Why Should I Apply for Awards?

WHY SHOULD I APPLY FOR AWARDS? Recognition will encourage and challenge you to work hard, increase your interest, and will help you learn more. It will help you to become more capable, competent, and confident young adults. Members can be recognized at county and state levels. Scholarships are also available for members who strive to achieve in the 4-H program. 4-H members competing at the state level can win trips to National 4-H Congress or National 4-H Dairy Conference.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR 4-H AWARD APPLICATIONS Please read all directions and score sheet prior to filling in the award application.

This form can be used for all members (ages 8-19) who are applying for Jefferson County Awards. Members 15 and older have the option of using the Jefferson County Award Application or the Illinois State 4-H Award Application (those wishing to have their award applications submitted for State Awards must use the Illinois State 4-H Award Application.)

Competing for county and state awards is strictly optional and is not required of any 4-H member. The decision is completely yours.

1. The application may be handwritten, typed or completed on a computer(preferred). Make your application as legible as possible.

2. The application should include 4-H and non-4-H activities and consists of 2 parts: Summary of Accomplishments and your 4-H Story.

3. If typing the application use Times New Roman – 12 pt. White, standard 8 ½ by 11 inch paper Margin of 1 inch on all 4 sides

4. Summary of Accomplishments: Maximum of 8 pages (print on 1 side only) Single or double space Worth 75 points Should relate to activities during your 4-H year and include these 3 parts  4-H Accomplishments in the award area in which you are applying  Additional Accomplishments in 4-H/Extension  Community/School/Other Accomplishments

5. 4-H Story: Maximum of 2 pages (print on 1 side only) Single or double space Worth 25 points Should relate to your 4-H activities in the specific award area

6. No personal names, counties, social security numbers, herdnames or family names should be in the application.

7. Mark your level of participation: L – Local Community C – County M – Multi-County R – Regional S – State N – National I – International

8. If you do not have access to a computer; we have computers available in the office. Call and set up a time to use our computers. Please bring your CD, flash drive, and any records of information you have. JEFFERSON COUNTY AWARD APPLICATION COVER PAGE

Submit one completed copy of the award application for each award category. First 8 pages of Summary of Accomplishments should be the same, but the story must be different for each award category. Achievement Community Inv. & Global Awareness Plants & Soils Citizenship Crops Public Adventures Floriculture Service Learning Horticulture Community Service Plant & Soil Science Intercultural

Food, Nutrition, & Health Personal Development Environment & Natural Res. 4-H Cooking Communications Natural Resources Food Preservation Journalism Wildlife Microwave Meals Theater & Performing Arts Outdoor Adventures Health & Fitness Photography Sportfishing Filmmaking/Video Shooting Sports Visual Arts Forestry Entomology Geology

Animal Science Home & Family Engineering & Technology Beef Child Development Aerospace Cat Intergenerational Bicycles Dairy Clothing & Textiles Computer Science Dog Consumer Education Geospatial Goat Financial Champions Robotics Poultry Consumer Savvy Small Engines Sheep Be the E! Tractor Small Pets/Animals Fashion Revue Welding Swine Interior Design Woodworking Rabbit Electricity Horse Animal/Vet Science

Statement by Member I personally have prepared this application and certify that it accurately reflects my work. Signature of 4-H Member______

Approval of This Report We have reviewed this application and believe it to be correct. Signed (Parent)______

Signed (Leader)______Date Received______SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS Size and Growth of Project (4-H related)

Year Project Name Explanation or Number and Value of Livestock 2010 Clothing Made a 9 patch pillow; took 2 hours to complete.

2010 Dairy Bull Calf under 6 months of age worth $312

SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS Knowledge and Skills (4-H related)

Year Project Name What You Learned 2010 Clothing I learned how to use a cutting board and wheel, how to sew on the machine and do a reverse stitch, and how to whip stitch the edge after stuffing my pillow. 2010 Dairy I learned it costs a lot of money to purchase my calf with my own money, to properly measure the milk replacer and teach it to drink from a bottle; how to train my calf to lead and stand correctly for show.

SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS Participation in Activities (4-H related) L (Local) C (County) M (Multi-County) R (Regional) S (State) N (National) I (International)

Year Project Partici Level pation 2010 Clothing Showe d my C and S pillow in the county 4-H fair and then I showe d my pillow at the state level. 2010 Dairy Atten ded N the Natio nal 4- H Dairy Confe rence. SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS Leadership Exhibited (4-H related)

Year Project Description of Leadership 2010 Club Secretary I took minutes and recorded our club notes in the Secretary’s book. 2010 Dairy Was committee leader for setting up a petting zoo at our local Tractor Supply Company. SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS Community Service (4-H related)

Year Project Area Description of Community Service 2010 Food & Nutrition Worked at the local Food Pantry collecting and sorting donated items COMMUNITY SERVICE/SCHOOL/OTHER Participation and Activity (non-4-H Activity)

Year Participation and Activity 2010 Member of the school band; played the clarinet

2010 Boy Scout COMMUNITY SERVICE/SCHOOL/OTHER Leadership (non-4-H Leadership)

Year Role 2010 Captain of the school soccer team

2010 Lector at Church COMMUNITY SERVICE/SCHOOL/OTHER Community Service/Citizenship (non-4-H related)

Year Activity 2010 Planted flowers at the Community Center with our Boy Scout Troop 2010 Can drive at our School 2010 Our FFA collected coats for the less fortunate 4-H STORY

The 4-H story is worth 25 points. Your story should relate to your 4-H activities in the specific award program area. (See next page for the award program areas.) If you are filling out an application for Animal Sciences only relate your experiences about animal science projects. Single or double space; 1 inch margin on all 4 sides; Times New Roman size 12 point; use standard white 8 ½ by 11 inch paper.

