Masonic-Eastern Star Home for Children
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The Home Blog
Spring Training
April 8, 2024
Major League Baseball has Spring Training to prepare for their regular season.
The Children’s Home’s 4-H Club has its own version of Spring Training called Progress Shows. This year, the first Progress Show was in April. They started practicing and preparing their calves shortly after Christmas.
The spring’s first cattle show was a great experience for our rookie 4-H’ers. It will pay dividends down the road.
Easter Egg Toss
April 1, 2024
The feed bunk that Dylan is working on could possibly be the last carpentry project made in the Executive Director’s garage.
The garage has been the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s carpentry shop for the past 5 years. 4-H’ers will be able to use the new Technology Center when construction is complete - hopefully, sometime this summer.
Feed Bunk
March 25, 2024
The feed bunk that Dylan is working on could possibly be the last carpentry project made in the Executive Director’s garage.
The garage has been the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s carpentry shop for the past 5 years. 4-H’ers will be able to use the new Technology Center when construction is complete - hopefully, sometime this summer.
Donut Day!
March 18, 2024
It wasn’t National Donut Day, but it felt like it on our campus. Someone, unexpectedly, donated two large boxes of donuts.
The big decision was – wait to serve them for breakfast the next day or enhance the after school snack. Everyone had an after school snack!
Band
March 11, 2024
The Children’s Home’s band has been enjoying their practice sessions with the goal of playing their songs perfectly.
Dylan plays the drums; Izzy plays the piano; Scarlett plays the clarinet; Hector plays the guitar; Alyzabeth plays the flute and Carter plays the trumpet.
They are looking forward to their first performance. Until then, they will have fun practicing together.
Woodworking
March 4, 2024
Woodworking projects for the 2024 fair season are well underway. Shelves and boxes are the most popular projects with the 4-H’ers.
Each 4-H’er will have at least one woodworking project done by the first fair.
Pictured is a girl sanding her woodworking project.
Arwen
February 26, 2024
Arwen, our German Shepherd comfort dog, spends her mornings greeting staff and visitors to the Administration Building. She’s periodically with the children after school and the evenings. A second comfort dog is in charge of evenings. Both dogs are close to their tenth birthday.
The Nebraska Order of Eastern Star graciously trained both of our comfort dogs.
Pictured is a girl who needed some of Arwen’s T.L.C. Somehow, Arwen got a belly rub out of the transaction.
Bowling Tournament Winners
February 19, 2024
Only a few pins separated the winners from the rest of the bowlers at our annual Valentine’s Day Bowling Tournament. It was a nail-biter.
It came down to the last few frames before Jessica and Jacob pulled ahead.
Pictured are our 2024 Valentine’s Day Bowling Tournament winners.
After-School 4-H
February 12, 2024
For youth who are not involved in extracurricular school activities, we offer after-school 4-H activities: livestock, woodworking and career projects, to name a few.
There’s at least one snow fort and multiple snowmen on campus.
Pictured is our 4-H Club President with her calf. She will start showing the calf at progress shows this spring.
Cowboy Snowman
February 5, 2024
The weather has been perfect to create snow sculptures this year. Everyone is having a great time playing in the snow.
There’s at least one snow fort and multiple snowmen on campus.
Pictured are the girls from Veazie Cottage with their Cowboy Snowman.
National Pie Day
January 29, 2024
Once again, we celebrated National Pie Day – January 23 - by eating pie for an after school snack. Chocolate crème was the favorite this year.
These unofficial holidays help us get through the winter.
Our next cold temperature distraction might be celebrating National Corn Chip Day. Maybe we can sprinkle some chips on top of a bowl of chili.
First for Everything
January 22, 2024
Along with below zero temperatures and a lot of snow, we had a first during our calving season. One of our calves was born on the other side of the fence from her mother.
The cow was in the barn and lying by the fence. During birth, the calf got pushed under the fence – away from its mother.
Unfortunately, nobody was in the barn during the birth. Upon hearing the cow and the calf bellering, it didn’t take long for the calf to be rescued.
The cow and calf were soon reunited. After a cleaning from mom and a quick meal, the calf was playing with the other calves.
