Kevin Tatum, County Extension Coordinator
4-H Volunteer Leaders who are current with their status need to remain current by attending an event, meeting, or activity within a six month window. If someone goes longer than six months, they will have to start the application process all over again to become a volunteer. To help volunteers avoid this problem, there is a 4-H Volunteer Leader Update Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 25, at 6 PM in the 4-H office meeting room. If you are not sure if you need to attend, please contact the 4-H office at (912) 384-1402. Our staff will be glad to check your status and let you know if you should attend the meeting.
Volunteers who have not taken the online Risk Management Training (version 3) since July 1, 2018, need to do so before participating in an event with 4-H members. This is a Georgia 4-H requirement, so please take the time to do this training. An email with the link for the training and exam was sent out in August to every active volunteer. If you have deleted the email, you may contact us to resend the email to you. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the 4-H staff.
County Goat Show
The Coffee County 4-H & FFA Goat Show will be held on Saturday, September 22, starting around 10 AM, at Coffee Middle School in the Billy Walker Livestock Facility in Douglas. Please come and support our youth involved in this event. There is no admission fee and the facility is air conditioned. FFA will have a concession stand with great food choices. So come make a day of it supporting these kids.
4-H Holiday Card Contest
All budding artists are encouraged to create a drawing for the Georgia 4‑H Holiday Card Artwork Contest. Entries must be turned in to the 4-H office by 5 PM on September 28. The rules include: Drawing must be the student’s original work and drawn on an 8.5 x 5.5 inch (or 5.5 x 8.5 inch) sheet of white, unlined paper; it must include 4‑H in the theme and be a universal holiday theme; it must be colorful; and it must be accompanied by an official entry form available from the 4‑H office. All 4‑H members are eligible to participate. If you don’t follow these rules, the drawing will be disqualified. Please contact Mr. Kevin, Mrs. Liz, Mrs. Chalanda, or Mrs. Alyse at the 4-H office if you have any questions.
Sunbelt Ag Expo
Coffee County Junior (7th & 8th grade) and Senior (9th through 12th grade) 4-H members have the opportunity to attend the 2018 Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition in Moultrie on Tuesday, October 16. The fee of $15 covers your admission to the expo, insurance and transportation. The registration deadline is Friday, October 5. A 4-H Medical Information Release Form and Code of Conduct form must be turned in at registration. Don’t miss out on this great agricultural learning experience.
Junior 4-H Conference
Let’s get together for a weekend at Rock Eagle 4-H Center where “4-H is Out of This World.” Junior 4-H members will have loads of fun with friends from all over the state of Georgia. They will meet new friends, do service projects, participate in workshops and an exhibit fair, have a dance, and see Clovers & Company perform. The conference will be held on November 3-4 at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center and will cost $85. A 4-H Medical Information Release Form and Code of Conduct form must be turned in at registration.
4-H on Facebook
Coffee County 4-H has a closed group page on Facebook. This page is to help keep parents and students up to date on 4-H activities. The only way that you can join the group is by asking to be added to the group. We do try to restrict this group to 4-H members and parents, so if you are a relative of a 4-H member interested in joining the group, please email me to explain your situation. Otherwise, you probably won’t get added to the group.
Remind
Remind is an app that allows us to send out messages in the form of a text message to your cell phone. If you have a child in 4-H, we encourage you to sign up to receive these texts from our office. You can get the method of signing up from your child’s 4-H newsletter, or email our office and let us know what grade your child is in so that we can give you the code to register.
4-H Can Tab Project
Each year, Coffee County 4-H members are asked to collect and save pop tabs from their aluminum drink cans to be recycled. The tabs are used to support the Ronald McDonald House program in Georgia. The money raised from the sale of these tabs helps pay for the utilities and supplies needed to run the Ronald McDonald House.
The Ronald McDonald House is a place where parents can spend the night for little or no cost while their child receives medical treatment at the near-by hospital. Many people from Coffee County have used the Ronald McDonald House, so please pitch in and help with this project. If you have can tabs saved up, please drop them by the 4-H office, or donate them to a student involved in 4-H. Your help is greatly appreciated.
If you have questions about the Coffee County 4-H Club program, or questions around the farm or home, please feel free to contact the Coffee County Extension office at (912) 384-1402. Remember, we are YOUR local connection to the University of Georgia.