It’s time to join 4-H!  The 4-H year runs from September through August of each year, so enrollment is currently open for everyone to enroll for the 2020-2021 club year.  (This means that everyone, including adult volunteers, need to enroll for the new year.)  Due to the requirements put upon us due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently still trying to figure out what club meetings will look like. This is a process that we are all figuring out together, so please be patient with us as we maneuver through the best management practices and make decisions regarding club meetings. Some clubs have made decisions and are available here in this newsletter, but others are still forthcoming. Please know that we are diligently working on this and WANT to hold meetings.  The process is just not as easy as previous years.

To get things kicked off though, we will start the enrollment process.  We are going to try the process differently this year. Since we don’t know if there will a Jamboree or when exactly clubs will meet at the beginning of the club year, we are going to open the option for on-line enrollment.  This is not really a new system for 4-H, but it is a new system for Walker County. (We usually take enrollment forms and then we input the information into the system.) This year, we are asking members to log in and enroll themselves. We have created a flyer and a video to help you through this process.  (And all of us at the Extension Office are available to help with the process as well; just call us.)

If you are a returning member of 4-H or a younger sibling to a returning member, please follow these steps to enroll:

1. Go to the 4-H Online website: http://Texas.4honline.com
2. You DO already have a profile in the system. You may not realize this, but you do.  You will need to log in with whichever email address you listed on your enrollment form last year.  (This is usually the one that your newsletter comes to.) If you are unsure of the email address, please send an email to Kristy.titzman@ag.tamu.edu or Rachel.cooper@ag.tamu.edu to get the one from the system.)   After you get the email address, click on the “Reset Password” link and it will send you directions to rest the password and access the account. Please DO NOT start a new profile if you have been a member before.
3. Complete/Update all of the information asked within the enrollment system.  It calls a club a “unit” so please don’t let this confuse you.  Please choose all projects that you plan to participate in this year. This system is how we keep our records straight so please be as accurate as possible. It doesn’t commit you to anything so add in any that you think you will do.
4. It will ask you to pay for your enrollment fee at the end of the process. The Walker County Enrollment Fee is $35 between now and October 30 and then is $40 beginning on October 31.  $10 of this is a local fee and stays within Walker County 4-H.  There is not a way to pay for the local fee within this enrollment system, only the State Enrollment Fee of $25 or $30 after October 30.  So you can pay for the state fee via a credit card in the online system and then pay the $10 local fee at any club meeting or directly to the Extension Office via cash or check, OR you can choose to “pay by county check” and pay the entire fee at your club meeting or directly to the Extension Office via cash or check.
   1. You only pay the fees one time and it enrolls you in ALL the clubs that you join.  This fee is not per individual club.  For example, if you are a member of New Waverly Community Club and the Shotgun Club, your enrollment fee is $35 (or $40 after October 30) for both clubs.
   2. Checks can be made out to “Walker County 4-H”.

If you are a new 4-H member and have never been enrolled, please follow these steps to enroll:

1. Go to the 4-H Online website: http://Texas.4honline.com
2. Complete the process with your information.
3. Please note that this system calls a club an “unit”.  Choose all clubs that you plan to join.  Also, please choose all projects that you plan to try out this year.  Choosing a project within this system doesn’t commit you to anything.  It just makes sure that you get project-related information that might be sent out from the Extension Office.  If you have any questions about any of this while enrolling, please call us at the Extension office and we will gladly help you with the process.
4. It will ask you to pay for your enrollment fee at the end of the process. The Walker County Enrollment Fee is $35 between now and October 30 and then is $40 beginning on October 31.  $10 of this is a local fee and stays within Walker County 4-H.  There is not a way to pay for the local fee within this enrollment system, only the State Enrollment Fee of $25 or $30 after October 30.  So you can pay for the state fee via a credit card in the online system and then pay the $10 local fee at any club meeting or directly to the Extension Office via cash or check, OR you can choose to “pay by county check” and pay the entire fee at your club meeting or directly to the Extension Office via cash or check.
   1. You only pay the fees one time and it enrolls you in ALL the clubs that you join.  This fee is not per individual club.  For example, if you are a member of New Waverly Community Club and the Shotgun Club, your enrollment fee is $35 (or $40 after October 30) for both clubs.
   2. Checks can be made out to “Walker County 4-H”.

If you would like to come to the Extension Office and complete your process with our help, we will be happy to make an appointment for you to come in.  Just give us a call and schedule it. 936-435-2426

We are looking forward to having a great 4-H year!

Please see our 2020-2021 4-H Handbook for more information on participation.