Renville County Clover Update

September 7: Labor Day-Office Closed

September 14: 6:30 PM - Leader's Council Budget Meeting (Renville County Government Center)

September 22-24: Staff Training in Bloomington-Office Hours limited.

September 24: 5:45/6:30 PM - Ambassador Meeting (5:45) & Leader's Council (6:30)

September 27: Kicks and Picnics 4pm (Franklin Ball Field)

National 4-H Week: October 5 - 11

October 9: Charter Deadline - Please have your charter, Secretary and Treasurer books to the office for review.

October 31: Happy Halloween!

November 15: Volunteer Renewal - if you completed your Safety of Minors training on or before September 15, 2023, you will need to renew by November 15.

November 21: Tentative Annual Volunteer Training (Statewide)

Build relationships, develop communication techniques and be more organized. In this project, find the leader within you and make a positive impact in your club, home, school or community.

What can you do?

In the youth leadership project, you can:

• Develop a career or college prep portfolio.
• Create a lesson plan to engage younger members.
• Share your youth leadership experience within 4‑H, school or community.
• Become a mentor to younger youth.

These are just some of the many ways you can participate in this project.

Check out all of the different ways to explore the environment in 4-H below!

The Executive Committee will meet on 9/14 at the Renville County Government Center to review and prepare the budget proposal for the 9/24 Leader's Council Meeting.

The Executive Committee consists of 1 adult and 1 youth from each club, plus Leader's Council officers and advisors.

Is your child(ren) in grades 6th and above this year? Join the Renville County Ambassadors on 9/24 as they get ready to plan their events and meetings out for the year!

Renville County Government Center, Room 116/117

This is our Annual Meeting. We will approving the budget, creating goals, and electing new officers!

All Leaders Council meetings are open to all Renville County 4-H members, parents & volunteers.

Below is the tentative agenda and the supporting documents are linked below. I will be sending an email to families by 9/17 with the complete agenda packet.

We will also be electing officers! Youth in grades 6+ are eligible to be a Leader's Council Officer. Please see the document below with descriptions for each position. If you are interested but cannot make it to the meeting, please let Ashle know you are interested and what positions you would like by 4:30 PM on 9/24.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey linked below. This is a great opportunity to share what went well and what could be improved on. All responses will be looked at and evaluated during out Annual Meeting at the end of September.

Check out these amazing photos that Sophie was able to capture during the County Fair!

Message from Sophie:

• All photos have already been prepaid for, so recipients do not need to purchase or “pay per photo” to download their images.

• Photos may not be re-edited, edited over, filtered, or re-cropped after downloading. For any requests of re-editing or cropping contact me directly.

• When saving photos, please download them directly from the gallery rather than screenshotting them. Screenshots significantly reduce the image quality.

• While it is not required, I would greatly appreciate being tagged or credited as Sophie Geer Photography when photos are shared on social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. It is always appreciated and helps support my business!

If anyone has trouble accessing or downloading their photos, please feel free to send them my way. I would be more than happy to help!

Click the link below to check out the gallery and download your pictures today!

The pin to download is: 9698

Premium Checks will be ready to go for the Leader's Council Meeting on 9/24, your club leaders will receive them to hand out at a club meeting.

Youth who participated in showmanship/interviews will have 2 checks this year.

If you notice any discrepancies with your checks, you have October 28 to let us know in the office to get the issue resolved.

Checks must be cashed by November 13.

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Kicks & Picnics event — a fun day for the whole family to relax, connect, and enjoy some friendly competition!

Kicks: Bring your game face (and your cheering voice!) for a family-friendly kickball tournament. Youth, parents, and volunteers are all welcome to join in on the fun — no experience needed, just a willingness to play and laugh together!

The Details:

• Must have 6-8 people to a team
• Double Elimination
• Awards for first & second place

Picnics: After the games, stick around to enjoy a community picnic. Pack your own basket if you wish, and we’ll provide water, lemonade and a sweet treat!

Date: Sunday, September 27
Location: Franklin Ball Field
Time: First game starts at 4:00

This event is all about family, friendship, and fun — a chance to connect outside of meetings and projects, celebrate the summer, and make memories together.

Please RSVP to the Extension office by 9/21 so we can plan teams and supplies.

*If we do not have 6 teams registered by 9/21, we will postpone until October 4 (for a fun way to kick off National 4-H Week!)

If you're interested in volunteering, please let us know. We will need refs and a few bracket managers.

We can’t wait to see you there for a day full of kicks, picnics, and laughter!

Please fill out the Google Form linked below to register. Registration is due September 21st.

What is Project Bowl?

Project Bowl is a long-standing program in Minnesota 4-H and is the second most attended event of the year.

In Project Bowl, teams of three to six youth members build skills working and thinking together while testing their knowledge in these 4-H areas: dairy, dog, general livestock, horse, llama-alpaca, poultry and rabbit.

Watch this 4-H Project Bowl YouTube video to learn more and see the program in action.

Compete regionally to advance

There are four regional bowls, which lead to the state competition.

Each regional contest has two divisions for horse, poultry and rabbit: Junior (grades 3-8) and Senior (grades 4 through one year post-high school). Dog will be offered with two divisions at two of the regional contests.

Again this year, in dairy and general livestock, there will be three divisions: Junior (grades 3-5), Intermediate (grades 3-8) and Senior (grades 4 through one year post-high school).

