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How To Find 4-H Grants And Scholarships – Part 2: Finding Scholarships for 4-H Students
December 24, 2010

Finding a scholarship to help further your education is much like searching for a 4-H project grant, which we discussed in Part 1. There are three things you need to consider before you begin looking for that perfect scholarship.

You should first decide on your area of expertise and what your field of study will encompass. Many 4-H scholarships are based on the area of study you are electing to pursue, so obtaining an Agriculture scholarship will not be good if you are going into the field of Robotics. Know what you want to do first.

Once you have decided on your area of study, you should try to compose a list of schools which you would like to attend. Many scholarships are awarded only if you plan on enrolling in a specific school or University. If you do not want to leave your home town, then you wouldn’t want to apply for a scholarship at a school across the state or elsewhere in the country.

Finally, you need to decide how much funding you will be needing. If you absolutely cannot get by with anything less than, say $5000, then applying for a $1000 scholarship may not be a good idea because you will be unable to fund your remaining coursework. Those who award scholarships like to know that you will complete your coursework and earn your degree or certificate. There is, however, nothing saying you couldn’t obtain five $1000 scholarships.

Now you’re ready to begin your scholarship search. If your school of choice is close by, you can take a trip to their financial aid office and make an appointment with a counselor to discuss possible scholarships, grants or funding sources. Make sure to have all the information we discussed above ready for the counselor to facilitate your time together.

You can also use the Internet to find available opportunities. First, visit the website(s) of the school(s) you wish to attend. Most of them will have a page or section dedicated to financial aid, grants and scholarships. Take your time and don’t jump at the first one you see. Spend more time and look at all of your options – you may end up with a better opportunity if you do your homework!

Make sure that if you use a search engine, that you perform detailed search queries. For example, if you are looking for an agriculture scholarship at the University of Florida then don’t just search for “Florida scholarships”. This will return relevant results, but more often than not, you will be trudging through hundreds of outdated or completely irrelevant results. Instead, search for “4-H agriculture scholarship 2011 application.”

By adding more detail to your search query, you will not only save a lot of time looking through meaningless results, you will quite possibly find the best scholarship for your area of study and funding goals.

Finally, a surprising amount of people believe that in order to get a scholarship for college or for continuing education, you need to maintain a GPA north of 4.0. This is simply not true. While some scholarships do require an impeccable grade point average, many only require you to have average grades. Obviously, they don’t want to award a scholarship to someone who will not complete the coursework, but as long as you show commitment and desire in your application, grades aren’t as important with many of the scholarships out there. So don’t be afraid or embarrassed to apply for an opportunity because of less-than-stellar grades – you just might get it!

Conclusion



Don’t let a lack of money stand in the way of you completing a 4-H project or getting into college! There are thousands of grants and scholarships out there just waiting for you to take of advantage of. All you have to do is know where and how to find them. Hopefully, by using the techniques above and in Part 1 of this blog series, you are now armed with the skills necessary to get out there and track them down.

Just remember that you need to do a little preparation before you start searching. Make sure you know exactly what you want to do, where you want to do it and how much funding will be necessary to complete your goals.

Please let us know about your grant or scholarship experience. Were you able to find one easily? Was it tough? Did the funding bring your project to completion? Leave a comment in the field below and let us know all about it.

Thanks for reading and GOOD LUCK to all of you!

North Carolina Boy Scout Lodge Back In Business
December 21, 2010

The rebuilding of the Boy Scout Lodge for Troop 98 in North Carolina, one of the oldest Troops in the country, was recently completed by Scouts, their families, firefighters, local officials and an unselfish outpouring of community member support.

In August of 2009, just as the Lodge was nearing its “first” completion, an arsonist deliberately set fire to the lodge and it quickly burned to the ground, along with the rest of the materials that would have been used to complete the structure. The only thing left standing when all was said and done was the fractured stone fireplace made from stones collected over the years by the Scouts. The fire burned so hot and for so long that stones in the fireplace and chimney had cracked. Hopes and dreams, along with years of planning and hard work were gone.

It was a total loss.