High GPA Winners
January 8, 2024
Jessica, Scarlett, Seda and Jacob earned the highest Grade Point Averages in their respective cottages.
Each student is focused on their career goals, which makes educational goals easier to attain.
During study time, they are good role models and periodically help others with their homework.
Nursery Barn
December 18, 2023
Just in time for winter, the new Nursery Barn is ready to use. It will house our soon-to-be moms and our young cow/calf pairs.
Pictured is the first pair to use the barn – a mini-Hereford and her calf.
Cookie Day
December 11, 2023
What’s better than the Christmas season? Answer – the Christmas season and celebrating National Cookie Day!!
All of the children were treated to cookies after school last Monday. The most popular cookies were Christmas decorated sugar cookies and chocolate chip.
Decorating for Christmas
November 27, 2023
Shortly after Thanksgiving, it was time to put up Christmas decorations. Tables, shelves and windows got a new look for a month.
What’s decorating for Christmas without some sugar cookies and hot cider? The children had to take a few breaks to satisfy their sweet tooth.
The evening was a lot of fun and a great leaning event for the children.
Spring-like Weather in November
November 20, 2023
Jackets were discarded to the sidelines while youth participated in outdoor activities. For multiple days it has been over 60 degrees. Very unseasonable for the middle of November in Nebraska.
Volleyball was the game of choice last summer. The popularity of volleyball has continued into the fall season.
Hopefully, the mild temperatures will last past the Thanksgiving holidays. Playing volleyball is more fun than throwing snow.
Firefighter 4-H Career Day
November 13, 2023
Members of the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club have seven mandatory projects to complete before the first fair. One of those projects is the Career project.
Throughout the year, guest speakers come in and talk about their career. Our guest speaker last week was a firefighter from the local fire department.
With his fire engine as a backdrop, he started his presentation by asking the members of the 4-H Club who wanted to be a firefighter. Nobody was interested in being a firefighter.
After a 30-minute presentation, covering everything from salaries to axes, four 4-H’ers wanted to be a firefighter. Pictured is Wynter. She is one of the four who would like to be a firefighter.
Halter Breaking
November 6, 2023
Not very long ago, our new calves were introduced to their halters and lead ropes. This process can turn into a rodeo if not done correctly. Sometimes, the 4-H’ers do everything right, but the calf may feel ornery and bolt away.
During the first week of November, haltering was smooth and uneventful. The 4-H’ers appeared to be confident and the calves were cooperative.
Life at the fair, particularly the Beef Show, will be much easier because of their efforts 8 months before the first fair.
Halloween Festivities
October 30, 2023
Halloween started early at the Children’s Home - over a week early.
It started with the girls from Paden Cottage volunteering to help at the downtown trunk-or-treat type gathering. They dressed in spooky outfits and gave treats to over 1,000 trick-or-treaters. The girls helped at the Fremont Police Department’s display.
Everyone participated in the Haunted Hayrack ride that the staff coordinated on campus. This is the second year for this popular activity.
The Halloween festivities ended with a haunted corn maze, treats and a ride on a zip line at a nearby Bible camp.
Leadership Award Winner
October 23, 2023
Tesla earned a Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club Leadership Award. There were only two earned during the 2023 season.
The qualities that caught the attention of the judges were her willingness to help others and her ability to lead through example.
Tesla was a close second in the Christmas Card Drawing competition. She is the Secretary of the 4-H Club in 2024, and she is studying for a career in law enforcement.
Christmas Postcard Winner
October 16, 2023
It’s never too early to prepare for the most wonderful time of the year, which for most of us is Christmas!
Shortly after Labor Day, we have the Christmas Postcard Drawing competition. The M-ESHC’s Board of Directors votes for a winner.
This year’s winner is Alyzabeth!
Club President
October 9, 2023
In the world of 4-H, the State Fair is the end of the 4-H season. Shortly after unpacking projects that competed at the State Fair, new 4-H club leaders must be elected.
The 2023-24 Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club Officers are as follows: President-Alicia; VP-Hector; Secretary-Tesla; Treasurer-Jayden; News-Mackenzie; and Historian-Seda.
Alicia, the Club’s President, is focused and ready for her new role. She is well liked by the other 4-H’ers and is making plans for her year of leadership.
Alicia excelled in robotics and beef showmanship last summer. She was a good role model then – she will be a good leader now.
Agriculture Technology Center
October 2, 2023
Construction on the Children’s Home’s Agriculture Technology Center started last week.
When it’s finished, the building will have four different shops and a classroom. The shops will consist of: welding, woodworking, carpentry/plumbing/electrical and mechanics/robotics/horticulture.
We had been using two garages and a repurposed office building to teach the aforementioned skills.
It will be nice to have a centralized location for the 4-H’ers to complete their projects and learn new vocational skills.
Homecoming 2023
September 25, 2023
Dining and dancing were the main activities during the Homecoming evening.
After a meal at a local steakhouse, the participants were surprised to get a ride to the dance in a convertible.
Homecoming was a memorable night.
Nursery Update
September 18, 2023
Construction on the Nursery in the south feedlot continues. Hopefully, the east wing and part of the north wall will be done before winter. Even before the building is complete, it will house cows and calves.
Staff and 4-H’ers unloaded a trailer full of lumber for the Nursery (see photo). Everyone chipped in to make a big job manageable.
Our small cow/calf operation is more work, but it has given our 4-H’ers some very competitive calves to show. Calving is also a great experience for the youngsters.
Tractor Driving
September 11, 2023
The members of our 4-H Club are learning how to drive a tractor, but on a very small scale. They are using a garden tractor to initiate their tractor driving skills.
It was a great learning experience and none of the orange cones will need to be replaced.
The next step will be learning how to pull and back a trailer.
Leadership and Showmanship Awards
September 4, 2023
Like many of the children who have lived at the Children’s Home, our Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s Leadership and Showmanship Award winners made new friends, and will walk away with a lifelong friendship and a couple of trophies.
Whether it’s skateboarding or working on their livestock projects, it’s hard to find Dylan and Hector far from each other. They are a good combination for the Club – Dylan is the taskmaster and Hector is the leader.
Thus the reason why Dylan earned the Showmanship Award and Hector won the Leadership Award.
Hector and Dylan made the Rawhide Wranglers a better 4-H Club.
Cottage of the Year
August 28, 2023
Veazie Cottage was crowned the 2023 Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s Cottage of the Year at the Club’s annual Achievement Day.
W.G.M. of Nebraska, Order of Eastern Star, Linda Dubry, announced the awards and the winning cottage at the end-of-the-year event
The girls in Veazie Cottage earned: 1 white ribbon; 6 red ribbons; 44 blue ribbons; 63 purple ribbons; and 24 medals.
7 of their 49 projects will advance to the Nebraska State Fair.
4-H’er of the Year
August 10, 2023
Zoe earned the prestigious Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s 4-H’er of the Year award. She earned this award because of the high marks that her 4-H projects earned at the fairs.
Some of Zoe’s highest marks were as follows:
- Purple ribbon in the District 4-H Speech Contest
- Blue ribbon in the State 4-H Speech Contest
- Champion award for her Charolais breeding heifer at the Fremont 4-H Expo
- Champion award for her Charolais breeding heifer at the Dodge County Fair
- Champion award for her Welding project at the Fremont 4-H Expo
- Champion Cooking award for her cereal bars at the Dodge County Fair
Zoe has been a stellar member of the 4-H Club and a positive role model for the other 4-H’ers.
After graduating from high school, she plans to be a preschool teacher.
Herdsmanship
August 7, 2023
The 4-H Club’s section of the Livestock Barn and the booth displaying 4-H projects in the Exhibit Barn is judged for cleanliness and orderliness at the Dodge County Fair. The livestock portion of the judging is call the Herdsmanship Award. The award ranges from red, being the worst, to purple, being the best.
A team of 4-H’ers must be at the fair at 6am every morning of the fair to take care of the livestock. Each animal gets watered, fed and cleaned at 6am and 4pm. While they are at the wash rack, another 4-H’er cleans the stalls. On hot days, livestock may go back to the wash rack two or three more times.
