December 14, 2023

Extension Waukesha County is wishing you and your family peace and happiness this holiday season! We hope that you can take time to relax, spend time with family, and reflect on all that you have done this year. As we are winding down the 2023 year, we are excited about the upcoming opportunities that will be offered through our clubs, projects and the Extension office in the new year.

Don’t forget to share your club news with us so we can share it in the bi-weekly updates. We love to hear and share all the great things you are doing in 4-H. Our next update will be on January 11, 2024.

We hope you enjoy the holidays with your loved ones! See you in 2024! 

James and McKenzie

Thank you to everyone that attended the banquet to celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of our amazing 4-H youth and volunteers during the 2022 - 2023 program year. Congratulations and thank you for all that you do. 

Please check your status in 4-H online to verify if your enrollment has been approved.

We have 320 club members and Cloverbuds enrolled in our 4-H program and 100 who need to complete their enrollment. There are members that have enrolled but have not paid the county enrollment fee.

If you have not paid your county enrollment fee, please do so by clicking the link below or mailing your check made payable to Extension Waukesha County and mail to 515 W Moreland Blvd AC-G22, Waukesha WI 53188.

We have 62 approved volunteers and 56 that need to complete their enrollment process (trainings).

All volunteers need to complete the required mandated trainings to be a club/project leader, or committee member. Please complete the trainings by December 31. Go to the link below to complete the VIP training or contact James Boling at james.boling@wisc.edu to schedule a virtual training.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding enrollment, please contact McKenzie Knudson at mknudson@waukeshacounty.gov.

Club and project leaders please update the program calendar with your events at the link above.

Volunteers help make 4-H possible. We need adult project leaders that have a desire to work with young people to help them learn new things and gain life skills. We need adult volunteers that want to provide youth with positive experiences in a safe and welcoming environment. There are many ways to volunteer. Project leaders can work with a small group of youth at the club level or volunteer at the county level with youth from various clubs in Waukesha County.

Here are a few areas that the youth have expressed an interest in and some of the areas that we need project leaders to help share their knowledge: Cloverbud Activities, Drawing and Painting, Photography, Cake Decorating, Food and Nutrition, Leadership and Personal Development, Legos, and Woodworking. If none of these are areas that interest you, please see the list of projects on our website Waukesha County - Projects to see how you can help.

We could use your help on one of our important 4-H Committees. The Leaders Association Volunteer Committees provides leadership for a committee and/or participate as a member of a committee, creates educational experiences for all youth engaged in the program, and works with youth and adult volunteers in offering a positive youth development experience for young people.  For more information about our committees go to this link under Executive Board Committees https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/UWEX/4H/WCLA/. Many hands make light work, and everyone can do their part in fulfilling the 4-H moto, “Making the Best Better”! Please click this link to sign up for youth and adults https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094AADA922A57-join#/.

Brookfield Blazers

What an awesome meeting! We hosted the national Honey Queen, who gave an educational presentation on bees and honey. Then we learned how to decorate cakes with tips, including a base layer, leaves, flowers, stars, ribbons, lines and dots. We topped it off with a holiday gift exchange.

Clever Clovers

Happy Holiday fun with the Clever Clovers. This month we had a green elephant gift exchange and a cookie auction. We raised $266 to benefit the Wildlife in Need Center and everyone went home with tasty treats. Everyone had a great time and we can’t wait to have even more fun in 2024!

West Vernon

West Vernon 4-H club youth and parents went caroling at Linden Grove in Mukwonago. The residents joined in with the songs, and enjoyed the treats and homemade Christmas cards provided by the youth! So fun! So proud!

Youth who join 4-H are often excited about the many, many projects they can choose to explore. There are so many Sparks (or things they want to learn about)! Yet, if their Spark doesn’t have a local project leader to support their learning, that excitement can turn to questions. They may not know how to get started on their own.

Clover was by the National 4-H Council in collaboration with more than 100 universities throughout the United States, Clover is an online smorgasbord of sparks, interactive activities, and fun. Best of all, it’s FREE and ready for youth, parents, and educators to dive into.

To start exploring:

1. Go to 4-h.org/clover
2. Create a login
3. Click on activities
4. Search for your Spark

It’s that simple. In Clover, you can connect with others in your club or group, track your progress through pins and achievements, and best of all, explore your Sparks! Most activities can be accessed in different formats (interactive online, basic webpage, or download PDF), making access flexible based on your local needs and bandwidth.

Performing Arts Day - April 13-This year Performing Arts Day have new talent show format.

Fair Entry Registration - March 15-June 15-90 full Days to enter and no late entries accepted.

4-H Camp - June 17-20-Camp will be at Camp Whitcomb/Mason in Hartland, Wisconsin. Registration will open in January. The theme is "Tropical Adventure."

Waukesha County Fair - July 17-21

Stay tuned for the 2nd Annual Waukesha County Youth Leadership Conference at Ingleside Water Park.

Any questions about the Waukesha County Fair please contact Chrissy Gluege at chrissy@waukeshacountyfair.com or call at 262-544-5922

Extension Waukesha County is committed to supporting quality educational experiences for our youth as well as supporting our volunteers and families. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or if you need any assistance.

James Boling

Program Educator

james.boling@wisc.edu

McKenzie Knudson

4-H Administrative Support  mknudson@waukeshacounty.gov

We were unable to keep our previous page (pre 2023) due to issues with Facebook. Like and follow Extension Waukesha County 4-H's official Facebook page. This is the page to follow for all things Waukesha County 4-H and Youth Development. We'll continue to post our updates, news and content here for youth and families. Please share to spread the word!

You can also find us on Instagram! @waukeshacountyyouthdevelopment

An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements.