Maryland 4-H State Council

Meeting Minutes

March 2015

The meeting was called to order at 3:06 PM on March 8th, 2015. Roll call then addressed with Daniel Burch, Gabrielle Cory, Kaitlyn Davey, David Degreenia, Jackson Douglas, Mo French, Rose Froehlich, Katarina Guethlein, Kara Hutchison, Gillian Hutter, Helen King, Josiah Manning, Patrick O’Hanlon, Gabrielle Parker, Gabrielle Parsley, Ryan Pindale, Olivia Richart, Lexi Solley, Lynne Thomas, Christian Windsor and Faith Wobbeking in attendance.

Olivia then read aloud the February meeting minutes for approval from the Council members. No corrections were necessary, so the meeting minutes were officially approved. Normally, the Treasurer’s report would follow the reading of the meeting minutes; however, the report was not applicable for the month of March because the budget for the Council has not yet been approved.

The Council then moved forward with committee reports. Gabrielle highlighted how even though each of the committees have their own separate and distinct agendas, they all have overlapping interests and can work in conjunction with each other achieve their goals. She stressed the importance of each of the committees in the overall scheme of the Council and how working together will not only help make the events the Council hosts and participates in a success, but how it also creates synergy amongst the Council.

Gillian then spoke on behalf of the Finance committee, detailing some of their goals for the near future. In regards to the budget, they anticipate on creating a financial plan in the near future. This means that any funding requests need to be forwarded to the Vice President of Finance within the next six weeks. Additionally, the importance of fundraising was stressed. They are in the process of identifying corporate partners such as Under Armour and McCormick Spice. The Finance Committee requests that you forward the word to any farms or businesses that could make a contribution. Requests can be made now or throughout the year. Furthermore, they plan to have themed fundraisers, such as a Maryland fundraiser, which could include a black eyed Susan sale or a jousting tournament. Another form of fundraising discussed was obtaining funds via grant money. The Committee is in the process of identifying grants that the Council would be eligible to apply for, and will then go through the process of seeking out which grants the Council will target. They also aim to recruit donors on the grassroots levels and designing fundraising materials for club level distribution. In order to acquire interest in fundraising, the Committee aims to identify ways to recognize top club contributions and individual donors. On a similar note, they hope to work in conjunction with the Maryland State Fair to generate revenue. In addition to this, they would like to establish the role of the Committee to serve on review committees for scholarships and travel aid for international 4-H trips. Building off of this, they aim to develop revenue driven programming such as day camps or training sessions while simultaneously building lasting partnerships with various nonprofit partners such as the University of Maryland Extension Office and Boy Scouts. Several items were put to vote. These included an understanding and agreement of the Council members to realize the importance of raising money for Council programs, sending members of the Finance committee and other members (as space permits) to attend a grant writing workshop and establish the expectation that each Council member support and participate in the Council fundraisers. When put to vote, each item passed unanimously.

The Public Issues Committee has decided on their issue for 2015, which will be Healthy Lifestyles with a focus on Ag Literacy. They aim to establish a curriculum for distribution to communities.

The Public Relations Committee was working hard on brainstorming ideas for the Council’s official logo. Ultimately, the logo will be used for purposes such as social media, advertisements and apparel.

Planning and Outreach is looking for people to sign up to work the 4-H booth at Maryland Day, which is 4/25. The shifts are 9-11, 11-1 and 1-3, with the actual function beginning at 10. Those who participate will receive a Maryland Day T-Shirt. Additionally, lunch will be provided free of cost to those who volunteer over lunch.

Service conveyed that they aim to participate in National 4-H Week in November and possibly conduct a summer program.

The Council then moved forward with old business. First on the agenda regarding this was Legislative Day. Members shared their feedback, which included how it was a positive experience to see everyone in person and be able to put names with faces, the positive atmosphere that encompassed the Council, the great turnout, an excitement for the coming year in conjuction with the Council’s commitment to progression and of course how great the food at Chick and Ruth’s was (and there was plenty to go around!). Additionally, the bylaws of the Council were finalized and reviewed by members during the Sunday meeting. The bylaws will be officially put to vote during the May meeting.

The next item discussed was the Council’s new website. The website was designed to attract new members and is also a valuable tool for current members. The bylaws and meeting minutes will be available online. Eventually, they plan to have a separate page for each member and executive board member.

Moving forward with new business, the Council is being called on by the 4-H Foundation to help with several events throughout the years. Members are asking to mark their calendars to help with the following events:

  • 4/26 Maryland 4-H Basket Bingo at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, starting at 1:00 PM
  • 5/17 4-H Day at Camden Yards, starting at 1:35 PM
  • 6/1 (Tentative) Gold tournament at the Montgomery Country Club, setup at 11:30 AM, tournament beginning at 1:00 PM
  • 8/29 Livestock sale at the Maryland State Fair, starting at 6:00 PM
  • 9/3 (Tentative) Maryland State Fair Ag Lunch at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, starting at 12:00 PM
  • 9/5 Awards Program at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, beginning at 4:00 and 7:00 PM
  • Volunteer Forum in Ocean City, over the weekend, date not yet established but held in November
  • 1/17/16 Awards Gala at Laurel Raceway, 3:00-7:00 PM

Remind101 is an app that allows reminders to be sent via text. The Council has created one for members. Text the number 81010 with the message @md4Hstatec to receive reminder messages.

The Jim Cain leadership Training was then discussed. It was held March 4th at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Ms. Alisha shared her experience there and looks forward to next year’s program, with the opportunity for Council Members to lead some team building workshops.

The Volunteer Association then came over to listen to each of the Vice Presidents share a synopsis of the duties and expectations of each of their respective committees. The Council aims to recruit an adult as a chair of each committee so they can work in conjunction with the Volunteer Association.

The idea was tossed around of a retreat at the Frederick County 4-H Camp in May. There will be more information to follow at later meetings.

Just a reminder that Ms. Alisha needs all the help that she can get; please help her raise awareness about the need for host families for international youth. Kudos to all of the Council members who have hosted families in the past!

The meeting was officially adjourned at 3:23 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Olivia Richart, Secretary