The 4-H’ers take a lot of pride in the condition of their part of the barn. They also like to take proper care of their animals. The Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club would be honored to win a purple ribbon in Herdsmanship.
News Flash!! The Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club Wins
the Dodge County Fair’s Herdsmanship Award!!
Robotics
July 31, 2023
Robotics was part of the summer mornings for all of the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H’ers.
They learned how robotics is applicable in industrial and agriculture careers. The 4-H’ers used block coding to program their robots to perform tasks that can be found in many workplaces.
The last segment of the class consisted of a fun project. The 4-H’ers designed their robots to battle each other. “Battle bots” is a common term. The robots with a propeller on the front seemed to do the best during battle
Between Fairs
July 24, 2023
There are about 2 ½ weeks between the Fremont 4-H Expo and the Dodge County Fair. There is plenty that needs to be done in that short amount of time.
Transporting equipment, livestock and projects from the Expo is first on the agenda. Perfecting projects is next on the list. Helping set up the Dodge County Fair is next. Transporting equipment, livestock and projects at the Dodge County Fair is last on the list of things to do.
The Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club is up to the challenge.
Pictured are some Rawhide Wranglers helping prepare for the Dodge County Fair.
Fremont 4-H Fair
July 17, 2023
The Fremont 4-H Fair, which is now called the Fremont Expo, started a few days before the first livestock show for the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club. It was all hands on deck for the moving process.
Loading equipment onto trailers is like playing a game of Tetris. Chutes, boxes, blowers and all of the other equipment needed to show 25 calves had to fit just right for the trip from our campus to the fairgrounds.
The 4-H’ers earned some honorable awards at the Expo. They earned Champion awards in baking, welding, woodworking, sewing, livestock, gardening and entrepreneurship.
The Fremont Expo was a good practice run. The 4-H’ers only have two weeks to perfect their projects before the Dodge County Fair begins. Everyone will be perfecting their projects this week.
Independence Day
July 10, 2023
Sometimes, the sideshow of a holiday gets more attention than the center ring of a holiday. Football games on Thanksgiving and Easter candy are some examples of holiday sideshows.
The history and reason for a holiday must be addressed, so that the true meaning can have its rightful respects. Where would we be without our victory over Great Britain and the Declaration of Independence?
At the Children’s Home, we educate the children about recognized holidays. We give the center ring its proper attention, but we also focus on the sideshows.
Over the last fourth of July, the children learned about the history of our Independence Day and shot off a plethora of fireworks. Fun times!!
State Speech Contest
July 1, 2023
Our 2022-23 4-H season concluded with the Nebraska 4-H Speech Contest. Seven members of our Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club participated in the event.
A red ribbon, two blue ribbons and four purple ribbons were earned at the State Speech Contest. Pictured is Mackenzie, who earned a purple ribbon. Her speech, titled “The History of 4-H“, was a big hit with the audience and the judge.
The lessons learned during their public speaking adventure – preparation, organizing and presentation – will last them the rest of their lives. The confidence that the project instills is an extra bonus.
The Rawhide Wranglers goal is to send eight to the State Speech Contest.
Rockets
June 29, 2023
The 4-H’ers participated in a rocket building workshop last week. No trips to the moon, but a few of the 4-H’ers - using plastic pop bottles, which they converted to rockets – gave it their best.
It was an afternoon of educational fun. A former college engineering teacher kept their attention for the entire three hours. The teacher added an element of competition by dividing the 4-H’ers into teams. Natural competiveness took the project over. All of the teams wanted the most aerodynamic rocket and certain victory.
Everyone gathered around the launch pad. Dairy Queen ice cream treats went to the winner. Loud vocal approval was heard with each rocket launched. At the end, it was the boys from Truman Cottage that won.
Baking
June 26, 2023
There are plenty of snacks on campus when 4-H’ers are experimenting with new recipes. Multiple kinds of cookies and bars are the most popular delicacies of the rookie bakers.
About four times a week, Jacci changes her role from Navigator to baking teacher. Food/kitchen safety is the first topic on her orientation agenda. After orientation, the 4-H’ers pull their favorite recipe, mix their ingredients and start baking.
