Howdy 4-H’ers! It’s hard to believe another week has gone by already. I remember when I was a child, it seemed like the closer we got to Christmas, the longer the weeks became!

Either way, as the holidays draw closer, please do not lose sight of your 4-H values and your future education. Always be on the lookout for a grant or scholarship opportunity that can further your education or improve your 4-H experience.

Get those applications submitted and good luck to everyone!

 

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture 4-H Grant

If your 4-H Group can provide 18 hours of activities annually which contribute to the advancement of agriculture or agribusiness, then you could be eligible to apply for a grant from the P.D.A. in the amount of $2,000 all the way up to $9,000.

The activities may include training and instruction in grading livestock and poultry, breeding and raising livestock or poultry, grading eggs, marketing, public speaking, packaging, holding agricultural contests for premiums or ribbons, planting, demonstrations, planning, fitting or another phase of agriculture or agribusiness.

Visit this page to find out who is eligible and how to submit your application – P.D.A. 4-H Grant Opportunity.  

Harry Burcalow Endowment for Innovative Grants (Washington State)

This grant program facilitates short-term needs such as new innovative programs, seed money, emergency or unanticipated shortfalls. Suggestions could be focused on things like education of youth and adults, expanding 4-H experiential learning to youth and adults, and promoting diversity. These are only suggestions, of course. Click on the link below for details.

Grant awards are usually between $100 and $1,000 and are given twice per year.

If your Group could use some extra money to get an innovative project going or to support and existing one, click here – Harry Burcalow Endowment for Innovative Grants.  

Wisconsin 4-H Foundation 2011-2012 Scholarship

The Wisconsin 4-H Foundation and other donors offer educational scholarships to outstanding Wisconsin 4-H students. The scholarships are offered as a way for the Foundation to show their appreciation to these students for accomplishments as a result of 4-H experiences, and to support their future educational goals.

All applications must be postmarked by February 25th, 2011. But don’t let that stop you from getting started. It is always better to have it ready early, than to wait and scramble to get it completed just before the deadline.

Take a look at this page for a list of current available scholarships – Scholarships – Wisconsin 4-H Foundation.  

Michigan State University 4-H Youth Development Scholarships

Michigan State University, Michigan 4-H Youth Development and the Michigan 4-H Foundation are offering scholarships to help support the educational goals of 4-H students in Michigan.

The qualifications for most of the scholarships are: 4-H involvement at county, regional, state, national and international levels, Outstanding achievement in 4-H, Scholastic excellence, Broad range of 4-H experiences and project involvement, Leadership and citizenship contributions within and outside of 4-H, and financial need in some cases.

If you meet these qualifications, there is a good chance that you could obtain one of these scholarships to help further your education.

Find out what scholarships are available to you and more about how to apply here – Michigan 4-H Scholarships.

 

Remember there are literally thousands of scholarship and grant opportunities for 4-H students all over the country and right there in your local area. If you can’t find something up your alley, simply contact your college of choice’s financial aid office or your high school counselor and they will be able to help you find something to fit your needs and financial status.

That’s it for this week. Don’t let the cold weather slow down your grant and scholarship search, you may miss out on a great opportunity!

If you know of an opportunity that we haven’t featured here, please tell us about it in the comment field below!

Hey 4-H’ers! We’re back with our 4-H Week in Review and we’ve found some great stories to share with you below.

Our latest Sweepstakes came to and end this week and two lucky 4-H Groups won coupons for Custom T-shirts at ClassB. Check out who won here – ClassB 4-H Sweepstakes Winners – and stay on the lookout for future promotions and contests!

As always, if you know of a newsworthy 4-H story, don’t be shy! Post it below in the comments section.

• Venison donation is nothing new to Oklahoma hunters. Every year, over 40,000 lbs. of venison is donated, processed and distributed to the needy in Oklahoma alone. But a young lady in Sapulpa, Oklahoma is taking the entire concept a huge step forward.

  Chelsea Blevins has teamed with local butchers in her area to not only boost venison donation, but to bring in younger kids, teach them some skills and educate them on how and why donations are made.

  Chelsea and her Club held a processing workshop in October and are using every means possible to get the word out that they are taking donations for a “processing work party” which they are holding later this month. All processed meat will be going to charity.

  Super idea Chelsea! You guys and gals are doing a great thing – Bostian column: Local 4-H club helping worthy cause.




• While we’re on the subject of food donations, we thought we’d let you know about a 4-H Club in Indiana who are making a difference in their community as well.

