Submitted by secretary, Eden Copeland.
The High Country Handiworkers meeting was called to order at 7:06 p.m. on December 11, 2023 by President Josh Ryan at the McKee Building at The Ranch.
The pledges were led by Basil Price, Wesley Anzaldua, Harley Anzaldua, Lilly Hayward, William Hayward, Paige Box, Mason McNear, Devon McNear, Skye Reulen, Beau Reulen.
Roll call procedure: Please take your nametag from the alphabetized file box at the start of the meeting. At the end of the meeting, drop the name tags in the buckets at the exits of the room.
Gideon Rivera moved to approve the minutes from November as submitted by Eden Copeland and posted on the club website. The motion was seconded and APPROVED.
Treasurer Gideon Rivera presented the treasurer’s report. The checking account’s balance is $1,188.64, the savings account balance is $5,593.13, and the CD balance is $2,129.18.
There was no reporter’s report.
Willow Cameron led the sunshine report for the December birthdays. Happy birthday to all of those members!
The Cloverbuds made turkeys, played Bingo, and had lots of fun at their November meeting.
Leader’s Report:
Paid Parking at The Ranch – Sharel Cameron talked about the new paid parking at the Ranch for ticketed events at Blue Arena (Budweiser Event Center). It will use scanners to gather license plate information, similar to driving on E-470 or other toll roads. When a 4-H event takes place at the same time as a ticketed event, we will gather the Name, State of License Plate, and License Plate Number for all 4-H families in attendance. Otherwise, families will receive a bill. We will have a form to handwrite your information, or an online form to fill out while at the event.
Visual Arts – Karley Fitzgerald-Rivera talked about the Visual Arts project meetings that will begin in January on the second Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m.
Foods – No report.
Photography – No report.
Beekeeping – No report.
Scrapbooking – No report.
Clothing – Hanna Copeland spoke about plans for upcoming workshops. The first workshop will be in January. If you are interested in the clothing project, she is happy to answer questions. If you are enrolled in Clothing, watch for an email with more information.
Junior Leadership Club – Gideon Rivera talked about the club for members ages 13 years and older. The club runs the Dairy Bar, Achievement Night, Junior Jam.
Dog – Hailey McNear reported that orientation for the dog project will be held on January 29 at 6:00 p.m. at the Ranch. She encouraged members to think about the project to get experience with their dogs. Dog training will start on February 12.
Shooting Sports – The required Annual Safety Meetings on Zoom will be held on February 2 and March 8. Check the calendar on the shooting sports website. Leaders who might be interested in becoming certified in shooting sports should enroll now. Becoming a leader requires a background check and references and takes a little time. The dates for certification trainings have been set, and registration will open early in 2024.
Josh Ryan gave the parli pro report. He discussed the importance of thinking about what you are voting for. Josh asked the members to practice voting on whether they wanted to eat broccoli or cookies.
Old Business:
Community Service at Courtyard Assisted Living – The leaders in this activity are looking for opportunities to serve the Courtyard Assisted Living Facility in Loveland as well as other facilities.
Club Enrollment – Enrollment opened on October 16 and closes on February 1, 2024 for returning members and March 1, 2024 for new members. Enrollment is on v2.4HOnline.com. Payment CANNOT be made through 4HOnline, but the system requires you to click the Pay by Check button. Then you can either pay the extension office onine or with a check.
New Business:
Murdoch’s Fort Collins Gift Wrapping – Hailey McNear reported. Our club has one more day at Murdoch’s on December 17 with the shift from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Go to the club website to sign up.
4-H Carnival Tickets – 4-H Carnival tickets are available for returning members and new members who are enrolled. Each member is asked to sell 25 tickets to be eligible for financial assistance and scholarships from the Larimer County 4-H Foundation. The tickets are only $1 each.
4-H Carnival Baskets – Josh Ryan and Sharel Cameron explained the carnival baskets and the live auction. Then Hailey McNear wrote down ideas produced by the club members. We voted on the basket themes, and our baskets will be Outdoors, Cooking, and LEGO. Please bring donation items to fill these baskets.
Officer Elections – Nominations were accepted for club officers and elections were decided by a hand vote. The officers for 2024 are President, Josh Ryan; Vice President, Hailey McNear; Secretary, Eden Copeland; Treasurer, Gideon Rivera; Reporter, Willow Cameron; Sunshine, Kinzie Copeland, Wesley Anzaldua, and Paige Box; Historian, Lilly McConnell and Grace McConnell.
There were no demonstrations.
Walker Cameron moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded and APPROVED. The meeting was adjourned by Josh Ryan at 7:58 p.m.
Community Service: After the meeting, members wrapped gifts for the Foster and Adoptive Families of Larimer County.
Cookie Exchange: Members brought cookies to share at the end of the meeting, and leftovers were exchanged for families to take home with them.