But this was a lodge for Scouts and, not surprising, the Scouts didn’t give up hope. Instead, they rallied together in the face of bad luck and difficulty. Dwayne Parsons, a Scout and Scoutmaster for the Troop for more than 10 years said that the fire was a bitter disappointment, but it was just an interruption, not an end. “We are going to carry on,” Parsons said. “We are going to build it back. No doubt about it, we are putting it back.”

And as we also see so many times, the community that the Scouts have been supporting for decades didn’t hesitate to give back. Donations came pouring in, as did the physical help of hundreds of community members.

Work began almost immediately on the rebuilding of the lodge. As mentioned above, the help came in the form of money and building material donations along with the hard work of hundreds of local adults and children. They even had food donated to feed the volunteers! What a great way for a community to pull together. According to Parsons, the speed at which the new lodge was rebuilt was astonishing as well.

Completion of the lodge rebuilding was marked by a formal ceremony last week. Cub Scouts raised the flag, Parsons gave a formal speech, and the lodge was officially named the West End Scout Lodge at Johnson Park.

Much to his surprise, Parsons was also presented with two awards for his participation in the rebuilding. He received the Award of Merit from the Occonneechee Council and the Presidential Volunteer Service Award from President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. He quickly turned the attention to the communtiy and volunteers who made it all possible and thanked them for their hard work and dedication.

Around 700 attended the event and their attention was called to a single, special stone in the fireplace that had survived the fire and been recovered and placed there. It was a touching moment and one that brought a community and their Scouts even closer together in North Carolina.

Read about why that one fireplace stone was so special and discover more details about the lodge here – Community Celebrates Rebuilt Scout Lodge. Congratulations and enjoy your new Scout Lodge!

Scouting News – Selecting A New Troop T-shirt
December 21, 2010

It almost goes without saying that any Venturing Crew, Cub Scout or Boy Scout Troop should have their own, customized T-shirt for each Scout to wear during non-formal events. But what design should you use? What colors and styles should you put on it? What type of shirt should you print the design on?

Most people think that purchasing a T-shirt for a Scout or Troop is as simple as picking a design from a list of pictures and clicking the “Buy Now” button. But there is a lot more to it, and educating yourself on exactly what you should be looking for will save you plenty of future headaches.

Read on and you’ll be confident in choosing the perfect T-shirt design for your Scouts and, more importantly, you and your Scouts be satisfied with the outcome.

What Type of Shirt Should You Choose?

One thing that is often ignored, or simply forgotten, when purchasing a Troop T-shirt is what kind of shirt your design should be printed on. There are generally two types of shirts that will be offered. They are the 100% cotton T-shirt and the 50/50 Cotton and Polyester Blend. You may also be given the choice of which T-shirt manufacturer to use, such as Hanes, Gildan or Anvil.

Remember that the price of each T-shirt will be affected by which brand you choose. But you will usually get what you pay for, so going for a better brand will be a bit more expensive now, but will pay off in the long run in comfort and durability.

Then it comes down to whether 100% cotton or a 50/50 blend would be better for your Troop. The main difference that you will notice right away is how the shirt feels against your skin. 100% cotton t-shirts are much more comfortable to most people, and are generally softer to the touch than 50/50 T-shirts. They also seem to “breathe” a little better, giving them an advantage in hot and humid environments.

On the other hand, 50/50 Cotton and Polyester T-shirts are more durable than their all-cotton counterparts. They are not as heavy and they tend not to wrinkle as much. So you need to put a little thought into which type of T-shirt to print your Troop design on. It makes a difference, so don’t just blindly choose one or the other to speed up the purchasing process.

What Type Of Design Should You Choose?

The type of design you choose for your Troop really depends on what your Troop wants! Think about their personalities, their pride and their sense of style.

Put together a list of designs that you think your Troop would like and present it to them in your next meeting. Talk about what they like or don’t like about your examples and simply make a choice. If you don’t find a perfect design, use their feedback to create a new list of designs for your next meeting. you can find hundreds of customizable stock designs at most B.S.A. officially licensed T-shirt company websites.

