Events
4-H Exploration Days
Location: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Annual MSU pre-college program that attracts approximately 2500 youth participants and chaperones representing all 83 Michigan counties.
Operation Military Kids
Operation: Military Kids (OMK) is the U.S. Army’s collaborative effort with America’s communities to support the children and youth impacted by deployment. This initiative was officially launched in April 2005. Since its inception, OMK has touched 88,000 military youth and provided information to 21,009 community members across the United States.
In Michigan, Operation: Military Kids is an ongoing community support system for families, particularly children of parents in the National Guard and the Army Reserves. It provides an outlet with recreational, educational and social opportunities for military youth, which helps them to deal with their parents being in a risky atmosphere. Many children in Michigan have one and sometimes both parents called into action who can be gone from one to eighteen months.
OMK is a 4-H program, which joins with the school and community to educate the public about what military children may be experiencing.
What Does Operation: Military Kids (OMK) provide?
Michigan OMK’s mission is to build community partnerships to increase capacity for youth, families and communities to support youth of military families.
We are reaching out to youth and military families through educational programming such as:
Ready, Set, Go! Training:
A comprehensive training toolkit designed to educate youth workers, educators, counselors and other community service agencies on military culture, the deployment cycle, fostering resilience in kids, influence of the media, and building community capacity.
Speak Out for Military Kids (SOMK):
A community service opportunity for OMK State Teams to train military and non-military youth to establish Speakers Bureaus to advocate for military-connected youth affected by deployment.
Hero Packs
Backpacks filled with fun items to help keep kids connected to their depolyed service member
Mobile Tech Lab (MTL)
A mobile computer lab that connects deployed parents to families through greeting cards and related items
Where Can I find an Operation: Military Kids (OMK) program?
All counties have access to the Operation: Military Kids program. Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) is divided into 13 districts across the state. To find a program near you, contact the Military State Liaison at MSU Extension:
B’Onko Sadler, Military State Liaison
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone: (517) 432-7618
Kendra Moyses, OMK Project Director
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone: (517) 432-7654
Operation: Military Kids is a partnership of Army Child and Youth Services, National 4-H Headquarters/USDA, and Michigan State University; Children, Youth, Families and Communities. Operation: Military Kids-Michigan is supported by the 4-H/Army Youth Development Project under Kansas State University special project number 2007-48661-03868.
News
7th annual 4-H Day at the Breslin celebrates youth development and Spartan Women’s Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) 4-H Youth Development will cheer on the MSU women’s basketball team as they take on Ohio State during their Jan. 15 home game at the MSU Breslin Center. “MSUE 4-H Day at the Breslin” is a celebration of the MSUE 4-H program in Michigan.
At last – someone’s taking responsibility!
4-H’s new program, "Join the Revolution of Responsibility," puts a spotlight on all those making a difference in their communities, watching over our natural resources and creating new businesses. It isn’t just politicians or public officials on the front lines of tackling these issues—it’s 4-H members throughout Michigan.
First Michigan 4-H Evening in the Garden event was huge success
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Two weeks later and the praises are still rolling in regarding Michigan 4-H’s first-ever Evening in the Garden Event – and it wasn’t just because of the great weather.
Michigan 4-H invites community to an evening in the garden
Michigan 4-H Youth Development will host its first 4-H Evening in the Garden event, Tuesday, Aug. 16, as a recruitment opportunity, a chance for current 4-H’ers to showcase their projects and an occasion to present activities for hands-on participation.
Military Child Appreciation Day set at Potter Park Zoo in Lansing
Military families in Michigan are invited to attend Military Child Appreciation Day at Potter Park Zoo in Lansing from noon to 4 p.m. April 10.