015 Time: 2:00 pm -3:30 pm Location: Agricultural History Farm Park, 18410 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855 FUNDRAISING FOR THE 4-H INTERSTATE EXCHANGE PROGRAM The Interstate Exchange Program will be hosting our new friends from Kansas this summer, and in order to do so we need to raise a large amount of funds to make this happen. We hope that you can help us! During our annual Recognition Night at the County Fairgrounds, we will be holding a silent auction again. Previous prizes have included ski trips, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra tickets, and trips to Disney land. We are also looking for items to auction off if anyone would like to make donations (Christmas re-gifting, maybe?). If you would like to donate anything, please drop it off at the 4-H office, attn: Mike Laudwein. We’re very grateful for any help you give us! 1ST ANNUAL MONTGOMERY CO 4-H STEM FISTIVAL A SUCCESS Montgomery County hosted its 1st annual 4-H STEM Fair on Saturday, November 7th at the 4-H Office on Muncaster Road. About 50 attendees enjoyed building SuGo robots, learning how to drive an FTC robot to earn their Robot Driver's Licenses, making foam gliders, and learning about the consequences of texting and driving using the scientific method. This event was part of MD STEM Festival week and was presented by the Hooligans robotics team and the Flying Tigers Aerospace Club. The texting and driving activity is part of this year's 4-H Science Experiment and was presented by Lucky Clovers 4-H Club. We are planning to expand the event next year by adding more science activities. The 2nd annual 4-H STEM Fair will take place on Saturday, November 5, 2016. For more information, contact Roshni Babb at roshnibabb@gmail.com. MD 4-H HORSE ART CONTEST The tenth annual Maryland 4-H Horse Art Contest will take place this year during Maryland Horse World Expo, to be held January 22-24, 2016 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. The registration form will be found at the Horse Expo website (they don’t seem to have uploaded it yet): http://horseworldexpo.com/MDmain.shtml. INTERNATIONAL 4-H EXPERIENCE: TANZANIA This summer, Maryland 4-H members, volunteers and staff will be continuing their efforts to promote global education and intercultural experience by taking a humanitarian focused trip to Tanzania. While there, the delegation will be lending a helping hand in the community, as well as teaching 4-H project information to develop the 4-H program in Tanzania. Male and female chaperones from USA will be joining the delegation. For more details, see the flier: Page 1 (http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4-H/InternationalPrograms/Promotional%20Flyer%20Tanzania%202016.pdf) Page 2 (http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4-H/InternationalPrograms/Promotional%20Flyer%20Tanzania%202016%20(Pg%202).pdf) 7 Complete and mail this application by Feb 1: http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/4H/International-Programs/2016OBDelegateApplication.pdf KIDS’ CORNER Articles by our 4-H’ers LIVESTOCK SKILLATHON: A SURPRISING JOURNEY FOR A SUBURBAN GIRL By Lauren Dallas Casually I look through the 4-H News and Notes, the heading “Livestock Skillathon” catches my attention. I become even more intrigued when I learn that it is similar to what is taught in a college-level animal science class. I have my mom contact David Gordon, our 4-H/ Agriculture Extension Educator, to let him know that I would be coming to the meeting. I explain to my mom that I would just go to one meeting to try it out, but probably would not continue because I did not know what livestock skillathon was. I showed up at the very first meeting and was intimidated by all of the 4-H’ers in attendance that had a vast knowledge of livestock. I was only a suburban backyard chicken farmer that had just completed my first year in 4-H. I had no clue what I was in for. Livestock Skillathon is a competition where individuals are tested on their knowledge of breeds of cattle, swine, sheep, and goats, as well as being able to identify livestock equipment, parts and anatomy, feeds, and meats. Individuals must also judge hay, wool, and meats, and answer questions about quality assurance. Montgomery County and Howard County 4-H’ers met together weekly for two months this past winter to learn about all of these different areas. After the first meeting, I wasn’t sure if I would return. The information was overwhelming and I did not feel I could acquire this knowledge in such a short amount of time. It was David Gordon that supported me and encouraged me to continue. After weeks of studying hard, the Maryland 4-H Livestock Skillathon was held on March 7th. There were 10 stations and a multiple choice test. Approximately 175 4-H members from all over the state competed. It was the largest turnout that they had ever had. The Top 20 winners were recognized in each age group. The Top 10 Seniors were invited to compete in several other skillathon contests to vie for a spot on the Maryland State Skillathon Team. I was so excited to place 4 th in the state competition, so I studied intensely to compete in three more individual Skillathons – Beef, Swine, and Sheep. With high scores in all of these competitions, I was selected to be a member of the Maryland State Skillathon Team. The state team studied together over the summer and fall. We competed in the Keystone International Livestock Exposition Stockman’s Contest in Harrisburg, PA, the Southeastern Regional Livestock Skillathon in Raleigh, NC, and finally the North American International Livestock Exposition/4-H Livestock Skillathon in Louisville, KY. Our team placed 3rd, 2nd, and 6th respectively. I individually placed 8th with a special award for 2nd place in Management, 9th, and 21st with a special award in Quality Assurance along with several other awards in these competitions. The 2015 MD State Skillathon Team: Hannah Lehew, Maggie Goodmuth, Lauren Dallas, Annette Braun I would strongly recommend anyone who has the slightest interest in animals to participate in the Livestock Skillathon. Through these competitions I learned a lot about animals, and now I hope to study animal science when I go to college. I would not have the kind of confidence I exhibit today if I had not been selected for the Skillathon team. I learned how important it is to me to work hard on something I love. I made some really great friends and got to travel to places I never dreamed of visiting. I am a prime example that you don’t have to own livestock or have previous livestock knowledge in order to compete in a Skillathon competition. With heart and dedication, anything can be achieved. Hope to see you at practice! 8 MONTGOMERY 4-H’ERS FEATURED IN DELMARVA FARMER’S 4-H IN ACTION SUPPLEMENT Two of our 4-H’ers wrote articles featured in a special 4-H supplement of the Delmarva Farmer’s latest edition. Jordan Cencula described participating in the Honor Flight Program in Washington, DC, and Paula Monterroso recalls the Nicaraguan youth group that visited Maryland this summer and got to know some of our 4-H’ers. To read their articles, follow the link below and go to page 11. http://www.americanfarm.com/publications/the-delmarva-farmer/special-sections/2665-maryland-4-h-in-action INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE TO JAPAN By Jackson Douglas, Rabbit Club, Advanced Electric Club My 4h International Outbound Exchange trip was amazing. I always wanted to go to Japan and once the opportunity presented itself I took it. The process was not easy. I used fair and contest money for my deposit. I filled out endless forms. Once my application was accepted I was interviewed for the trip by two 4h advisors. I passed the interview and received my acceptance letter. Hooray!! Next we had to go through several conference calls and 4 hour training on Japanese culture. This was very important and remembered not to do so many things and what to bring as appropriate gifts. My arrival in Tokyo, Japan I had to choose a project to share. I chose flag football and had to buy and the gear. Most other 4hers went with cooking a dish or sewing. I took many nice gifts and books. They loved the Ravens gear. I arrived in Japan to a super star welcome for our group. The food, fireworks, and overall enthusiasm for our arrival were beyond my belief. My host family and Souhei my brother were so warm and fun. We shared a love for Japanese anime and art. I went to school and learned rugby. I attended summer camp where we hiked, made cool crafts, and ate hardily. I hope that you will consider hosting a students or going yourself. We need to learn more about other cultures. I plan to travel abroad at least one semester in college. This trip truly changed my life in a very positive way. KIDS N DOGS CLUB MEMBERS WALK TO RAISE AWARENESS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE By Lauren Dallas On Saturday, October 24th, the Kids N Dogs Club visited Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, MD. Members