Green & Growing

The annual Winter Project Fair is only weeks away! This event is a great opportunity for 4-H members to explore project opportunities or for new families that are interested in joining 4-H. Lots of 4-H project displays and activities will keep participants engaged.

What: Winter Project Fair

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025

Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm

Where: Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center

Food concessions will be available and provided by Far East 4-H Club.

Attention 4-H Club Leaders: Every club must submit the annual financial summary by January 31. You can find the summary in two different versions:

1. From the state website

2. From the county website (download, save, and email)

The 2025 Ohio 4-H Conference is designed to bring together 4-H volunteers and teens (age 13 and older) from across the State of Ohio. The objective of this event is to learn together and from each other in order to improve our abilities to deliver the Ohio 4-H Program to its members.

When: March 8, 2025
Where: Greater Columbus Convention Center

Registration Deadline: February 7
Cost: FREE for Franklin County 4-H Members & Volunteers

Registration information can be found here: https://franklin.osu.edu/program-areas/4-h-youth-development/teen-opportunities

Volunteers help make 4-H possible and are an essential part of the overall program. More than 300,000 youth and adult volunteers participate in the Ohio 4-H program each year. 4-H volunteers have the opportunity to contribute their time, energies, talents, and knowledge to help develop youth in a positive, educational way. The Franklin County 4-H program is dependent on its incredible adult volunteers to reach the youth of our county. Each time a new volunteer gets involved with the 4-H program, the number of children that benefit from 4-H programs increases!

Is someone you know interested in becoming a 4-H volunteer advisor? All 4-H volunteers must complete the Ohio 4-H volunteer screening process, which includes an application, a completed background check, and a volunteer orientation. The orientation session for new 4-H volunteers for the upcoming 2025 4-H season will be held on February 11, 2025. If you know someone planning to attend, please have them register by emailing Rachel Stoneburner at stoneburner.31@osu.edu.

The 2025 Franklin County 4-H Walk & Serve will be held on Saturday, April 12. Mark your calendars and invite all of your family and friends!

• Area 4-H clubs adopt a local non-profit organization.
• The club members learn about that organization, how it serves the community, and how they can help meet some of those needs.
• The clubs purchase and prepare all of the supplies needed to make/assemble a cool project to be completed at the event by the public that comes to the event.
• Example: Carousel Riders 4-H Club partners with the American Cancer Society. They purchase supplies to dye silk scarves. Then at the event, the club members help the public create colorful silk scarves to be given to patients with cancer.
• Grant funds are available to help clubs purchase supplies.

All Franklin County 4-H Clubs are encouraged to consider working with a non-profit organization and participating in the Walk & Serve this year. Contact Amy Fleshman with questions or to get your club started at amy1peter3.4@gmail.com

Clubs Already Committed to the 2025 Walk & Serve

Carousel Riders - American Cancer Society (dying silk scarves)

Change the World - undetermined

Clever Clovers - NNEMAP Food Pantry & Worthington Resource Pantry (birthday bags)

Fantastic Futures - undetermined

Far East - Simply Living (project undetermined)

FC Shooting Sports - Veterans Food Bank (meal bags)

Great Expectations - MASH Pantry (food and/or hygiene bags)

Grove City Clover Crew - Moms2B (stuffed toys)

Let's Get Better Together - Star House (toiletry bags)

Whetstone 4-H'ers - Clintonville Beechwold Resource Center (decorating placemats)

*Participating clubs are asked to provide 100 (or more) giveaway items for the Clover 5K runner bags. Examples of giveaway items include: lip balm, nutrition bars, small packs of healthy snacks, pens, etc. Clubs are encouraged to get these giveaways from local businesses that can donate their branded items as advertising.

Get your walking shoes ready. The annual walk/run has been a valuable fundraiser for the Franklin County 4-H program and we're excited to announce its return for 2025! The Clover 5K will be held the morning of the Walk & Serve on April 12.

New this year! 4-H families will receive a $10 off their Clover 5K registrations! Contact your club's volunteer advisor to get your coupon code for $10 each registration. If you can't get your coupon code from your club advisor, contact the Extension Office.

NOTE: Individuals using a coupon code who are not a member of a current 4-H member or volunteer's household will have their registration canceled after verification.

Register today for the low price of only $20 (or $10 with the coupon code).

