We'll be glad to be home, but SO SAD to leave!

Today was the last day of Camp.  It's always a bitter sweet day because we have all gotten to know each other so well but we have to leave all our new friends tomorrow.  Our campers had a lot of fun today though!  The Trekkers got back from what proved to be an exciting trip canoeing & repelling to Pilot Mountain.  Click here to see pictures that Adam provided from the Trekker trip. 

For our groups here on Camp grounds, we were just as busy as the Trekkers were.  Campers made their last visits to the archery range, the brand new pool, the horse barn, the canoe docks & more today.  On the range, camper tested their skills to see who was on target.  The pool was, of course, a nice cool break from the weather.  Campers helped to saddle their own horse today & went on a trail ride.  Campers got to rest their arms after some canoeing by swimming in the lake (some even wanted to get thrown in by the life guards.) 

After Flag lowering tonight, everyone was in their finest to celebrate the end of Camp with our annual dance.  Everyone had a great time, dancing solo or with a special camp friend, everyone seemed to find their groove & have a great time.  We will be back to the office at about lunch time tomorrow, after we see the camp slide show & get our camper awards.  Click here to see Camp pictures from Thursday!  Sweet Dreams Campers!  We'll see you in the morning!

HAPPY CONGRESS!!!

Congress means many things to many people.  In NC 4-H, Congress is the BIG EVENT for our teens.  Congress is a 4 day event that allows youth to stay in the dorms on NCSU's campus and experience a bit of college life while participating in leadership development activities and making new friends from across the great State of North Carolina.  This year, Richmond County took 4 youth - Nathan Ezzell, Courtney Miller, Sarah Tyler and Hannah Webb.

Monday saw us starting our day with a drive to Raleigh & getting ready for opening meetings, both for the youth & the agents.  Our District Meeting had us thinking hard about what we would change about each of our communities and what our youth believe are problems that they face in NC.  Monday's opening assembly had an updated version of the county flag ceremony and introductions of our 2009-2010 State & District Officers.  Monday was also a very special night for Richmond County's Courtney Miller.  Courtney was inducted into the NC 4-H Honor Club.  Honor Club is an elite group of 4-H members and Alumni who are inducted yearly at Congress.  Congrats Courtney!!

Tuesday saw State Presentations in which Courtney and Nathan Miller competed in Safety and Expressive Arts, respectively.  Courtney took home a Silver for her presentation on Gun Safety & Nathan did a wonderful job on his presentation on Masks.  Youth also participated in several workshops during the day including the opportunity to take a tour of NCSU's campus, learn how to handle media relations and a how-to start planning for college.  Tuesday's evening assembly was an eye opening session on hunger. Hunger affects people all over the world, including those in our back yard!  4-H will be working over at least the next two years to help allivate this big problem in NC.

On Wednesday, we were able to put our motivation into action & sort tons of pasta for the NC Food Banks for the Hands to Service project.  And I do really mean TONS of pasta.  The youth took about 3 hours to bag and label 37,900 pounds of pasta, which is enough to feed nearly 32,000 meals.  We were so proud of our youth for taking time out of the AC to complete the project with smiles & laughs while making new friends.  During Hands to Service, the Donor Luncheon was held and Courtney Miller attended to thank the people who are responsible for funding the scholarship she will recieve for college this year.  We finished the night with the farewell banquet in which outgoing state officers gave their final speaches & then headed to Dorton Arena for the candle lighting ceremony.  If you have never seen an NC candle lighting, it is quite a sight!  All of the youth line a giant clover with candles & many agents get a workout climbing stairs to get to the top & take pictures. 

Thursday was the end of Congress this year.  The youth got to attend a session with representives from NCSU and participate in a panel discussion about how to plan for college & beyond.  After a closing meeting with Mrs. Reba Green-Holly of the Northeast District to motivate them to do great work when they go back to the county.  We are looking forward to State Council Conference in November and to the great work these you will do in the county!  Click here for pictures from the week!

Still at Camp:)

Yesterday was another fun filled day of camp! Our Richmond County Campers are doing a great job at all their activities. After a yummy breakfast, campers were again off to their group activities. These included canoeing, crafts, pool, archery, horse, high ropes, teambuilding and the ever popular choice class. Our Trekker and Adventure groups change their schedule for today & tomorrow and do some different things. The Trekkers left in the morning for a trip to Pilot Mountain. They will go rapelling and canoeing and will be back for tomorrow's dance. Adventurers learned how to find their way anywhere in the GPS class. They learned how to find map cooridinates and then used their new found skills to go geocaching. The Adventure group is currently camped out last night and we wish them sweet dreams under the stars!

Those of us back at the main camp got a real treat tonight at the Talent Show. Several campers and staff entertained us with their wonderful talents, including dancing, singing, karate, and more! We even had a special visit from Captin Jack & his pirate friends who acted as our MC's for the evening after scaring off the original MC's.  Kandon was our only camper to perform last night, and she did a wonderful job singing a ZoeGirl song. 

Click here to see my pictures from today. Also, don't forget to send any camper emails by 2 pm on Thursday & to check our Shea Ann's blog at http://www.robeson4-h.blogspot.com/ for more updates and pictures!

Soaring High!

