November 8th, 2024

Dear 4-H Families,
We hope this newsletter finds you and your family well. We are looking forward to providing your family a great experience in 4-H through your club and countywide involvement. As a reminder, we want to hear and share all the great things you are doing in 4-H. Please share your pictures, stories and upcoming events for us to include in our monthly newsletters which you can share with us using our google form here. Below you will find the most recent updates and we would love for you to share them with friends and 4-H families.

Please reach out with any questions, suggestions and be sure to follow updates through email, website and social media (like us on FB @Waukesha County 4-H Youth Development). 

Thank you for being a part of Extension Waukesha County 4-H! 

- James and McKenzie

Dear Extension Waukesha County 4-H:
Thank you for all your volunteer efforts with the 4-H program in Waukesha County. We have experienced a couple of situations recently where communications have been made directly with Extension 4-H program partners without first communicating with the Extension Waukesha County office. I want to clarify that the Extension office is the first point of contact before reaching out to partners like Waukesha County or the Waukesha County Fair Board. In the future, please utilize the Extension Waukesha County office as a resource for any communications to partners and policy issues. Please reach out to James Boling at james.boling@wisc.edu or myself prior to communicating with our partners.

Thank you,
Jerry Braatz

Club and project leaders: please regularly update the program calendar below with your meetings/events.

If you have not completed your youth members enrollment, it is important to complete the required steps to participate in Extension Waukesha County 4-H by December 1, 2024. All current and new youth members must enroll or re-enroll before participating in the 4-H program annually. To participate and become an approved Extension Waukesha County 4-H member (youth member), you must enroll in 4-H Online, and pay the county enrollment fee. To complete your children’s enrollment:

Step 1: Enroll using 4-H Online here: https://v2.4honline.com/#/user/sign-in

Step 2: Pay your County Enrollment Fee here: https://www.waukeshacounty.gov /UWEX/4H/Join/

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

If you are planning to work with youth as a volunteer it is important you complete the required steps to participate in Extension Waukesha County 4-H by December 1, 2024.

All approved leaders have access to their club membership and project rosters using 4-H Online. The office will send an email to approved leaders with their roster code and an updated roster indicating which members are approved for their club or group.

Club and project leaders should be following up with families who are not approved members of 4-H. They should not be participating in 4-H programing until they become approved members. All leaders should follow the state 4-H membership requirements. The Extension office will be sharing and recognizing all approved volunteers.

If you are not an approved volunteer, this is a reminder that you should not be serving in any role in the 2024-2025 Extension Waukesha County 4-H program. This includes club and project leaders and committee members.  Adults must be approved volunteers to lead projects with the 4-H youth.

Once you have enrolled using 4-H Online and completed your volunteer trainings it takes 24-48 hours to appear on our end. Once your volunteer status is approved, you can begin volunteering in Extension Waukesha County 4-H programming.

If you have any questions or need any assistance regarding volunteer status contact McKenzie Knudson at mknudson@waukeshacounty.gov.  

Sign up today for Extension Waukesha County 4-H Project Night on Wednesday, November 13th at the Waukesha County Expo Center! We will have two available session time slots for activities or ongoing projects: Session 1: 5:30 - 6:15 PM; Session 2: 6:30 - 7:15 P.M. Located at Forum North Hall, Waukesha County Expo Center, 1000 Northview Rd, Waukesha, WI 53188 .There is no cost to attend, and all 4-H members are invited. 

Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0844AFA729A3F9C70-53090064-november

Mark your calendars and stay tuned for our Project Night at the Expo on December 4th. 

Are you an adult volunteer interested in leading an activity or project? We are looking for volunteers to lead an activity or ongoing project at our 4-H Project Nights at the Waukesha County Expo Center!

Consider sharing your knowledge, passion, and talents by helping youth members learn skills they will use throughout life. As a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to work with a group of young people on a specific project area, such as animal science, robotics, or photography.

Available Session Time Slots: Session 1: 5:30 - 6:15 PM; Session 2: 6:30 - 7:15 P.M. You can sign up for one or both sessions each night. Please review the available project night dates and sessions on the sign up below.

Lead an activity or ongoing project here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0844AFA
729A3F9C70-51804781-project#/.

We invite you to run for a position on the Waukesha County 4-H Leaders Association Executive Board. This is a 1-year term effective January 1, 2025. 

If you are interested, please return this form, with a short biography and photo by Friday, November 15th. Elections will begin at the next All Leader Meeting on November 21st. 

All Committee and Executive Board members must be an approved 4-H volunteer. 

