Mahalo to the 4-H Foundation new mini-grant program that provides 4-H volunteer leaders with the opportunity to apply for funding to support their educational programs. During the first year some exciting projects were completed in several counties throughout the state. View reports from the clubs on their projects below.
The Malama Dolphins 4-H Club held their annual Christmas Party on November 26, 2023. Under the guidance of Mark Malone, UHMC culinary instructor, the 4-Hers learned about restaurant etiquette and table setting. They worked in teams to make turkey aioli sandwiches and a butter board. The 4-Hers made hot cocoa mixes in mason jars and packaged desserts for first responders and essential workers.
The second activity funded through this grant was a 2-day camping trip to Waiheʻe Refuge on March 29-31, 2024. Club members learned about food planning and camping preparation. The 4-Hers set up their tents, built a campfire, and prepared meals. They were mindful to practice “Leave No Trace” techniques and picked up trash on the beach. Activities included hiking and swimming in the river and roasting s’mores over the campfire. The girls remarked that this event was the highlight of this 4-H year.
The Happy Honus members decided to do two (2) service learning projects for 2023-2024. They all decided they wanted to help with the Maui Wildfire recovery efforts and partnered with Keolumana United Methodist Church. The car wash was held from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm and with the walk-ins, the club managed to raise $700.
The Happy Honus club members also decided that for the spring, they wanted to learn how to sew. Their service learning project for Shriner Hospital was to sew activity bags for the kids/patients at the hospital. Items they agreed to purchase for the activity bag included coloring books, crayons, activity book, pencil, stuff toy, squishy and fidget toys, and a book. Cheryl Maeda graciously volunteered her time to teach the basics and walked them on the steps to complete the bags. Each member agreed to sew 5 bags, a total of 25 activity bags to be donated to Shriner.
The following is a summary for the objectives that were accomplished for each of the topics and how they impacted the 12 members for the Nā Kamaliʻi o Waimea 4-H club. As a Cloverbud club, several topics were selected to provide introductory information to the club members.
Topics included: 10/2-Weather Fun (Understand basic weather concepts); 10/16-Planning a Community Art Exhibit (Understand the planning involved in a community project); 11/6-Fitness is Fun (Understand the relationship between exercise and healthy bodies); 11/20 Nature Fun (Increase awareness of our natural surroundings); 12/4 My Feelings (Become aware of our feelings); 12/18 Civic Engagement (Develop a caring attitude toward the needs of the community); and 1/22 Money Management (Explore the importance of good money management).
This year, the Maui 4-H Wolves’ focus is on Environmental Science – Exploring our Environment. So far, they’ve learned about Kaho’olawe with KIRC (Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Committee), fishing & sustainability, and Environmental Science – Managing Stormwater and Runoff. This grant gave them a chance to get wet and explore Molokini.
The outcomes achieved were gaining hands-on experience exploring the Molokini sea life and habitat, learning about the historical and cultural aspects, geomorphology, preservation efforts, ocean resource management, and stewardship. These 4-H Wolves stenciled Maui’s storm drains to raise awareness that the runoff empties directly into the ocean, bringing with them pollutants such as automotive oil, landscaping fertilizer, erosion sediments, and other land-based pollutants that harm Maui’s nearshore reef ecosystem.
The Mauka Stars 4-H club learned new recipes and techniques as part of their cooking project for the year. Youth (and their families) learned how to make a roast turkey or a roast chicken, macaroni and cheese or pumpkin crunch. Using prepared kits families made the dishes together at their homes.
As part of the at-home project members learned food preparation and how to serve the food. The group then shared a Thanksgiving meal together that included honey-glazed ham, dinner rolls, Portuguese sausage stuffing, roasted garlic buttery mashed potatoes and more. The group demonstrated the pumpkin crunch recipe to their larger county 4-H federation and shared it with the attendees.
A Special Interest (SPIN) 4-H club was created to complete a crocheting project. The program was held from November 2023 – January 2024. The workshops took place Ahui Manu Recreation, another workshop at Moanalua High School, and a third at the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City on Oahu. While the dates being so near the holidays made it a little challenging to recruit participants but those that attended the projects were able to complete a number of different crochet projects including the hat shown above.