  The Crothersville Helping Hoosiers 4-H Club recently collected food items to donate to the Crothersville Clients Choice Food Pantry. But they didn’t just drop it all off! Instead, they stuck around for a while and received a guided tour of the facility and learned how the entire food donation and distribution process works. They also learned how those in the community can help.

  What a neat experience and what a great way to help their community! Way to go Helping Hoosiers! – Helping Hoosiers 4-H Helps Feed Community.




• A great relationship has been created in New Jersey between 4-H and a group called ReRun, Inc., who run facilities to foster ex-racehorses.

  During tough economic times, more often than not, when racehorses end their careers, they find themselves on a trip to slaughter. But ReRun is able to take many of them and the 4-H members are offering their time, energy and TLC to help take care of the horses.

  Each day, a different 4-H member is in charge of one of the horses. As one of them say in the story linked below, it is like having a horse for a day. Very cool!

  This was a great idea and we’re glad that you are there to help these magnificent animals! Read the whole story here – ReRun and 4-H: A Great Combo for Recycled Thoroughbreds.




• The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Allen County 4-H Shooting Sports program are hosting a free, two-day hunter safety education class at the Allen County Extension Office. The program isn’t until February, but class size is limited and pre-registration is required. If you’re interested in this opportunity, check out this page as soon as you can – Free Hunter Safety Course.

  And this Sunday beginning at 9am, The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will host a free regional livestock clinic for South Plains youth and their families. If you’re in the Texas Tech area and you want to learn about the principles of livestock management, then check this one out – Texas AgriLife Extension offers youth livestock clinic.

Well, that’s it for this week everybody. We know there are some stories and announcements that we missed, so if you have a story or news event you’d like to share, just leave it in a comment below.

Now It’s Your Turn! Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

Have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week!

Our 4-H T-shirt Sweepstakes has come to close and it’s time to announce the winners!

There were two winners in the sweepstakes. The grand prize winner, chosen randomly, will receive a $400 coupon code that can be used for an order of custom t-shirts from ClassB.com/4-h. The second prize winner is the group who gathered the most responses on our Facebook discussion page, and will receive a $50 coupon.

We gathered some inspiring and creative ideas from many of you and we’d like to thank you all for your participation in the sweepstakes.


Congratulations to the winners! Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more future contests and promotions! And while you’re there, leave a comment on our wall and let us know how your group is doing! We’re always excited to hear about it.

Hey there 4-H’ers! How was your Thanksgiving holiday? Have you all had enough turkey and dressing to last for another year?

All kidding aside, we hope you’re all doing great after a few well-deserved days off!

It’s always tough to get back to work after a holiday, but it’s time to get those thinking caps back on, get busy and start submitting those applications again. We discuss a few below that may be of interest to you.

Good luck to everyone!

 

University of California’s Healthy Living Grant Program

As you all know, 4-H loves to promote healthy living to our nation’s youth and their families. The University of California 4-H Youth Development Program is offering mini-grants for those who wish to help support the healthy living movement with their own healthy living project. California 4-H clubs, units and groups may apply for funding (financial support may be requested for amounts up to $1,000). The proposal is to be developed and submitted by 4-H youth ages 14-19, partnering with 4-H adult volunteers or staff. Members age 5 and up can be group members.. There are several categories of project you can choose from, all a great way to give back to those in your community. You can learn more about the grant and get all the details here – U.C. 4-H Youth Development Program.  

University of California 4-H Scholarships for Higher Education

Since we’re on the subject of California, it seems like a good time to feature the University of California’s Scholarship for Higher Education Program. Through donor funding, the University is offering scholarships to eligible 4-H students across the entire state of California. If you were enrolled in the California 4-H Youth Development Program at the time of your high school graduation, then you are a serious contender for one of these scholarships! To check out all of the scholarship application categories, click here – U.C. 4-H Scholarship Categories.  

Multiple Tennessee College Scholarship Programs

If you’re a 4-H’er in Tennessee, then there are plenty of scholarships available to you. The deadlines for applying for these scholarships is still far in the future, but it’s always good to get a head start or to shore up any loose ends which may be required for being awarded the scholarship. Tennessee offers scholarships ranging from Agriculture to Technology and everything in between, and they are open to all Tennessee 4-H members regardless of previous awards won. These are all annual and the value of each scholarship which is funded by an endowment will be determined annually according to the availability of funds. Take a look at this page for a list of current available scholarships – Tennessee 4-H College Scholarship Programs.  