In 4-H, all roads lead to the Nebraska State Fair. The ultimate goal is a purple ribbon at the state competition. Everyone has a chance to win. Finding the right recipe, baking it just right and having a judge that likes the competitor’s baked goods are the keys to winning.
Sugar is a wonderful thing, but in moderation - or followed by a good long walk.
Fishing Derby
June 19, 2023
The Children’s Home’s Fishing Derby has been part of our summer for almost 20 years. It’s an event that everyone looks forward to.
Before throwing a line into the water, the rookie anglers get a quick education on how to catch a fish. Everything in the tackle box, the rod and reel and different types of bait are first on the teaching agenda. Types of fish and what they eat are next.
Some of the rookie anglers have never been fishing, so the final lesson, casting, can be an entertaining lesson to watch. We had some quick learners this year. There were no bobbers decorating the trees.
Everyone caught at least one fish and a few anglers caught a bullfrog and a turtle. Mackenzie caught the longest fish and earned the coveted Fishing Derby trophy. She caught a 15½ inch bass.
Summer Activities
June 5, 2023
Fun is the common denominator when it comes to summer activities.
Along with the multitude of 4-H activities, the 4-H’ers will participated in numerous other learning, individual and competition type activities this summer.
After working on 4-H projects each morning, 4-H’ers might be involved in a learning activity - such as learning how to bake cookies. It’s quite possible that they could choose to ride their skateboards and/or bicycles. Kickball is still the sport of choice, so there will be plenty of kickball games.
Kickball gets very competitive as seen in the picture connected to this article.
4-H’er of the Year – 2023
May 29, 2023
Who will be the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s 4-H’er of the Year in 2023?
Cady, pictured above, was our winner last year. Since an illness outbreak on campus prevented Cady from properly receiving her trophy last summer, Nebraska Worthy Grand Matron, Laurie Sieg, presented it to her at the O.E.S. Grand Chapter.
The 4-H’er of the Year competition is based on points earned from each 4-H project. The higher the award earned at the fair, the more points scored.
It’s anybody’s trophy at the end of Spring 4-H. There are a handful of 4-H’ers that utilized their time wisely over the spring months, but there’s still plenty of summer left for others to catch up. Everyone, at the beginning of summer, is a contender.
Gardening
May 22, 2023
Our Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club usually earns plenty of awards with their horticulture and floriculture 4-H projects at the fairs. Potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, beans and an array of flowers will be on the judging block, again, this year.
The vegetables will also be on the dinner plate. What doesn’t get entered into the fair will be eaten fresh or packed in the freezer for future meals. Leftover flowers will be put on display. Some of the petals are saved for scrapbooking.
Gardening is a great learning event, it puts food on the table, and the 4-H’ers earn a few extra awards.
Pictured, are the girls from Veazie Cottage planting flowers.
Graduation
May 8, 2023
The Children’s Home is proud to announce that three students participated in Fremont High School’s graduation ceremonies two days ago.
Each of the graduates kept very busy with extracurricular activities while they were in high school. Cameron participated in 4-H, track, band and powerlifting. Zoe participated in 4-H and track. Draven participated in 4-H, drama and Jobs for America’s Graduates.
Their future plans consist of: Cameron wants to be a therapist using equines and/or join the National Guard; Zoe wants to be a preschool teacher; and Draven wants to be an actor and/or drama teacher.
Happy trails, graduates.
LaVonne
May 8, 2023
At about the same time that the Children’s Home’s staff was putting the final touches on the 2023 summer’s agenda of activities, former resident, LaVonne, and her daughter and son-in-law arrived for a tour of the Children’s Home’s campus.
LaVonne helps fund summer camp for youth who want to attend one of the many local summer camp opportunities.
Thanks to LaVonne, all of the children will attend summer camp in one form or another. Some want to stay multiple nights, while others are happy to spend the day zip lining, swimming and/or having snacks around a camp fire.
Prom
May 1, 2023
We have a young group of children this year. Only four were age eligible to attend the Senior Prom, and one of the four was on a school field trip for the weekend. The three girls that attended still had a good time participating in all of the prom festivities.
