4-H Online Enrollment is Open

4-H Online member and volunteer enrollment is now open in Macomb County. New and returning members and volunteers may now enroll in 4-H online at https://mi.4honline.com. Instructions are in the 4-H Family Guide, which is available on the 4-H Online login page.

Members and volunteers have been emailed instructions for enrolling online. Administrative leaders, please make sure this information gets to your new families. Members and volunteers are now able to enroll and sign for the Media/Medical Release, Youth Code of Conduct, and Volunteer Authorization online. If members and volunteers have already submitted a Code of Conduct/Medical Release or Volunteer Authorization form to the 4-H office, they may skip that portion of the online enrollment process, however, it is strongly encouraged. Be sure to select Macomb County as your county when setting up your family profile, even if you reside in another county. This will enable you to select Macomb County 4-H clubs and projects.

Enrollments are accepted at any time, however, returning members planning to show projects at the 2015 Armada Fair will have until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 6th to enter their enrollments. New members planning to show projects at the 2015 Armada Fair will have until 11:59 p.m. on April 1st to enter their enrollments. 

Enrollment help sessions will be open by appointment at Macomb County MSU Extension on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between January 27 and March 4th from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Evening help sessions have been scheduled at the Macomb Intermediate School District (MISD) in Clinton Township on February 9th from 6-9 p.m. and at the Ray Township Library on February 23rd from 6-9 p.m. Please R.S.V.P. to macomb.4h@macombgov.org or 586-469-6431.

We are still waiting for information from some of our clubs. Administrative leaders, if you have not submitted a Club Information Sheet, Club Officer Information Sheet, Civil Rights Compliance Statement, and a copy of your club's bylaws, please do so. Your members and volunteers cannot complete the enrollment process properly until the 4-H office has received this information. Returning clubs must also turn in an Annual Summary Financial Statement for 2013-14, and a 4-H Club Inventory Report for 2013-14. Insurance and recognition pins are optional.

Families have until March 6, 2015 to turn in a Michigan 4-H Shooting Sports Parental Permission & Acknowledgement of Risk form for each youth participating in 4-H shooting sports projects and/or events, and $10 per youth (max. $30 per family) State 4-H participation fee payment(s). A Participation Fee Scholarship Application should be submitted in lieu of payment for each youth in that is unable to pay the fee. Keep in mind that member enrollments will not be approved until participation fees have been paid, and members may not participate in 4-H shooting sports projects or events unless they have a completed Michigan 4-H Shooting Sports Parental Permission & Acknowledgement of Risk form on file at Macomb County MSU Extension.

If the decision to cancel an event or meeting is made due to winter weather, you will be notified in the following ways:

• Email
• Via text through Remind. (Visit https://www.remind.com/join/macomb4h to sign up to receive text messages.)
• It will be posted on the Macomb County 4-H Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Macomb-MSUE-4-H/301293149942177. Consider a county event or meeting cancelled if at least one of the following is true:

1. School is cancelled or closed early in the school district of the event.
2. Macomb County is in a Winter Storm or Blizzard Warning.

Most importantly, please use your best judgment. Our priority is the safety of our youth and families traveling. If an event is not cancelled, but you are uncomfortable with the road conditions, do not attend.

What is Remind and why is it safe? Remind is a free service that lets 4-H staff send one-way messages via SMS (basic text messaging), push notifications in the app, or email to those who have signed up. With Remind, all personal information remains completely confidential. 4-H staff will never see your phone number, nor will you ever see theirs. Messages will be sent out from the 4-H office with reminders about upcoming events, event cancellations due to weather, and other important updates.

Signing up to receive messages on Remind is a quick and easy process. To receive messages via text, text @macomb4h to 81010. Or visit https://www.remind.com/join/macomb4h to sign up. You can opt-out of messages at any time by replying, 'unsubscribe @macomb4h'.

Pictured are (top, left to right): Elizabeth Duran, 4-H Program Coordinator; Malyn Berger, Karalee Jerse, Maggie Bohm, Maxwell Williams, Becki Brice, Caleb Bollaert, Elly Karam-Burk, and Jim Jerse. Bottom left: Malyn Berger speaks about Exploration Days. Bottom center: Maggie Bohm accepts an award from Elizabeth Duran. Bottom right: Cake!

Macomb County 4-H Awards recipients were recognized at the Macomb County 4-H Awards Event on January 24, 2015, at Macomb County MSU Extension in Clinton Township.

Project Awards 

Community Service - Marissa Cohen (Fantastic Felines)

Fiber Sheep - Cade Bollaert (K-9 & Kompany)

Geese - Maxwell Williams (Pirates)

Poultry - Caleb Bollaert (K-9 & Kompany)

Special Awards

Individual Community Service - Maggie Bohm (Pirates)

Clear the Hurdle - Shianne Girten (School Section)

Adult Award

2014 Leader of the Year - Becki Brice (School Section)

Special thanks to presenters Marisa Cohen (Mark of Excellence Award), Malyn Berger (Exploration Days), Elly Karam-Burk (Mosaic Project), Shianne Girten (4-H Photo Studio), and to 4-H Recognition Committee members Jim Jerse, K-9 Project Leader; Karalee Jerse, 4-H Youth Council President; Maggie Bohm, 4-H Youth Council Treasurer; and Elizabeth Duran, 4-H Program Coordinator. 
  

Food Preservation for Youth

The history of home food preservation dates back to the origins of humankind. Knowledge and skills of home food preservation are passed from family members and communities from one generation to the next. Yet the industrialization of agriculture and manufacturing lessened the need for preparing and preserving food at home. High-fat, calorie-dense foods became widely available and affordable, and simultaneously age-old lessons were not experientially handed down to much of the modern youth population. Disconnected from sources of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-rich, low-fat foods, many children do not know where food comes from and regularly consume less healthy foods. Fortunately, gardens still grow and food preservation procedures are still here, ready to be learned.

Curriculum available: PUT IT UP! Food Preservation for Youth curriculum is a series of informal educational lessons that guide youth to explore and understand the science of safe food preservation. The hands-on food preparation activities are designed for middle school ages, but could also be appropriate for the age range from 4th- to 12th-graders. Settings such as 4-H programs, after-schools, other youth groups, and camps are ideal for leading the activities. 

The series is composed of six different food preservation methods: boiling water canning, making jam, pickling, freezing, drying, and pressure canning. Each method is divided into a beginning hands-on activity and an advanced hands-on activity.