Champions For Healthy Kids Grant

Here’s another super way you guys and gals can help out the youth in your community. It will promote health and wellness to everyone in your community and will promote your 4-H program as well, possibly leading to future growth. This national grant awards 50 grants of $10,000 each every year to groups that develop creative and effective ways to help youth in the community adopt a balanced diet and physically active lifestyle. This is a big one, funded by General Mills, the American Dietetic Association and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. So if you want to promote health in your community, have a great plan of action and you’re ready to make a difference, then this is just what you’ve been looking for. Find out more about how to apply on the General Mills website here – General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids.

 

Remember there are literally thousands of scholarship and grant opportunities for 4-H students all over the country and right there in your local area. If you can’t find something up your alley, simply contact your college of choice’s financial aid office or your high school counselor and they will be able to help you find something to fit your needs and financial status. That’s it for this week. Don’t let the holidays slow down your grant and scholarship search, you may miss out on a great opportunity! Make sure to check back next week for another list of exciting and educational grant and scholarship opportunities. If you know of an opportunity that we haven’t featured here, please tell us about it in the comment field below!

ClassB would like to take a moment and wish all of our 4-H’ers out there a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. We’re grateful for you, our customers and blog readers, for spending your time with us and being a part of the ClassB family.

It’s always great to remember the things that you appreciate, but on Thursday especially, really sit back and reflect on what it is that you are truly thankful for. If it’s a person, make sure that you do whatever you can to contact them and let them know that you are grateful for them and the difference they make in your life.

Be safe this weekend, and remember – “Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.” – W.J. Cameron

Our offices will be closed Thursday through Sunday, so we’re going to miss this week’s news post. Rest assured, however, that we’ll be back in full swing next week. See you then.

Happy Thanksgiving! ClassB

Hey 4-H’ers! Welcome back to our Grants and Scholarships series. This week brings a new and challenging national grant for you to take a look at, as well as some statewide grants from individual states. And remember, if you know of a grant we don’t mention here, please let everyone know about it in the comments field below.

It’s time to get busy and get those applications submitted – and good luck to everyone!

 

* 4-H National Mentoring Program Grant

This week, the national 4-H Council announced another significant grant opportunity and youth development program. Funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, this grant is available to 4-H members in all 50 states. This is an exceptional grant opportunity for those who are willing to get out there and do some serious work! Grantees will recreate one of three documented programs at two different sites (sites can recreate different programs), reaching at least 60 youth per site for a total of 120 youth. Sites must target at-risk or high-risk youth populations ages 8 through 17 years. You can learn all about the grant and the three programs you can choose from here – 4-H National Mentoring Program.

* West Virginia Higher Education Grant Program (West Virginia and Pennsylvania)

The West Virginia Higher Education Grant Program is now taking applicants. The program awards funds to qualifying undergraduates who require financial assistance in order to attend an (approved) educational institution located in either West Virginia or Pennsylvania. If you live in West Virginia and had your eyes set on a specific college in either of these states, only to realize you didn’t have the funds, then you’ve got to take a look at this grant program. Don’t let the tuition and fees keep you out of college! Talk with your high school counselor or college financial aid department to see if you qualify. Just ask them about the West Virginia Higher Education Grant.

* Grant Writing Workshop in West Virginia

Speaking of West Virginia, we wanted to let you know about a workshop being held this Tuesday at the West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Center for Community Engagement. You can learn a lot of different things at the workshop; from writing the grants to why grants are rejected to “to dos” and “not to dos” and much more. If you are seriously seeking a grant or scholarship, then this is the place to be on Tuesday. Click here to find out more, including contact information and times – Center for Community Engagement Hosting Free Grant Writing Workshop.

* National Wild Turkey Federation Grants (Kansas and Nebraska)

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, so it’s only natural that we mention something about turkeys! The National Wild Turkey Federation has been providing grants to 4-H students for years. But this year, instead of sending one large grant to state 4-H leaders to divide up, they are going to be accepting proposals from local 4-H Shooting Sports Clubs for funding to purchase new equipment – directly to the NWTF Regional Biologist by December 31. So if your Shooting Club is in desperate need of new equipment, give this one a look. Find out more at the NWTF blog here – NWTF is FOR 4-H!.

