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The month of May has been nothing short of extraordinary! Let’s walk through just a few highlights of the many phenomenal activities, events, projects and meetings held in a very short span of time.
The California State Office held its annual State Field Day event on May 17. Nearly 600 youth, parents and volunteers descended upon the UC Davis campus for a day filled with 4-H excellence on full display through creative projects, effective presentations, robotics competitions and so much more! Special thanks to Ryan Cleland, State Field Day Committee Chair, all 4-H Personnel, all Project Leaders and 4-H volunteer educators who contributed countless time and significant efforts to ensure the youth experience was a positive one. We will apply lessons learned for continuous improvement to make next year’s SFD an even greater success!
The California 4-H Foundation Board held its quarterly meeting on May 20. Many thanks to the Board members, who tirelessly share their time, talents, treasure and networks in support of 4-H programs from the local to statewide levels. We are also grateful to the Board for their contribution of $60,000 to help support local 4-H program fundraising efforts.
I had the opportunity to tour the Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) in San Jose, CA. This facility houses a wide range of materials and resources that can support projects of all types. There is also maker space for teachers and educators to develop project ideas using items in the Resource Store. Then, I had the opportunity to tour the Seymour Marine Discovery Center affiliated with UC Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, CA. Wow! What an amazing place for hands-on learning in all things marine science, including a conversation about Ms. Blue, the giant whale! It was really a shame that I was not able to communicate with Ms. Blue directly, which would have allowed me to return to my old skillset obtained from the movie, Finding Nemo. You know I speak whale! Smiles!
4-H Shout Outs for June 2025!!
I firmly and enthusiastically believe in recognizing people for setting positive goals and doing the work to achieve those goals to the best of their abilities. With this in mind, the 4-H Shout Outs below are issued to highlight people and groups in our statewide 4-H community who took an exciting step forward recently to lead a program, demonstrate a skill, and/or impact a community. We celebrate each of you!!
Ms. Kimberly Lamar, UC ANR Director of the Office of Contracts and Grants, for her team’s outstanding technical assistance and for her generous support of the statewide 4-H Program.
Dr. Glenda Humiston, Vice President, UC ANR, for her exceptional vision, leadership and support of the statewide 4-H Program.
Mr. Jonathan Stefani, 4-H CES, Placer County, whose efforts to promote the recent UC ANR Giving Day resulted in the largest number of donors in a single county as well as the largest amount of funds raised in a single county. Mr. Stefani, you are THE BEST!!
We also celebrate the work and contributions of the California 4-H Foundation Board Members with heartfelt gratitude for their leadership and support.
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