One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want your t-shirt color and your design colors to clash. You also want to make sure that your design colors are going to be easily seen. It’s kind of hard to see bright yellow on a white shirt, or navy blue on a black or dark blue shirt, so keep that in mind.

Some online T-shirt companies have a T-shirt designer on their website where you can drop your design on top of a colored t-shirt. This will allow you to see the design against the t-shirt color and assure that it is pleasing to the eye.

Once you have chosen your design, the t-shirt color and what type of t-shirt to print the design on, it’s finally time to go shopping! But you need to make sure you purchase your shirts from a reliable and well-established company.

Where Should You Purchase Your Custom T-shirts?

There are a few different things to consider when deciding where to purchase your new Troop T-shirts. The most important of these factors is to make sure to get them from an officially licensed, Boy Scouts of America Licensee. This assures that you will not only get a top-quality product, but that any and all B.S.A. logos, images and text are official. Any licensee will have the official BSA Licensee Seal displayed on their home page.

The B.S.A. does not hand out licenses on a whim. In fact, a license from the B.S.A. is a highly coveted item. Licensed companies spend a great deal of effort in obtaining and maintaining their licensed status. So you can rest assured that any licensed company is serious about their product and their customer service.

After finding an officially licensed T-shirt company, make sure to look for any customer testimonials or feedback – the more, the better. If you only find a few testimonials on a website, you may only be seeing the few good ones that the company wants to publish. Look for a page on the site with hundreds or even thousands of testimonials. Sometimes you can see the Troop number and state, or county that the testimonial comes from. Take the time and send them an email to ask them about their experience with the company. It’s never a bad thing to be thorough.

Then you want to see what kind of customer support the company offers. Do they have a phone number or email address on every page? Do they hide their contact information or do they encourage you to contact them with any questions you have? Obviously, you want to deal with a company that will provide excellent customer support and who realize that you’re not a professional graphic artist or an apparel industry expert. If they have a contact page, call them or send them an email. The response you get, and the time it takes to get it, is usually a great identifier as to how well they treat their customers.

You can also look for a company who will help you if your design skills are, shall we say, less than standard. Some companies have a staff of graphic artists who are there for you and will take what you have done and make it a hundred times better. Some will even do this at no charge!

As far as price goes, most online custom T-shirt companies maintain about the same pricing structure. But if you do your due diligence and take everything into consideration, you can find official licensees who will give you everything we discussed above at a surprisingly reasonable price – usually less than most non-licensed companies.

Hopefully this article has given you the knowledge and confidence you need to go out and find the perfect Troop T-shirts for your Scouts. Just take things slowly, remember all of the things we discussed above, and you’ll be the hero of your Troop when you hold up that first shirt for all of them to see. And remember, whatever design you choose or what company you decide to produce your custom Troop t-shirts, the look in the kids’ eyes and the smiles on their faces will make all of your effort well worthwhile.

Good luck and enjoy your new T-shirts!

Enjoy your custom t-shirts and wear them with pride.

Our Page about Boy Scout Troop T-shirts

100% Cotton or 50/50 Blend: Which Is Best?
December 21, 2010

thinking
You’ve created the perfect design. You settled on the perfect slogan. You’re finally ready to place your order when you’re suddenly rattled with a question you may have not been expecting…

100% cotton or a 50/50 blend?

Don’t panic! This post is going to teach you everything you need to know to make a wise and knowledgeable choice.

For the most part, it will simply come down to your own personal preference. But there are some important factors and considerations that you should be aware of before making your final decision.

Each choice offers its own set of pros and cons, so let’s look at each of them separately.

 

 

100% Cotton T-Shirts

The first thing you’ll notice about the cotton t-shirts is how soft they are to the touch. Not only are they much softer than their half-polyester counterparts, they “breathe” a lot better as well. What this means is that the cotton fabric allows air to circulate through the shirt. When we sweat, the shirt allows air to flow through and assist in evaporation, thus helping us stay cooler in hot and humid conditions. Plus, the cotton shirts just have a nicer, heavier feel to them that most people seem to like.