 

Remember there are literally thousands of scholarship and grant opportunities for 4-H students all over the country and in your local area. All you have to do is get online and start searching. If you still can’t find something up your alley, simply contact your college of choice’s financial aid office or your high school counselor and they will be able to help you find something to fit your needs and financial status. Good luck everybody! Well, that’s it for this week. Don’t let the holidays slow down your grant and scholarship search, you may miss out on a great opportunity! Make sure to check back next week for another list of exciting and educational grant and scholarship opportunities. If you know of an opportunity that we haven’t featured here, please tell us about it in the comment field below!

Hey 4-H’ers! Yes, another week has passed – and we hope you had a great one.

This week brought about some great news in the world of 4-H, and we’re ready to share just a few of the highlights with you right now. As always, if you know of a newsworthy 4-H story, don’t be shy! Post it below in the comments section.

• Today, the National 4-H Council announced that they are teaming up 4-H Groups around the world in an effort to curb hunger across the globe. With help from some big named partners, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Cargill, DuPont, Motorola, and the Nike Foundation, the Council is launching a global initiative to, “create sustainable livelihoods and economic security for the next generation of farmers.”

  The program is now starting in Africa and plans are to spread to Asia within the coming months. To learn what you can do to help, contact your local Council representatives.

  Read the full new release here – 4-H Programs Worldwide Mobilize to Fight World Hunger.




• Some 4-H Clubs in Central California are using candy for two very worthy causes. First, they are collecting candy donations and packaging them up for our troops overseas. The men and women who will be away from their families this holiday season could use a sweet surprise – and this will certainly do the trick.

  They are also organizing a candy buy-back program of which the proceeds will go to a local charity that helps low income children receive orthodontic treatment.

  Two great ideas from some very commendable 4-H Groups! Find out more here – 4H Club Collects Candy for Troops.




• Our volunteer spotlight of the week shines on a Winona County 4-H Leader named Donna Speltz. Donna has been volunteering her time and energy to her local 4-H Groups for 50 years – that’s right, FIFTY YEARS!

  She got her start early, as her mother and father were both involved with 4-H. Now she, her daughter and other family members are carrying on the tradition.

  Donna has seen a lot of changes in 4-H over the years, and she’s not planning on stopping any time soon. “You don’t want to give up. There’s a lot out there yet and I want to be a part of it.”

  What a great job, Donna. Thank you for your tremendous dedication and commitment! You can read the whole story here – Speltz Serves as 4-H Leader for 50 Years in Winona County.




• ClassB has always been an advocate for recycling and taking care of our environment. That’s why we wanted to share this cool story with you.

  Next weekend, a local 4-H Group out of McLean County, Illinois is holding a rather unique opportunity presented by the Master Gardener program’s Illinois Plastic Pot Recycling Initiative (IPPRI). They will be presenting information to the 4-H youth about plastic recycling and then allowing them to help with the preparation of the recycling process itself!

  This is a great learning opportunity and a chance to see, first hand, how recycling works on the processing level.

  Great Job Everyone! You can read more about it and sign up here – McLean County 4-H Teens are “Giving Back to Nature in November”.

Well, that’s it for this week. We know there are some stories we missed, so if you have a story or news event you’d like to share, just leave it in a comment below.

Now It’s Your Turn! Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

Have a great Halloween weekend and we’ll see you next week!

In the coming weeks, we will be featuring grants and scholarships from specific states. This week, we’re going to focus on those offered in the state of Texas.

We’re not going to be able to list all of them. Texas is a pretty big state, after all! So if you know of a grant or scholarship available in your area of Texas, or if you want us to feature your state, please let us know in the comments field below.

It’s time to get busy and get those applications submitted – and good luck to everyone!

 

Texas A&M Soil and Crop Sciences Department Scholarship

Do you have an interest in soil and crop sciences? If so, then don’t pass up on this one. Texas A&M is looking for you. For both incoming freshmen and transfer students, the scholarship awards anywhere from $1000 to $8000. There are academic prerequisites and you must be accepted in a major offered by the Department of Soil & Crop Sciences. The undergraduate choices include: Agronomy – Turfgrass Management Option, Soil & Crop Management Option, Agro-Industry Option Plant & Environmental Soil Science – Soil Science Emphasis and Plant Science Emphasis You can learn all about the scholarship here – Soil and Crop Sciences Scholarship Description.

 

Hope Pierce Tartt Scholarship

Last year, this scholarship awarded between $1000 and $3000 to over 250 Texas students. A general scholarship, it offers the award to those who show financial need and who have a “C” average or better in high school. Students must be United States citizens and have resided in Harrison, Gregg, Marion, Panola or Upshur Counties in Texas for 24 months. The goal of the scholarship is to provide financial support to those who are intent on continuing their education, but are in need of financial help. The funds are to be used for tuition, books, and course-related fees and equipment. Check with your financial aid office to find out if this program is available to you.

