Weekly 4-H Update
Communications >> 4-H Update >> Volume 10, Number 40..................................... December 15, 2006
Attachments:
[ none for this week ]
Reminders:
- December 25 - 27: University holiday, offices closed
- January 1: University holiday, offices closed
- January 4 - 7: Western 4-H Roundup, Denver
- January 15: University holiday, offices closed
- January 17: 4-H Day, National Western Stock Show, Denver
- January 27 - 28: Leadership Development Conference, Denver
- January 29: Colorado 4-H Day, State Capitol
4-H Day at the Capitol…
Each year the Colorado General Assembly, as well as the Governor of Colorado, proclaims the last Monday in January as Colorado 4-H Day. 4-H Day is held annually in conjunction with the Leadership Development Conference. This year the event will be January 29, 2007.
Please note: Because of Colorado Amendment 41 to the Constitution, the Legislature will no longer allow anyone to provide breakfast at the Capitol. As a result, our 4-H Day Breakfast will not take place and the Champions and Reserve Champions from the Colorado State Fair in the Foods projects will not need to bake anything for that morning.
Thanks for your support! — Melissa Oliver
Volunteering Hits a 30-Year High
Volunteering has reached a 30-year high in the United States, as more people pitch in to help their communities, according to a study released by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
The report finds that adult volunteering rose sharply between 1989 and 2005, increasing more than 32 percent over the last 16 years. Even with the increase, less than a third of American adults give their time - a finding that has prompted the nation's volunteer agency to ask more Americans to join this trend during the holidays.
The brief analyzes volunteering rates in 1974, 1989 and 2002-2005, using information collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It finds that the growth in volunteering is driven primarily by three age groups: teenagers 16 to 19, Baby Boomers and others age 45 to 65, and older adults 65 and over.
Among the findings:
- Older teenagers (ages 16-19) have more than doubled their time spent volunteering since 1989.
- Far from being a "Me Generation," Baby Boomers are volunteering at sharply higher rates than did the previous generation at mid-life.
- The volunteer rate for Americans ages 65 years and over has increased 64 percent since 1974.
- The proportion of Americans volunteering with an educational or youth service organization has seen a 63 percent increase since 1989.
"We are encouraged that emerging studies consistently show increased volunteering by young Americans. If supported properly, we may be on the cusp of a new civic generation," said Robert T. Grimm, Jr., Director of Research and Policy Development at the Corporation." At the same time, Boomers' high engagement in service today has the potential to foster a volunteer explosion among older Americans in the years to come."
Educational and youth service organizations (such as schools, 4-H, and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts) are benefiting from the growth because they have received the largest increase in volunteers between 1989 and 2006. Nearly 24.6 percent of all adult volunteers serve through such organizations, a 63 percent increase since 1989. The biggest percentage of volunteers serves through religious organizations, although the proportion of Americans contributing time to those groups has decreased slightly, from 37.4 percent to 35.5 percent, since 1989.
Noting that volunteering actually declined between 1974 and 1989 before rebounding, Grimm cited several reasons for heightened civic engagement today:
- Teenagers are volunteering in greater numbers, in part, because of an increase in service-learning programs in schools and colleges that combine classroom study with community activity. Another reason may be a response to traumatic national events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and recent natural disasters.
- Mid-life adults are more likely to have children in the home because Americans are delaying marriage and childbearing. The result is increased exposure to volunteering opportunities connected to their children's school and extracurricular activities.
- Older Americans are living longer, are better educated, and more financially secure -- creating an increased desire for them to remain active and seek ways to give back to communities.
"America needs more volunteers to mentor and tutor at-risk youth, care for seniors, respond to disasters, and meet a wide range of other critical needs," said Eisner. "We are committed to working with volunteer and service-driven organizations everywhere to expand the number of Americans who volunteer by 15 percent over the next five years. I encourage any American who wants to make a difference to visit http://www.volunteer.gov to find the right volunteer opportunity for you." — Dale Leidheiser
4-H Dimes Help Build Habitat House in Atlanta
For the past five years, 4-H’ers from across America have been collecting and donating dimes to finance building a Habitat for Humanity house in Atlanta. On Saturday, Nov. 25, at National 4-H Congress, more than 1,200 4-H members made a final donation during a citizenship ceremony that brought the total funds raised to $52,000.
“When 4-H celebrated its centennial in 2002, each Congress participant brought 100 dimes to donate to a good cause to mark the anniversary,” said Susan Stewart, executive director of National 4-H Congress. “They have continued the tradition each of the past five years to reach their goal of more than $50,000 to fund the house.”
Lt. General Russel Honore, commander of the 1st Army at Fort Gillem near Atlanta and an outstanding former Louisiana 4-H’er, spoke to the 4-H’ers during the citizenship assembly. Honore gained national attention when he commanded troops in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
The 4-H’ers partnered with employees of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta to build the house. Building began in October, and the ribbon was cut Monday, Nov. 27. Miss America 2006, Jennifer Berry, was on hand for the ribbon-cutting.
Besides the money collected, each state brought the new homeowner a housewarming gift. Each region of the country was given a designated room to donate gifts for.
National 4-H Congress is the annual gathering of selected 4-H members from across the nation in the ninth through the 12th grades to participate in leadership, citizenship and community service.
There are 6.5 million 4-H’ers in the United States. The 4-H program is supported by 538,000 adult volunteers and more than 60 million 4-H alumni.
Among the many notable 4-H alumni are Johnny Bench, Rosalynn Carter, John Glenn, Vince Gill, Al Gore, Archie Manning, Reba McEntire, Pat Nixon, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Alan Shepard, John Updike and Herschel Walker.
— Faith Peppers, news editor, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
