Weekly 4-H Update
Communications >> 4-H Update >> Volume 11, Number 26..................................... August 3, 2007
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Attachments:
Reminders:
- Aug. 25-Sept. 4: Colorado State Fair, Pueblo
- Sept. 3: University holiday, offices closed
- Sept. 18: 4-H Foundation board meeting, campus
CSU Collegiate 4-H
The Colorado State University Collegiate 4-H Club would like to offer you their services again this year. Our club presents workshops on many different aspects of 4-H including officer trainings, ice breaker workshops, youth-adult partnerships, leadership training and much more. We are looking for groups to work with during our fall and spring semesters. If you are interested, or would like more information about what the club does as well as the materials we present, please check out our website at http://coopext.colostate.edu/collegiate4h, email the club at colostate4h@yahoo.com, or call the club president, April Mendenhall, at 970.402.5654. They look forward to working with you! — Dale Leidheiser
National 4-H Congress Chaperon
We’re looking for an agent or experienced volunteer to travel with our Colorado delegation to National 4-H Congress in Atlanta. The group will travel on Friday, Nov. 23, and return on Tuesday, Nov. 27. There will be ten delegates attending this outstanding national recognition event. Please submit a chaperon application to our office by Aug. 31. — Dale Leidheiser
IRS Form 990 Changes for 2008
Congress and the IRS are turning up the heat on how charities govern themselves! There are a number of counties which have their own 4-H foundation or groups which have 501(c)3 status. If those organizations file Form 990 each year there will be some changes in store for the 2008 year (filing in 2009). Please inform those groups so they make the necessary changes to their board structures in the next year.
The IRS recently introduced proposed changes to Form 990, which is the annual report form that many nonprofits and all supporting organizations are required to complete and file with the IRS annually. (Private foundations file IRS Form 990-PF, which the IRS plans to redesign also.) The newly redesigned Form 990, which the IRS hopes will be in use by nonprofit organizations for their 2008 returns (filed in 2009), contains significant new questions about corporate governance. The IRS has stated that these questions were added because “in our view and experience, a well managed organization is likely to be a tax compliant organization.” The majority of the proposed questions on governance are located in Part III of the new form. The proposed new questions require a nonprofit to report:
- the number of “independent” board members of the governing body
- whether the organization made any significant changes to the organization’s governing documents during the past year, and if so, to briefly describe the changes
- whether the organization has a conflict of interest policy, and if so, the number of transactions reviewed by the governing body under the conflict policy during the past year. (This draft question has been challenged by several organizations as being impractical—but the gist of the IRS’s draft question is clear: “If you have a policy—are you using it, or is it collecting dust in a drawer?”)
- whether the organization has a whistleblower policy
- whether the organization has a written policy on document retention and destruction
- whether the organization regularly documents the actions of the governing board and committees of the board, such as through board meetings and committee meeting minutes;
- whether board members, or employees of the organization review and prepare the organization’s financial statements and whether an independent accountant provides any services such as a financial review or an independent audit
- whether board members review the IRS Form 990 before it is filed
To learn more and comment to the IRS go to: http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/index.html
— Dale Leidheiser
Colorado Leadership Camp
The Colorado Leadership Camp will be held Oct. 12-14, 2007 in Glenwood Springs at the Ramada Inn. I am still working on the price but hope to have the registration at $115, which will include lodging, food and workshops. We have just confirmed that Tucker Louthan will be the speaker and also present a workshop. We hope to firm up details in the next few weeks. In the meantime, attached is a flyer to help promote this event. Thanks! — Connie Cecil
Turn the Lights on October 18!
The 8th annual Lights On Afterschool will be Oct. 18. Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, it will include rallies, celebrations, forums and other events at schools, city centers, shopping malls and other venues in every corner of the country. This year, Lights On Afterschool will kick off a year-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal afterschool initiative. Register today at http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/lights_on/index.cfm and check regularly for updates! — Jan Carroll
Healthy Sprouts Awards
Supporting Awareness of Nutrition and Hunger
In many U.S. schools, statistics show that you'll find children who are overweight and others wondering where their next meal will come from; many are not getting the right balance of nutrients in their diets or enough exercise. Research conducted at Texas A&M University supports the connection between kids' food gardens and improved nutrition. Could a school garden be part of the solution to the diet- and exercise-related challenges children face? Many forward-thinking educators and parents think so, and have worked to create youth garden programs that focus on nutrition and hunger issues.
As a way to encourage the growth of health-focused youth gardens, NGA recognizes outstanding programs via the Healthy Sprouts Awards, sponsored by Gardener's Supply. These awards support school and youth garden programs that teach about nutrition and the issue of hunger in the United States.
Eligibility and Application Process
To be eligible for the 2007 Healthy Sprouts Awards, your school or organization must plan to garden in 2008 with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18. The selection of winners is based on the demonstrated relationship between the garden program and nutrition and hunger issues in the United States.
This year we will present awards to 20 schools or organizations. Each program will receive:
- gift certificates towards the purchase of gardening materials from our sponsoring company, Gardener's Supply. The top 5 will each receive a certificate valued at $500; 15 more will each receive a $200 gift certificate
- NGA's Eat a Rainbow Kit, chock full of engaging taste education and nutrition lessons
- 25 packets of seeds
- a literature package from NGA (includes The Little Book of Expert Tips, The Book of Tomatoes, The Book of Lettuce and Greens, Steps to a Bountiful Kids’ Garden, and the Growing Ideas quarterly newsletter)
- NGA Supporter benefits for one year.
Applications must be postmarked no later than Oct. 15, 2007.
For more information please go to: http://www.kidsgardening.com/healthysprouts.asp
— Ellen Butler