joined with residents to participate in the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk/Walk to End Alzheimer’s. It was Asbury’s first ever walk to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research. Members of the Kids N Dogs Club brought their dogs to the event and walked with a resident named Ruby and her sister. They walked around the campus during the event to raise awareness of the disease. Club members donated money to the cause and the club matched the funds to donate to the Alzheimer’s Association. Everyone, including the dogs, wore purple bandanas in recognition of the disease. After the 1-mile walk was completed, we went inside the Kindley Assisted Living Building and visited with the residents so that they could talk to us and pet our dogs. Some 9 members got to go to various floors with their dogs and distribute the community newsletter to residents. Residents also enjoyed carving pumpkins while being entertained by the dogs and club members. Many of the residents used to have dogs, so they enjoyed visiting with our dogs and reminiscing about the pets they used to own. One resident said it was the highlight of his month and was so glad that we came to visit. Everyone had a good time and our club plans to do more therapy dog visits at Asbury in the future. GOSHEN 4-H COMMUNITY SERVICE By Dora Kreitzer The Goshen 4-H Club loves doing community service! At our November meeting, we made scarves that we will be donating. Everybody helped to make at least one scarf, some showed in this picture. They are made out of a warm, fleece material. We also started collecting canned goods for our Food Drive going on until December. In December, we will also be making gift bags to donate to a homeless shelter. The gift bags will include socks and toiletries such as soap and shampoo. Goshen 4-H is making a difference this holiday season! HORTICULTURE GROUP MAKES WREATH IN LOVING MEMORY OF 4-H’ER On Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015, the Damascus Community 4-H Club’s horticulture group called a last minute meeting. Two days prior, our club lost one of our senior 4-H’ers, Ross Korzeniewski. Our horticulture group learned how to assemble centerpieces from Christmas tree greens last December, and we all put those skills to use at our last minute meeting. The entire club worked to cut greens and flower stems to the perfect length, attach greens to four heart-shaped frames, attach white flowers to form H’s, and finally, attach it all together in the shape of the 4-H logo. The arrangement was gifted to the Korzeniewski family, and was on display at Ross’s viewing on Friday, December 4th, 2015. DOG BOWL On November 9, 2016, three junior members of the Montgomery County Kids N Dogs Club competed in Dog Bowl. It was a lot of fun. As a team, they earned fourth place out of five. In the overall individual awards, one member earned participation. One member earned tenth place. One member earned second place. The team had a good time at Dog Bowl. The best part was that the members of the team got to know each other better. Our next issue of News & Notes will be published in February. Please have all articles you wish published submitted by January 29. If you need special accommodation for a 4-H program, (e.g. communication contest) 301 590 2824 or email mlaudwei@umd.edu. The University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, or gender identity and expression. 10 2016 4-H FASHION REVUE CENTRAL CLUSTER FREDERICK, HOWARD, & MONTGOMERY COUNTIES What: The central cluster’s annual Fashion Revue, which gives 4-H’ers a chance to demonstrate their fashion sense and their sewing and modeling skills and talents. To participate in the Fashion Revue, you must first attend the judging. Who: 4-H Clovers (5-7), Juniors (8-10), Intermediates (11-13), and Seniors (14-18) HOLD THE DATES When & Where: Judging for Central Cluster When: Wednesday, June 8, 2016; starting at 4:00 PM Where: Montgomery County Extension/4-H Office 18410 Muncaster Rd Derwood, MD 20855 Contact: Alganesh Piechocinski- algapie@umd.edu Fashion Revue Event When: Saturday, June 11, 2016 Participants arrive at 4:30 pm Show starts at 6:00 pm Where: Montgomery County Fair grounds 16 Chestnut Street, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Details on the Fashion Revue theme, application forms, and other information will follow from our youth leaders and committee members. The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression. 11