If your event is going to be outside, or in an area of high heat and humidity, then the 100% cotton shirt is definitely the way to go.

Cotton shirts are notorious for being heavy-duty shrinkers. But these days, 100% cotton fabric is manufactured to reduce the amount of shrinkage that occurs in the laundering process. Also, manufacturers are beginning to produce their cotton shirts a little bit bigger, to account for the shrinkage that will occur, not to mention that they are put through the manufacturer’s “preshrink” process.

So remember that 100% cotton shirts may not last as long as 50/50 blends, but they are softer and much more breathable, allowing for proper perspiration evaporation. They also do not shrink as much as they used to. For instance, our preferred shirt, the Gildan 100% cotton T, will only shrink up to 3-5%, on average.

50/50 Cotton and Polyester Blend T-Shirts

If its durability and long-lasting shirts you’re looking for, then a 50/50 cotton and polyester blend may be right for you. The Polyester adds resiliency to the cotton fibers, allowing them to “spring back” into shape and endure many more laundry cycles.

Unfortunately, the Polyester does not allow for evaporation, and can become uncomfortable when worn in hot and humid areas. 50/50 blends are ideal for indoor situations which may call for extra durability, longevity or unusually high amounts of laundering.

The 50/50 blend is also less likely to shrink/wrinkle than 100% cotton and feels lighter on the wearer.

Many T-shirt and clothing manufacturers such as Anvil Knitwear are beginning to use recycled polyester in their manufacturing processes. The FTC recognizes items containing recycled polyester fibers as being eco-friendly and, of course, ClassB supports that as well.

 

 

Making the Final Decision

Now that you know the advantages of each type of shirt, it’s time to take a quick look at exactly where and how the shirts are going to be worn.

Are they going to be worn indoors where it is cool, or outdoors in the heat and humidity? Will the shirts be worn over and over again, or is it a one-time event? Just give it a little thought and you should have no problem deciding which is best for you.

You should have enough information now to be able to make your decision, but if you still need help, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-851-4020. One of our helpful customer service representatives will be glad to talk to you about which shirt to choose. We’re here Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm EST, and we’re always ready to help!

Now it’s your turn – let us know your thoughts on the differences between 100% cotton and 50/50 blend. Leave a comment below!

4-H’ers Help Children On The Other Side Of The World
December 20, 2010

Most of us realize that the living conditions in most parts of Afghanistan are not as suitable as they should be. And this stretches into their educational system as well. In fact, Afghanistan schools and students, which have been devastated from 30 years of war, anti-education politics and an unstable government, are in dire need of assistance. Said Afghan Col. Haji Toor Jan, Afghanistan National Police security commander of civil affairs, “When I was a little boy, if someone had given me a pen instead of a gun, this country would be a better place.” Well that is exactly what a program called “Backpacks For Afghanistan” is doing. Soldiers are collecting donations from all over the world to bring school supplies and teaching supplies to students and teachers across Afghanistan, rebuilding their educational system one student and teacher at a time. Backpacks for Afghanistan offers a tremendous humanitarian project opportunity for any 4-H club. I you or your Group would like to collect donations and help send backpacks to Afghanistan, then you can do what the Clover Explorer 4-H Club of Bremer County did, and send backpacks full of school supplies overseas. You can even look for and apply for a 4-H grant to help fund the project! Way to go Clover Explorers! You’ve helped children all the way around the world and you’ve set a great example for other 4-H clubs at the same time. Keep up the great work. Here’s another really cool story about one of the founders of the Backpacks for Afghanistan campaign – ONE member and US Army major gives back to children in Afghanistan.

