August 2008 County Council Meeting Report

By Kay H.

Greetings 4-H Members!

What a busy summer 4-H has had! Several exciting state-level events took place, the first of which was 4-H Legislature. Youth were able to learn all about how our government works by going to Tallahassee and spending the week performing mock legislature. The next event was the Camp Ocala. This was a week-long camp where senior 4-H youth could be counselors and junior and intermediate youth could be camp participants. It was a fun week full of interesting activities! Finally, there was 4-H Congress. This was a state competition, where senior level 4-H youth who had succeeded at county and district levels could compete with each other and spend a week on UF campus taking workshops. The Shooting Sports camp, as well as our summer day camps, had a good turnout and offered lots of fun activities.



Our first County Council meeting of the new 4-H year was held on August 26th. Several upcoming events were discussed. The next District V council meeting will be held on September 23rd. Our district delegates this year are Mary B., Kay H., Jeffrey K., and Amanda M.. Our alternates are Becky B. and Tori B.

Coming up is the Alachua County Public Safety/4-H ATV Safety Education Workshop. This will be held at Mebane Middle School on September 13th from 9:00am to 3:30pm. The workshop is for ages 8-16, and will teach youth how to be safe while handling ATVs.

Also discussed was the Alachua County Fair. Several 4-H adults have volunteered to spearhead a committee for the 4--H division at the fair. Help is always appreciated so if interested in being involved with this committee, please contact Mrs. Hinson or Mrs. Banner for more information.

Our County Council officers also gave descriptions or their committees. They are as follows:

The Awards committee is in charge of 4-H Awards Program and the annual Volunteer Dinner. Chairperson: Amber Y., Vice President.

The Funding committee is in charge of fundraising and financial management. Chairperson: Tiffany B., Treasurer.

The Publicity and Recruitment committee is in charge of monthly reports on County Council meetings and 4-H promotion. Chairpersons: Kay H. and Jeffrey K., Reporters.

The Program and Service committee is in charge of community service leadership. Chairperson: Tori B., Secretary.

If you are interested in being involved with any of the committees listed above, please get in touch with the chairpersons mentioned.

This year, 4-H once again plans to have a float in the Homecoming Parade. The float committee meeting will be September 11th. Contact Mary B. for more information if you are interested in participating.

National 4-H Week Proclamation Day for the city of Gainesville is scheduled for September 18th, 2008, and the Alachua County 4-H Proclamation is scheduled for September 23rd, 2008. We encourage you to attend the reading of these proclamations at the City and County Commission meetings.

4-H would also like to recognize the hard work that Mr. Ernie Terry has put forth as our County Extension 4-H Agent, as he is leaving the program. Thank you for all that you have done, and we wish you well in your future endeavors!

Our next County Council meeting will be on September 16th at 6:30pm at the Alachua County Extension Office. We have a lot to look forward to during this new 4-H year. I hope to see you all at some of these exciting upcoming events!