Clothing attire was picked out a few weeks before prom, cosmetics started late morning of prom and pictures were taken at 6pm. They hit the accelerator after pictures. Dinner, dancing and Post Prom took the remainder of their night.
Zoe summarized the night by saying, “We had a lot of fun!”
Kickball
April 24, 2023
Kickball has been a popular recreational activity for over 100 years. Whether you’re in a backyard, playground or park, it’s easy to strike up a game.
This spring, kickball seems to be the favorite outdoor competitive sport at the Children’s Home. Everyone likes the thrill of competition and they like some time to socialize.
A fierce competitor has come out of a number of reclusive demeanors while playing kickball in the Children’s Home’s park. Aggressive defenses and hard running offenses have been great entertainment.
Basketball or softball might be the game of choice next year, but this spring, kickball is the game of choice.
Skateboarding
April 17, 2023
Leisure activity choices are different every year. Some years the activity of choice is basketball, but other years it’s Frisbee golf or bicycling. This year it’s skateboarding.
Former resident and current house parent, Maison, likes to skateboard. The boys like Maison. Maison’s leadership might have something to do with all of the boys skateboarding this year.
Knock on wood, there have been no severe injuries. We have gone through a few bandages, but nothing worthy of comment or bragging rights.
Who knows. They might switch gears and get the bikes out next month. Their call.
It Was a Fine Day
April 10, 2023
It was a fine day for early dismissal from school. The events after early dismissal made it even better.
It was almost 80 degrees when the children returned to campus. A few chores had to be done before the late afternoon and evening activities. One of those chores was preparing the garden for 4-H vegetable and flower projects. Wood chips were dumped by the garden to line its borders. Little did we know that the tractor picked up a nest of bunnies with one of the loads.
Of course, it was a few days before Easter and the mission to save the Easter Bunny’s babies began. Priority was to return the bunnies to a pile of leaves next to the wood chip pile, without too much disturbance. Mission accomplished. The bunnies were returned with the Easter bunny watching.
After the bunny incident, the children were delighted to participate in our annual Easter egg toss. Max and Brittney were the winners. Once it was dark, they participated in the glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt. Everyone found their allotment of eggs.
After some consideration, the day could be declared a great day.
Beefy Cabinet
April 4, 2023
Steve, the 4-H Woodworking Teacher, was asked to build a sturdy cabinet for the 4-H Office, which is located inside the 4-H Barn. The cabinet will replace a 20-year old shelving system that consists of a few 7 foot-long 2x8’s. Steve was asked to use 4-H’ers to help build the project.
Meticulous is a good word to describe the woodworking shop. Woodworking projects have earned high marks at the fairs, because of Steve’s guidance and patience. There was no doubt that he would not only design the cabinet to be beefy, but it would have a good look for a 4-H Barn that has a lot of visitors.
The boys connected two of the top planks together using dowels and glue. The girls will connect the final plank in a few days.
Future articles and photos will illustrate the process of finishing the cabinet. Stay tuned!
Spring Cleaning
March 27, 2023
A few days of Spring snuck in during the last week of winter. Bicycles, skateboards and basketballs were utilized and everyone seemed to have a good time.
In addition to playing outside, work needed to be done. Winter’s leftovers needed to be removed from the playground and pastures. Each barn received a good deep clean.
Working hard, playing hard and breathing fresh air made for a good night of sleep.
Last Calf of the Season
March 20, 2023
The last calf of the season was born last week. The first time mom gave birth, overnight, to a heifer/girl. By morning, the new calf was standing and trying to play with the three calves born a few weeks before her.
The new heifer is half Holstein and half miniature Hereford. This is an interesting combination in the world of beef shows. She will do well at the fair.
The Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club started a small herd of cattle about ten years ago. This was an effort to save money and create a learning tool for the 4-H’ers.
Calves that are not born at the 4-H Farm are purchased by members of the Purple Ribbon Club or donated by farmers and ranchers. Thumbs up to everyone who helps finance our livestock program.
Oreo Cookie Day
March 13, 2023
Add one more unofficial holiday, that consists of food, to our list of holiday celebrations – Oreo Cookie Day. Past food celebrations have been Pie Day, Cherry Pie Day and Big Breakfast Day.