Young 4-H’ers In Florida Learn Responsibility And Enhance Future Projects
December 20, 2010

Mark Warren, a Flagler County Agriculture Extension Agent, recently decided to coordinate an educational project for his County’s 4-H’ers while, at the same time, gather data from the participants in order to make future similar projects even more of a success. The project involves the 4-H members receiving 6 newborn chicks, a bag of feed, wood shavings and electrolyte powder for the chick’s water. As soon as each chick shows the project coordinators that it can eat and drink on its own, it is given to one of the project participants. From then until the Flagler County Fair in April, the chicks will be cared for and raised by the 4-H’ers. The purpose of the project is twofold. First, it is meant to educate the children on caring for and raising animals. Each project participant will be in charge of identifying which breed of chicken their chick is from, and raising it from infancy. They will be engaging in all aspects of raising the chicken from giving it electrolytes as prescribed, to incubating it properly, to feeding and preparing it for showing at the fair. The second goal of the project is for the project coordinators to analyze the participants themselves. As each participant raises his or her chicks, they will be documenting the process in a log. Among the things they are to be documenting are:
  • Goals for the project.
  • What was learned and at what time.
  • What could be done differently.
The hope is that the project will educate the 4-H members on raising the animals and showing them at the fair, as well as to enhance future chicken projects to make them even better for the participants. Here’s a link to the local news story about this cool project – 4-H members start down path to responsibility by raising chicks. Good luck to Mark and all the Flagler 4-H’ers. We’ll see you at the Fair in April! If you have participated in a project similar to this one, where the project participants also gave advice for making the project better, then we’d love to hear about your experience! Leave us a comment in the comments field below. Don’t be shy!

Nebraska Scout Earns Red Cross’ Certificate of Merit
December 17, 2010

Jack Pape of Omaha, Nebraska had to use his Boy Scout CPR training skills in 2009 when a tornado slammed the Little Sioux Boy Scout Retreat. Sadly, several Scouts lost their lives that day. But Jack helped to save many lives that day using the CPR skills he learned in his years as a Boy Scout. Fast forward one year and Jack again found himself in an emergency situation. A small boy fell into a pool and was drowning. Jack performed CPR on the boy and kept him alive long enough for his family to spend a short amount of time with him. Although the young boy passed away, Jack did everything he was trained to do in order to save the boy’s life. For his efforts, he received the Red Cross Certificate of Merit – the highest award given by the American Red Cross. “I just think that it’s important that everyone learns because you never know when you’re going to need it to save the life of a friend or another person,” Pape said at the awards ceremony. Jack’s parents are obviously proud of his accomplishment. “We’re very proud, and we were a little worried about him because there are bad memories involved, but very proud, brings tears to your eyes.” According to Jack, when the situation presents itself, there is no thinking about it. “I didn’t think when I did it, it was just get up, look around what needs to be done, at that point it was just training that kicked in second nature,it wasn’t until after that I was like wow what just happened.” Our congratulations and respect go out to you, Jack. Your efforts truly represent the idea of Being Prepared and helping others in need. Awesome Job!

Oregon Boy Scouts Rally Community To Support Troops This Holiday Season
December 17, 2010

Troop 48 of Eagle Point, Oregon made the news this week when they rallied their community and collected enough donations to make hundreds of holiday care packages for our troops in Afghanistan. As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is upon us, it is easy to forget about our troops overseas who will not have the opportunity to spend the holidays with their family, friends and loved-ones. But Bryce Thorton of Troop 48 didn’t forget. When he saw the conditions that soldiers in Afghanistan were living in, he was motivated to do anything he could to make a difference. So twice a year, in July and in December, Bryce sends care packages to our troops overseas. “It just shows them that we still care for them and that they’re still respected and needed…”, Bryce told reporters. Thanks to the help of donations made by individuals and businesses throughout Southwest Oregon, and despite the lagging economy, the goal for December was met and the soldiers should receive their packages by Christmas morning. The final donation came at the last minute from Harry & David, a gourmet food and fruit gift purveyor based in Medford, Oregon. It was going to be close, in fact, Bryce’s father was beginning to wonder if they would reach their goal. But once Harry & David stepped in, the Thortons were able to meet their target, and hundred of troops overseas will have a better holiday and know that we are thinking about them. What a great mission you’re on Bryce. Your unselfish actions, along with the help of your family and your Boy Scout Troop, are touching the lives of thousands of people. Your efforts are commendable and do not go unnoticed! To learn more about the holiday package drive, and see a video from the local news station, click this link – Eagle Point Boy Scouts send holiday care packages to soldiers in Afghanistan. You can also check out the website that was set up by Troop 48 and donate here, great job guys! – Supporting Freedom.