This morning our Adventure and Trekker campers, our two oldest groups, got to participate in something not many folks do often.  They went through several elements of the High Ropes course here at Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Center.  We were SO PROUD of our campers!  They may have been scared, they may have prayed before their climb, but they conquered their fears and took a leap, sometimes real ones!

Click here to see some pictures of their brave trips!  As soon as I can figure it out I will try to post some video.  It's raining right now, so we are taking an early rest break & they campers are all safely in their cabins. 

First Full Camp Day!

After busy nights spent chatting with new friends & getting all of our beds just right, we had a great first full day of camp. Campers may have been a bit sleepy at breakfast this morning, but activities like canoeing, hiking, rock wall, horseback riding, ice cream making, swimming and crafts got all of us up & going quickly!  I cannot mention swimming at BJPenn 4-H Center, though, without mentioning the fact that they now have a BRAND NEW POOL!!  It looks great & the kids seemed to enjoy it today too. 

For our evening activity tonight, the younger groups played water sports. These included time in the pool,  water themed relays and a trip to the lake for good measure.  To see pictures of the Water Sports, you will need to check out http://www.robeson4-h.blogsport.com/ because I got to spend some quality time with our oldest campers, the Trekker group tonight at the climbing wall. 

All the campers are snug in their beds and can't wait for the day ahead, but you can see pictures of them by clicking here!  We are planning an early morning on the high ropes course for lots of pictures, and maybe even a video or two along the way. 

Camp - Day 1

I will go ahead and say I am sorry folks - this post is going to be short & sweet!  We arrived safely to Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Education Center in Reidsville this afternoon with 7 Richmond County youth & one LIT (Leader In Training) from Richmond County. 

After everyone got checked into their cabins & met their roomies for the week, we headed to the ball field & had grilled out dinner.  After dinner, introductions were made & we went over all the important stuff that we need to know about camp.  Everyone is tucked snug in their beds now & I am very close to joining them!  We did want to make sure that we put some pictures for you to see from our first day & be sure to check back each night for more - click here to see them all.  You may also check http://www.robeson4-h.blogspot.com/ for more pics & camp news.   Happy dreams Campers!!

A Trotting Good Time

One those dog days of summer, many young people try to hide in the AC. Not the case with the Richmond County 4-H’ers who recently traveled to Tanglewood Park in Clemmons for the day!

After a rather warm trip north – sorry again that the air went out to everybody – we arrived at Tanglewood to a warm greeting from Mike & the stable staff and James and his hay ride help. We split into groups and got busy. My group went horseback riding first while the second group took a relaxing hayride to see the whole park from the shady back of the wagon.

I got to team up with Reno, a wonderful steady horse, to see some gorgeous scenery of the Uharries. The other horses included Vegas, Dogwood, Hugh and Boots. After some initial nerves, all of the kids settled into their saddles & by the half way point of the ride, requests of, “Can we trot more?” could be heard through the line. In two quieter moments, we even saw deer standing in the woods around us!

When we got back to the stables & thanked our horses for being so good, we switched places & got to relax during our hayride while the other group mounted up & rode into the sunset (well, not really the sunset – I just always wanted to write that:) for their tour of the trails.

After everyone got done riding horses & hay, we settled down for lunch and had to get one last picture with our new 4 legged friends. To end the day, we took a walking tour of the gardens near the manor house at Tanglewood. There were some really cool plants & sculptures there – everyone’s favorite seemed to be the water feature that you could put your hands in & cool off a bit!  To check out the rest of our pictures - click here!

There is still much more fun to be had with 4-H this summer! However, the only other horses we are planning to see this summer are going to be a Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Camp the last week of July! There are still some spots left if you would like to come along! Contact Michelle for more details!

4-H District Activity

4-H District Activity Day (DAD) is an event that must be seen to be believed.  Around 200 4-H members, along with about 300 agents, judges, parents, friends & family gathered at Southern Lee High School in Lee County to participate in presentation, public speaking and talent contests against 4-H’ers from across the South Central Extension District. 

Four Richmond County 4-H’ers were on hand for the event.  Two competed in presentations and two more were part of the talent show.  Nathan Ezzell took home the Gold for his presentation on Masks in the Expressive & Performing Arts category while Courtney Miller also won Gold in the Safety category for her presentation about Gun Safety.  Sarah Tyler and Alana McQueen both received Blue Ribbons in Talent.  Sarah signed the song “He Knows My Name” while Alana clogged. 

Courtney also assisted in the awards ceremony at DAD as part of the 2009-2010 District Officer Team.  Nathan and Courtney will be competing at the State Presentation Finals held during 4-H Congress in Raleigh in a few weeks. 

Special thanks to all of the parents and family who support these 4-H’ers as they complete their projects!  Also, Richmond County sent 3 incredible judges to assist with the event.  They were John Hamer, Marv Powell, and Helen Goodman.  They judged the Livestock and Dairy Production and Heritage Crafts and Woodworking categories.  Example presentations that they judged were parasite control in goats, showing lambs, cheese making, making wooden dog houses, making wooden rubber band guns, and spinning and dying wool.  They gave the youth excellent recommendations on how to improve their presentations for the State contest.  Good luck to everyone competing on the State level!