Unit 16 - Logan County Expansion & Review Committee
Meeting Minutes – 1/22/13
Participants:
Staff: Patty Huffer, Amy Hyde
Volunteers/4-H members: Kamryn Aylesworth, Kelly Aylesworth, Cole Baker,
Annie Coers, Chelsea Coers, Amanda Davison, Julia Griffith, Lorinda Griffith, Alice
Jodlowski, Cameron Jodlowski, Leslie Starasta, Sarah Starasta, Lori Ward, Grace
Wibben, Alyssa Zimmer
Agenda:
 National 4-H Week promotion
 Expanding 4-H membership
 SPIN club topics
 Recruiting New volunteers
National 4-H Week promotion
 Currently request visits to third grade classes to promote Logan County 4-H.
Suggestion of talking to more grade levels at the schools.
 Currently hold 4-H Find Out Party week after National 4-H Week and school
visits.
Suggestion of having current 4-H youth of various ages (younger, middle
school, high school) come to the Find Out party with some of their projects
to talk about them. Maybe a demonstration of robotics. Tag projects
during the week of our 4-H shows that we would like to see come back to
the Find Out Party.
4-H Promotion/Marketing in General Comments
 Have clubs participate in hometown parades – so the 4-H ‘presence’ is
there locally
 Create a promotional video and film (using Flip camera in our county) youth
testimonials and examples of workshops or club activities to post to our
website. Create a photo montage of pictures from clubs and county held
activities that could be included in the video. Try to make it 2-3 minutes in
length if possible.
 Send more items to media and pictures of things that are happening in 4-H
to get more ‘exposure’ on what 4-H is all about.
Expanding 4-H membership
 Hold promotion during Fair week when more general public are coming out
and seeing 4-H projects, etc. Set up an informational booth and give out
popcorn a night or two during fair week (target wristband night when
families would definitely be out and about)
 Do some activities during Fair week some evening and have current 4-H
members invite non-4-H friends to our evening of activities.
 Do something more at 4-H Night at the Fair to highlight Logan County 4-H.
 Try to have “bring a friend to a 4-H meeting” night at the club level
 Do more FUN activities and things at the high school level – go to a concert,
camping, have a ‘lock-in’ with another county federation
SPIN Club topics
 Animal Science club – get an Ag teacher or Local vet to lead
 Horse Club – can be for people even without horses – could visit stables,
take horse photography, etc.
 Dog or Cat Club – have all kids in Dog I visit pound together – see what
activities are in dog/cat 4-H manual and try to organize – check with
Humane Society who are always looking for volunteers
 Awareness of SPIN club equipment grants which are available from Illinois
4-H Foundation
Recruiting New Volunteers
 Try to find a way to target 4-H alumni that might be back in the area
 For a SPIN club try to think of people who have a talent they would be
willing to share
Other “general” comments
 Implement club mentoring pairing older youth with younger who can help
guide them in their first few years of 4-H – this way kids would stay
interested and stay in 4-H and keep our membership base
 Target something for Junior High age when we might typically lose youth –
plan a Saturday event just for junior high age so more of the 4-H members
who are that age will meet each other – activities they would like, survey
the junior high youth to find out what, have pizza and then finish with a
dance or movie night for socialization
 Is there some way to sponsor an award for older kids to get to go to Illini
Academies so they will experience more things in 4-H – rather than the
ribbons and trophies that get handed out at fair. Could clubs work together
to award this?
 Would like to see a way to have all Logan County clubs get together and
there be co-mingling between the clubs – some way to get everyone
involved together.
 Encourage club leaders to delegate – such as get a family or two to be in
charge of County International Night involvement. Encourage leaders to be
sure to have recreation and refreshment positions for 4-H youth so that at
every meeting there is interaction through a recreation activity and
socializing when having refreshments.
 Give club leaders more training on parliamentary procedure and running 4H meeting. Maybe train Federation youth on Parliamentary Procedure
which they can take back to their clubs and then demonstrate at the club
level.
IDEAS WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO TRY AND PURSUE THIS 4-H YEAR:
 Recruiting current 4-H youth to assist with the 4-H Find Out Party with their
projects (tag during 4-H shows this year)
 Having a promotional booth one or two nights during fair in our “4-H
building” where the majority of our general projects are located – away
from the livestock so people don’t think 4-H is just for “farm kids”
 Creation of some type of promotional video – Federation youth will
brainstorm how to put this together
 Junior High focused Saturday activity day