How To Find 4-H Grants And Scholarships – Part 1: Finding Grants for 4-H Projects
December 17, 2010

There are literally thousands of 4-H grants and scholarships available to 4-H members all across the country. Most are found on the local, or county level, but there are many statewide and nationwide opportunities as well. Whether you’re looking for help to fund a 4-H project, or help to further your own education, you should always try and find the grant or scholarship that most closely matches the specific project or your area of expertise.

The biggest problem that most 4-H’ers face is that they don’t know how to search for and find the opportunity that is right for them. This post will help you do just that.

Finding Grants for 4-H Projects



The first thing you should do is to sit down and analyze exactly what you need the funding for. Will it be for a community service project, a youth development project, improvements to your 4-H facility, a 4-H member drive?

Once you have decided the main purpose for the funding, you then need to decide how much funding will be enough to see your project through to completion. You don’t want to obtain a grant only to realize later that your are still short on funds and end up postponing or canceling the entire project.

Now you are ready to begin your search. A good place to start is by contacting your Group’s extension or visiting their website. Most Extensions have a web page dedicated to grants and scholarships. If you don’t see a link for Grants and Scholarships, look for “Awards” or “Programs.” Browse through the list of available opportunities and see if any of them match your project goals and funding level. If so, apply!

Like we said above, most opportunities are on the local, or county level. To find these, you can obviously contact your local 4-H Council and see if they are aware of something that would match your goals. This could take time and the person you speak with may be unaware of a new or obscure grant which could be right up your alley, but don’t skip this step because you could miss the perfect opportunity.

Then you should begin searching online. Most people will skip everything above and start here. But remember, you need to have your plans, goals and funding limits finalized before applying for your grant.

We have been searching for 4-H grants online for months here at ClassB, and we’ve found that detailed search phrases are much better to use than generic phrases. For example, let’s say that you live in Tampa, Florida, which is in Hillsborough County. Most people would simply search for “4-H Grants” or “4-H Grants in Tampa.” Although you will get back a lot of results, you are going to be weeding through dozens of pages that are most likely not what you’re looking for.

What we suggest is to be more detailed in your search query. For instance, instead of just searching for “4-H Grants”, do a search for “4-H grant youth development Hillsborough County” or “4-H grants Hillsborough County application” and you’ll find much more targeted results. Be as creative and detailed as you can get. Here are a few more examples:
  • 4-H grant Hillsborough apply here community service
  • Hillsborough County 4-H grant application apply
  • 4-H Hillsborough Florida grants community service grant apply

As you can see from the list above, the search queries don’t need to make grammatical sense. Just plug in the words that you feel will get you the results you are searching for. Once you do a few searches in this manner, you will begin to narrow down your search results and increase your chances of finding the perfect grant for your project.

Once you find something that looks promising, follow through and apply as soon as possible. Most grants have application deadlines and limits to how many Groups can obtain them.

Hopefully these tips will guide you to the grant that is perfect for your unique situation. Just remember to have your goals set and make sure the grant matches your needs before applying.

As always, we’d like to hear what you have to say. Have you been awarded a grant? How did you find it? Have you been having trouble finding that perfect grant for your project? Let us know in the comments field below.

Be on the lookout for Part 2 of this blog post which will discuss finding scholarships for 4-H students.

Good luck everybody!

Can you break down the sizes (ys, ym, etc) to numbers?
December 16, 2010

Size numbers 6-8, 10-12,  and so on are NOT standard.  Each manufacturer is allowed to cut the garment to any size they desire.  While there is good consistency in adult sizes, youth shirts vary widely in size.

A better measure is the actual width and length of the garment.  We have a chart online for our most popular garments here: https://www.classb.com/help/305/t-shirt-size-charts

We carry over 100 different styles and brands of garments. On all styles of garment there is a chart with the manufacturers number size.  Please contact us if you have a specific size question.

Visit this link for our most popular t-shirt styles: Custom T-shirts Screen Printed from ClassB.com
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