Include the project area and years in the project: Things learned Successes and failures Impact this project has had on your life: Leadership examples Citizenship examples Your Career Choice Impact on your family Make your 4-H story personable!!!

EXAMPLE: 4-H was one of the first words I remember hearing as a small child. I cannot remember the first fair I went to, but I know I was in a diaper derby because my grandma has a picture. I also know that I am a fifth generation 4-H’er. I could not wait to be in 4-h and start my career as a Clover Bud. I have always loved animals, and one of my first memories is playing with a huge Saint Bernard who was a member of our family. It seemed natural that I would want some type of animal for one of my first 4-H projects. I chose rabbits because we live in town and I could not have sheep, pigs, or cows and my mother raised rabbits in 4-H. My parents thought one rabbit was enough for me to start with. We later added a buck and I stayed up half the night waiting for my first bunnies to be born. I soon found that wanting rabbits and actually caring for them were very different things. Keeping them watered in hot and cold months, feeding, cleaning cages, deciding which ones I would breed, and keeping breeding records all helped me face up to lots of responsibility. My little furry friends depended on me, and I could not let them down. I also studied health issues through my veterinary science project. (include other projects related to animal science.) This experience has helped me in planning my rabbit’s health program. As my three younger siblings became Cloverbuds and 4-H’ers, they started helping take care of and showing some of our 32 rabbits. My little brother just showed rabbits for his fourth year in 4-H and took a first place. My little sister showed rabbits for her first year in 4-H and received Reserve Champion. I was happy to pass on what I have learned in my seven years in the project. Now my youngest sister is a Cloverbud and looks forward to showing rabbits. She already has her “special” bunny to take care of. I have learned much from the rabbit judges at the fair. I picked a rabbit that I knew had perfect markings, but I had forgotten to check her teeth. They were crooked and the judge moved her down in placing. Now, I know she will not be good breeding stock and I will check teeth the next time I choose rabbits for show. (Judges like to see the growth from a small project to a bigger project.) Watching the llama show at our county fair six years ago was fun. I decided it was time to move on to that bigger animal I had been wanting. With my mom’s help, I found a leader who leases llamas. 4-H’ers go to her farm two or three times a week, work with their llamas, and show at the fairs. In April 2006, I met my llama. It was a long journey to the farm and my entire family helped get me there, so I could work and learn about llamas. I went to “Llama Land”, as we called it, and learned about body parts, caring, and feeding and disease information. My favorite part of training my llama was to do obstacle courses, including pack and public relations. My first year was pretty shaky and I had to use lots of patience and determination, because llama’s can be difficult! (Talk about the problems that you encountered. Not every project will be perfect. We learn from our mistakes) However, I think the most important thing is that I bonded with my intelligent llama and she seemed to want to perform for me. I have graduated to entering the costume contest, and my llama seemed to love to dress up. I showed the same llama 2 years in a row. We did very well at the state llama show and won Junior Performance Champion. Since my llama was being bred, I had to use a different llama my third year. In 2008 I was paired with a 7 month old male who hadn’t been halter trained. I worked extremely hard and had to take everything one step at a time. Training started with a halter over logs to climbing up …. (Continue talking about your progress through the years showing in this particular class) Talk about showing in other county fairs if you have done so. Have you encouraged siblings to show in the same class? To round out my love for animals, I have continued in the dog care project. My favorite part of dog care is training my little sheltie in obedience. I have spent many happy hours working and playing with my puppy, and the entire family enjoyed the rewards that come with a trained pet. My brother showed in the costume contest twice, and I taught him how to lead her. I was proud of my puppy and my brother when they won Best of Class in the costume contest. I have learned through 4-H that one needs to set goals. 3 years ago I set a goal for dog obedience to qualify for the Illinois State Fair. After many hours of practice and working with her, I qualified that year and again this year. (Talk about other goals you have set.) Now being an older 4-H member, I help at the llama farm assisting with chores. I also lead young 4-H’ers in training. (Show your leadership skills in that project area. Talk about goals you have for the future with that project.) I am hoping with more hard work a Senior Performance Champion award may be in the future. Another goal I will work on is to promote the llama project in our county. Many 4-H’ers who live in the city don’t believe there are opportunities for them to work with large animals. The skills they will learn from the project will help them all their lives. 4-H offers a wide variety of activities and leadership opportunities. The skills I have learned from the 4-h program are already helping me in school and to serve my community. I know when I get to college and start training for my career; I will greatly benefit from my 4-H experiences and have more career choices. Obviously, all the animal sciences experience has me looking hard at becoming a veterinarian, but it is a hard choice when I know the skills I’ve learned could go further into the medical field as well. I’m thankful to have 4-H prepare me for so many possibilities and I still have 4 more years to go. I know someday that I will get my chance to be one of the many wonderful volunteers that make 4-H possible for youth like me and get to return some of what it has given me.

This is an excellent example of a 4-H story. Note the comments in italics I have made that make this a great story. Younger 4-H members will not be able to make their stories as detailed, but when they begin recording their projects and activities, it gets them started thinking to the future.