May 12, 2010

The Georgia Association of Extension 4-H Agents held their annual professional improvement meeting at Amicalola Falls State Park in late April. Georgia is fortunate to have some of the most talented agents in the country working hand in hand with program assistants, volunteers and parents to deliver 4-H. This year’s meeting was under the leadership of President Rebecca Thomas of Chattooga County who has provided excellent leadership over the past year. Al Parker, Northeast District 4-H Program Development Coordinator, will be the president for the 2010-2011 year; Monte Stephens of Lincoln County is president-elect. Georgia is also fortunate to be home to the president-elect of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, Dr. Lori Bledsoe, Northwest District 4-H Program Development Coordinator. Congratulations to the many award recipients who were recognized during the annual GAE4-HA professional improvement meeting.

In the last Georgia 4-H News I failed to mention that on Tuesday, March 30, the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate recognized Jennifer Nettles, former Coffee County 4-H member and female vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning country music duo Sugarland. Jennifer addressed both the House and Senate and shared how her 4-H experience helped her accomplish her goals. Georgia 4-H appreciates Jennifer’s continued support of the 4-H program. Special thanks to Speaker of the House David Ralston and Senator Greg Goggins for inviting Jennifer to visit the House and Senate. Jennifer’s comments to the Senate can be viewed online.

The Georgia 4-H program is included in the FY 2011 budget, and we appreciate our friends in the General Assembly for their continued support of 4-H; we in Georgia 4-H say “thank you” to our many supporters for their continued efforts to keep 4-H alive in Georgia.

Current Georgia 4-H’ers are having much success and are involved in many activities across the state. On the weekend of April 24, a record 471 4-H’ers assembled at Rock Eagle for the State 4-H Archery Contest. Winners in the State Archery Contest can be viewed on the S.A.F.E. Program website.

On the weekend of Saturday, May 1, the State 4-H Pistol and Rifle contests were also held at Rock Eagle 4-H Center. The largest 5-meter BB program in the US saw 617 compete; the winners of those contests can also be viewed online.

In addition, the State 4-H Horse Judging Contest was held in Athens on Saturday, May 1. Rockdale County had the first place Senior team, which consists of Breyanna King, Cassandra O’Brien, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Caitlin Saxton. The first place Junior team was from Gwinnett County and includes Amanda Davis, Sarah Lawley, and Celeste Monk. Courtney Woodard from Hall County was recognized as High Individual in the Junior Contest; Meghan Mitchell from Oconee County was recognized as High Individual in the Senior Contest. Congratulations to these State 4-H Horse Judging winners.

We extend congratulations to participants in the State 4-H Hippology contest, which was also held on May 1 in Athens. The first place overall Senior team was from Douglas County and the team consisted of Amy Hester, Sara Hopkins, Andrea Smith, and Holly Tufan. The first place overall Junior team from Newton County consisted of Allison Fish, Trent Fowler, Lindsay Frost, and Noelle Holder. Congratulations to all these young people on their participation in the 4-H Horse Program. We appreciate the tremendous support of the Animal and Dairy Science Department at the University of Georgia.

Each year Georgia 4-H awards over $30,000 in college scholarships to deserving 4-H members. Congratulations to the 2010 winners of the Georgia 4-H achievement scholarships.

On Tuesday, May 4, the State 4-H Poultry Judging Contest was held in Crawford. We appreciate the continued support of the Poultry Science Department at the University of Georgia in helping Georgia 4-H provide poultry judging opportunities for nearly 800 young people across the state. The state winning team from Tift County consisted of T. J. Chesnut, Michael Corbin, Rachel Harrison, and Sarah Harrison; they have the opportunity to represent Georgia at the Avian Bowl in Louisville, Kentucky, later this year.

With summer almost here, camp sign-up is still ongoing. If you know of any young people who would like to attend summer camp, please ask them to contact their county Extension office. More information about summer 4-H camp can be found on the Georgia 4-H website: http://georgia4h.org/camp/default.htm#dates

We want to remind our friends and supporters that the 2010 Georgia 4-H Gala honoring Dr. M. K. “Curly” Cook as winner of the 2010 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award will be held August 14 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, GA. We appreciate the wonderful leadership that has been provided by our volunteer co-chairs, Dianne Brown Vaughan and Anne Woolf Sapp. These ladies along with their wonderful committee have done a tremendous job in making plans for an exciting evening, and we hope that all of you will join us. For more information on tickets, please visit the Georgia 4-H gala website.

Until next time, continue “To Make the Best Better.”

Sincerely,