Regional winners advance to the State 4-H Project Bowl. Llama-alpaca teams have the opportunity to participate in the State 4-H Project Bowl.

Winners at the state level in dairy, general livestock, horse and poultry may go on to national contests.

Get your friends together, recruit a coach, study hard, and have fun during the Project Bowl season!

More information coming November 2026 for the 2027 project year!

Contact the Extension Office for Registration.

The 4-H year ends Sept. 30; however, you can reenroll for the 2026-2027 Program year starting on October 1!

Login to 4HOnline and review, update, and submit the following information:

• Your family's contact and demographic information, including club, school, and grade.

• Each family member's health and emergency contact information.

• Project areas of interest for this coming year.

• Parental consent is required for youth participating in shooting sports/wildlife programs.

You can login to 4-H Online to complete the re-enrollment process after Oct. 1. This guide has more information.

If you have any questions about re-enrolling or any other aspect of 4-H involvement, call the office at 320-523-3713.

Thank you for volunteering with Minnesota 4-H in program year 2024 - 2025. We hope you will join us to continue offering learning and leadership opportunities for Minnesota youth in your community!

Each year on Sept. 15, Minnesota 4-H marks the beginning of the volunteer renewal period (in preparation for the new program year on Oct. 1). On Sept. 15, all volunteers who were ‘Approved’ in program year 2022 - 2023 will be moved to a ‘Not-Enrolled’ status in 4-H Online. If you completed the volunteer application and screening process or volunteer renewal process prior to Sept. 15, 2022, additional action will be needed.

• If you need to renew as a volunteer, you will receive an email communication from 4-H staff with instructions for completing renewal. Please complete the renewal steps by Nov. 15 to restore your ‘Approved’ status.

• If you do not need to renew as a volunteer, you will receive an email communication from 4-H staff with a notice that 4-H staff will manually update your status to ‘Approved’ in 4-H Online. You will receive an automated notification from 4-H Online once this status is restored. Remember, eligibility to volunteer does not mean a commitment to volunteer! Contact your local 4-H Extension educator if you wish to discontinue your volunteer service.

Additional information about volunteer renewal is available from the 4-H Volunteer Resource Center.

October is almost here, which means so is National 4-H week.

We are busy in the office putting some fun things together for the week, so stay tuned, and watch your emails and the October Newsletter for more information. Because National 4-H week is the first week in October, we will be sending out Octobers Newsletter the last week of September.

We will be doing a National 4-H Week proclamation with the County Commissioners on Tuesday, September 15. We do not have a time yet. If you are interested in attending the meeting, please let Ashle know.

We will need a few youth who are willing to do some radio commercials. Please let me know if you are interested. These will be pre-recorded, so you don't have to worry about talking live on the air.

Please see below the agenda template for July & August. These are still a work in progress and will get more specific as the months go on. If you have any suggestions, please let Ashle know.

Please make a copy of this document by:

1. Clicking the file on the top left-hand corner of the screen.
2. Find "Make a copy" (should be the third one from the top) and click on it.
3. Name your document and save it into the folder you wish to save it to.

If you have any issues, please let Ashle know.

Minnesota 4-H has an awesome Volunteer Resource Center for 4-H volunteers. Take a second and check it out.

Under the "Lead a Club" picture, you will find a lot of resources to help you plan your club meetings and fun activities.

Click on the link below:

Club Leader Toolkit

As we turn the calendar to September, I want to take a moment to reflect on what an incredible summer it has been. From county fairs to state fair, camps to project meetings, our youth have shown dedication, growth, and the true spirit of 4-H. Thank you to the volunteers, parents, and families who have supported them along the way—you make this possible.

September is a season of fresh starts. With the new school year underway, it’s also the perfect time to think about the new 4-H year. Re-enrollment will be opening soon, and I encourage you to start thinking about what projects, leadership roles, or new opportunities your family would like to explore this year.

As we look ahead, here are a few reminders and opportunities:

🌟 Ambassador Program
We are excited to kick off the new 4-H year with our Ambassador program. Ambassadors serve as leaders and role models for younger members while gaining skills in teamwork, communication, and community service. Applications are now open, and I encourage youth in grades 6 and up to consider applying.

🤝 Leaders Council Meeting
Our next Leaders Council meeting is scheduled for 9/24 at 6:30 PM. This is a great opportunity for volunteers and parents to have a voice in shaping the year ahead, plan county-wide events, and stay connected. Your input and ideas are always welcome.

🏅Kicks & Picnics:

Join us for our upcoming Kicks & Picnics event on 9/27 in Franklin. We’ll enjoy a family-friendly picnic together followed by a kickball tournament. This is a perfect way to connect with other 4-H families and celebrate the start of a new 4-H year.

📋 Post-Fair Survey
We want to continue making the fair a meaningful and positive experience for youth and families. Please take a few minutes to complete our post-fair survey. Your feedback helps us celebrate successes and identify ways we can improve in the future.

📑 Club Chartering
It’s that time of year again! Club leaders—please make sure your annual chartering paperwork is completed and submitted by October 10. Chartering ensures that your club remains in good standing and helps us track the amazing work being done across the county.

📗Afterschool Programming

Watch your emails over the next few weeks for the exciting afterschool program opportunities we are planning.

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As we turn the page to a new program year, I’m excited to see the ways our 4-H’ers will continue to grow, lead, and serve. Thank you for all you do to support your youth, your clubs, and our county 4-H program.

Wishing you a smooth start to the school year and a bright September!