 

Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program

For those who were interested in the scholarship above, but don’t live in the required counties, here’s one we found that covers the entire state of Texas. It’s called the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program and its purpose is to provide grant aid to financially needy students enrolled in Texas public two-year colleges. Students who continue in college and who meet program academic standards can receive awards for up to 75 semester credit hours, for four years, or until they receive an associate’s degree, whichever comes first. The award amounts are $3,390 per semester for public state college students; $890 per semester for public community college students; and $1,575 per semester for public technical college students. You can find out all about this program here – Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program.

 

Finding More Texas State and National Grants

Finally, we wanted to share a website with you that offers grants of all types to folks in Texas and across the United States. The website is called “Texas Non Profits” and it is definitely worth a visit. The home page is at www.txnp.org, and here is a link to a page with all the available grants – Texas Non Profit Grant RFPs.

 

There are literally thousands of scholarship and grant opportunities for 4-H students all over the state of Texas. All you have to do is get online and start searching. If you can’t find anything that way, simply contact your college of choice’s financial aid office and they will be able to help you find something to fit your needs and financial status. Good luck everybody! That’s it for this week. Don’t let the holidays slow down your grant and scholarship search, you may miss out on a great opportunity! Make sure to check back next week for another list of exciting and educational grant and scholarship opportunities. If you know of an opportunity that we haven’t featured here, please tell us about it in the comment field below!

Hey there, 4-H’ers! Are you ready for the holiday season? As the weather cools down and the days get shorter, we realize that Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. Now is a good time to start discussing and planning any holiday projects you might have been waiting to get started.

Remember that there are people in need right there in your very own community. Let’s help them make their holiday season as bright as ours.

As always, if you know of a newsworthy 4-H story, don’t be shy! Post it below in the comments section.

Let’s start off with a couple of Tech stories:

• Did you ever play with Legos when you were a kid? I know I did – and I loved them. Somehow I think the students below will be a step or two above my “Lego creativity.”

  4-H members all over the state of Hawaii will be gathering in Maui this weekend for the FIRST Lego League Robotics Competition. Teams are required to build a robot with Legos to address a health care issue. Teams are judged on performance, design, teamwork and the “innovative adherence” to this year’s theme.

  The robots won’t be battling each other, but I’d still love to be there (no, not because it’s in Hawaii – OK, maybe a little) to see what the students come up with.

  Good luck to everyone! Read the full story here – FIRST Lego League robotics competition set Saturday.




• If you haven’t yet heard of geolocation or geocaching, then you really need to check out this website. Geocaching is a hobby that is growing huge very quickly and there’s no telling how big it will get!

  4-H’ers in New York are using GPS technology to map their county’s landmarks. Using a handheld device, they map GPS coordinates of different objects. The coordinates are then fed to a computer which places them all out on a map. So far they have managed to map things like the local farmers who sell to the public, the county fire hydrant system and other local landmarks. They’ve even received requests from other counties to do it for them!

  The work could eventually save lives, which was the goal of the fire hydrant project. Three cheers for the Ontario County 4-H’ers! Ontario County 4-H gets futuristic with GPS projects.




• The Abington, Virginia 4-H Center was significantly damaged by recent violent storms. It wasn’t long before their story appeared in the local news – and the community rallied!

  They received call after call from local churches and volunteers wanting to come help out.

  And to top it off, workers from Lowes have made repairing the 4-H Center their “Helping Hero” project.

  A perfect example of “helping those who help others.”  Community Rallies to Help 4-H Center.




• The Great American Smoke Out is approaching, and you can lend a hand. The Great American Smoke out is a day where people across the nation encourage smokers to quit, or set a quit date for themselves.

  If your club or youth group is interested in celebrating the day, here are some sources of information and campaign materials you can use. Check out the national Great American Smoke Out campaign materials at: www.cancer.org/smokeout.

  As you know, Healthy Living is a core belief of 4-H, and quitting smoking is a huge step toward healthy living.

  You can read more about it here – 4-H aims to prevent tobacco use.

Well, that’s it for this week. We know there are some stories we missed, so if you have a story or news event you’d like to share, just leave it in a comment below.

Now It’s Your Turn! Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

Have a great Halloween weekend and we’ll see you next week!