The official Walk & Serve / Clover 5K event shirt can be purchased separately at check out.

This year, Franklin County 4-H will not be holding an officer training event. The 4-H Council discussed it, and decided that there wasn't enough participation to go through the required effort to prepare for the event. Club officers are encouraged to check out the many online resources to learn about their particular office. There are many informative videos and resource guides for each office at this website: https://ohio4h.org/officerresources

If club volunteers would like a officer pins and certificates, please contact Beth boomershine.10@osu.edu or Rachel stoneburner.31@osu.edu and they would be happy to put a packet together for your club.

Attention Club Advisors! If you have not picked up your club's recognition packet from the recognition program in September, they are ready for pick-up at the Extension office. These packets contain end-of-the-year certificates, award pins, and other awards your members may have earned. If you would like to pick up your packet please email Rachel at stoneburner.31@osu.edu and she will have it ready for you.

You can now re-enroll in 4-H for 2025. Remember to log in with your family's email and password to find your family profile. Watch the videos below for a guide to the enrollment system.

This is your place to connect to the entire collection of Ohio 4-H project books for the year. When choosing a project, consider your interests, background, what is necessary to start the project, and the resources available to help you complete it. Start looking for your 2025 projects now! Family guides will soon be mailed to all families who participated in 4-H last year, or you can download the Family Guide now at https://ohio4h.org/projectguide

Do you know what you need to do in order to complete your project? Make sure you check out the Franklin County 4-H Project Requirement Guide HERE. The project requirement guides explain what is required to complete each project.

4-H clubs with members exhibiting livestock are being strongly encouraged to send an adult representative to the monthly Fair Sale Committee meetings. These meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of every month in the Junior Fair Office. Representatives will have the opportunity to participate in discussion regarding the Junior Fair Livestock Sale and learn how to become more involved in the livestock sale portion of the fair.

Sale Promotion Sub Committee Members wanted: The Livestock Sale Committee is searching for individuals who are intersted in serving on the Sale Promotion sub committee to assist with the buyers brunch, buyer letters and tickets, photos, etc.

The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 17, 2025 at 7:00pm in the Junior Fair Office.

February 11, 2025 - New Volunteer Orientation

February 15, 2025 - Winter Project Fair

February 19, 2025 - 4-H Council Meeting

April 1, 2025 - Enrollment Deadline

April 12, 2025 - 4-H Walk & Serve

April 14, 2025 - Livestock Quality Assurance

April 16, 2025 - Advisor Fair Update & 4-H Council Meeting

May 1, 2025 - Fair Entry Portal Opens

May 22, 2025 - Livestock Quality Assurance

June 7, 2025 - Fair Entry Deadline

June 13-17, 2025 - Franklin County 4-H Camp

June 25, 2025 - 4-H Council Meeting

July 9, 2025 - Livestock Evaluations & Skillathon

July 14 - 20, 2025 - Franklin County Fair

July 23 - August 3, 2025 - Ohio State Fair

September 17, 2025 - 4-H Council Meeting

November 19, 2025 - 4-H Council Meeting

As you know, the Junior Fair is a vital part of our community, providing young people with the opportunity to learn about agriculture, responsibility, and teamwork through livestock projects. Over the next several years, we have the goal of enhancing the livestock pens used by our participants. These pens are essential for providing a safe and comfortable environment for the animals, as well as creating an engaging experience for fairgoers.

Our goal is to raise $50,000.00 which will allow us to purchase pens that are safe for junior fair exhibitors, animals and fairgoers. Our current pens are 30+ years old and are showing their wear, so it is time for replacement.

Donations can be made via check to the Franklin County Agricultural Society, P.O. Box 6 Hilliard, Ohio 43026. Please put Pen Campaign in the subject line. Additionally, we would love the opportunity recognize your generosity by adding your name to the permanent sponsor sign that will be displayed throughout the year in the livestock building(s).

There are over 36 state 4-H scholarships available and each has its own description and its own list of eligibility requirements. Completion of an Ohio 4-H Achievement Record is not necessary to be eligible for these awards/opportunities. Instead, a separate, specialized online application form is required. Please follow the instructions on the Ohio 4-H website.

Email: boomershine.10@osu.edu or stoneburner.31@osu.edu
Website: franklin.osu.edu
Location: 2548 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: 614-866-6900 option 2
Facebook: facebook.com/4hfranklin