We appreciate the clubs and groups that submitted their charters and AFR’s for review and submission to the state and IRS. It is extremely important that records and documentation are provided and submitted  to ensure that your club or group meets the guidelines in accordance with the requirements of the Wisconsin 4-H program. Failure to submit completed documentation by the due dates can result in a club or group being dissolved. If you want to learn more about the charter or AFR submitted by your club or group speak with the volunteer leader.  

Reminder on Bank Policy: Only approved 4-H members and 4-H volunteers can be listed as official signers on 4-H Club or 4-H Group financial accounts. For more information go to Financial Management – Wisconsin 4-H.

Orders are now being accepted for the Waukesha County 4-H Kringle fundraiser. This fundraiser supports future educational programing, camp, and educational trips for our youth members! See below for the instructions and paper form to sell Racine Kringles.

Please enter the name(s) of the 4-H youth on the Salesperson line and start taking orders! The goal is to have each youth member sell 20 Kringles!

Please send your order forms and money (one check per family is preferred) to the Extension Waukesha County office at 515 W Moreland Blvd, AC G22, Waukesha, WI, 53188 by November 13th, 2024.

Kringles can also be ordered online at https://www.waukesha4h.org/ but they cannot be shipped (we just cannot take if off the ordering website for some reason).

Kringles will be available for pick up on December 2nd between 5:00 P.M. and 6:30 P.M. at the Waukesha County Expo Center Forum Building, 1000 Northview Rd, Waukesha, WI 53188 (Waukesha County Fair Grounds). This will coincide with our annual Youth/Adult  4-H Recognition Event. 4-H families are responsible for picking up their orders.

For questions, please contact Jann Pfaff at jann.pfaff@waukesha4h.org or Peter Bruce at peter.bruce@waukesha4h.org.

Thank you to everyone that have been attending the Activity and Project Nights!  Let’s keep building.  Shout out to our volunteers:  Elias Wilson - Rockets, Sarah Newkirk – Cat Toys and our special guest entertainer Lucky Diop – African Drum and Dance.   

Thank you to Camp Counselors and Volunteers that represented National 4-H Council and Waukesha County 4-H at the Saputo Basketball Tournament on Sunday, October 27th from 2:00 - 4:00 P.M. at the OAW Indoor Sports Complex (5330 S. Racine Ave, New Berlin, WI 53146).   

We had a great night sharing and promoting Waukesha County 4-H. Thank you to all our amazing clubs, groups, volunteers and youth that participated in the Open House on Thursday, October 24th at the Waukesha County Expo Center. Without you, this would not have been possible. Please make sure to welcome our new families into our clubs and groups.   

Thank you to Barb J. and the Leaders association Promotions and Activities Committee for your coordination of the event.   

Extension Waukesha County 4-H Project Nights at the Expo: November 13 and December 4. 

Waukesha County Leadership Awards Banquet:  All 4-H members, parents and leaders are invited to attend the Waukesha County Leadership Awards Banquet on Monday, December 2nd. Registration will begin at 4:45 until 5:15 P.M., welcome at 5:15, dinner at 5:30 with awards to follow. Registration will be sent out soon. This event is hosted by the Waukesha County Leaders Association.

Check your email inbox (the one you use with 4H Online) for your link to participate in the Wisconsin 4-H Thriving Survey! Youth ages 13-18 will receive a link to share your input about your 4-H experiences. The results will help us evaluate and communicate how 4-H helps young people to learn new things, develop leadership skills, manage goals, set high personal standards, create positive academic attitudes, and other skills that lead to long-term success in life.

The survey was sent to all Wisconsin 4-H members by e-mail in the first week of November and reminders have been sent as well. The survey link will be open until December 2nd. Youth who complete the survey will be entered into a raffle to win a $25 gift card. Fill out the survey to help Wisconsin achieve a 30% response rate. For more information on the 4-H Thriving Model, please visit 4-H Thriving Model – Wisconsin 4-H. Watch for your link in email and help us tell the story of 4-H in Wisconsin! 

Registration for 2025 Space Camp is opening soon! Space Camp registration will be open from November 15-December 15 in 4-H Online. Space Camp is a great opportunity for youth to explore aeronautics and space science, careers in space, the history of space exploration, and all that Space Camp in Huntsville, AL has to offer! Space Camp 2025 will happen from May 1-5, 2025. 

Registration for Space Camp is open to youth in grades 6-8. Cost is $1,300/youth. Some scholarship funds are available at the State level for needs-based scholarships, that application for 2025 programs will be posted soon. For more information on Space Camp, please visit the website here Space Camp 2025.

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

4-H Program Educator

james.boling@wisc.edu

McKenzie Knudson

4-H Administrative Support

mknudson@waukeshacounty.gov

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.