All of the children were treated to Oreo cookies and milk. It was also a learning event. Some of the children have never dipped a cookie.
The food celebrations seem to be a big hit. I’m sure that there will be many more to come.
Maybe we can create a National Holiday……National Meatloaf Day! Of course, meatloaf served with mashed potatoes and buttered corn.
New Sneakers!
March 6, 2023
The children were pleasantly surprised to hear that they were going shopping for a new pair of sneakers. An anonymous donor stepped forward with the special gift.
Individually, each child went to the store and picked out a pair of athletic shoes. A lot of time and consideration was spent searching for the right shoes. The common process of hunting for their gift was finding their brand, finding their style, finding the right size and walking out of the store with a smile.
A close second to getting a new pair of sneakers was keeping the shoe box. Most of the children had a plan for their box, which usually consisted of using it as storage for something special to them.
Our thanks to the donor for brightening each child’s day and putting a little extra hop in their step.
Commander in Chief
February 27, 2023
Our long-time cow, Kelly, gave birth to a baby bull yesterday. Kelly has been with us for 10 years. Yesterday’s bull is boy number seven for her.
Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club members watched the birth of the bouncing baby bull. There was no school, because of the President’s Day break.
The fun began when one of the boys realized that the birth occurred the day after President’s Day. George, Abe, General Washington, Teddy and Ike were some of the many names for the calf – of course, all presidential.
Ultimately, the name of the newest addition to the 4-H Farm will be up to the 4-Her who picks the calf to show at the fairs. Bully to the 4-Her who names him Teddy.
Valentine’s Day Bowling Tournament
February 20, 2023
Eden and Draven were the champions of the 2023 Valentine’s Day Bowling Tournament. They were honored to be added to a list of annual tournament winners that is almost 30 years long.
It was a very competitive year. There were 5 bowlers within 10 pins of each other.
This is Draven’s last bowling tournament. He plans to be in college next year. Eden is hoping to win her second bowling trophy next year.
Draw a Dinosaur Day
February 13, 2023
Winters in Nebraska can seem very long. Long enough, this year, that we observed an unofficial holiday called Draw a Dinosaur Day. It should be noted that we celebrated National Pie Day a couple of weeks ago.
We celebrated Draw a Dinosaur Day by having a Draw a Dinosaur Contest. There were dinosaurs with meteors flying through the air, others that were breathing fire and one with an exploding volcano in the background. Obviously, the contest was not taken lightly with the contestants.
Eden was the winner of the contest. Her sketch of a t-rex wearing a hat and holding a cane depicted a lighter, more care free mood, compared to the other sketches, which appealed to the judge’s eye.
Beef Weigh-In
February 6, 2023
The annual Dodge County 4-H Beef Weigh-In was held in the Children’s Home’s 4-H Barn yesterday. The purpose for this event is to not only weigh cattle, but to tag and properly identify beef that will compete in fairs.
4-H’ers showing market beef cattle can enter the Rate of Gain competition at the Dodge County Fair. The weight that was recorded yesterday will be the starting point. The 4-H’er whose calf gains the most weight between yesterday and the 2023 Dodge County Fair, wins a trophy.
The Children’s Home’s Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club worked yesterday’s weigh-in. Many of the 4-H’ers are in their rookie year, so they were as timid as the young calves who may be experiencing their first time in a cattle chute. Fortunately, the Beef Weigh-In went without injury or alarm.
This group of Rawhide Wranglers is very competitive. I’m guessing that one of them will ask if he can put a feedbag on his calf. Of course, the answer will be no. We want a clean fight.
Snow Day!
January 23, 2023
A day off of school, because of snow, is third only to Christmas and a birthday at the Children’s Home. Last Wednesday and Thursday were Snow Days!
The day before the storm, we prepared the livestock. A few windbreaks and shelters needed to be repaired, two calves needed extra shelter in the old barn and cow/calves needed to be placed inside the barn. Freezing rain was expected before the snow, so we used extra caution.
After shoveling walks and bunks, it was time to have fun in the snow. There are rumors of a few snowball fights during the shoveling process. It was a wet snow, so building was the most popular activity. By the end of Thursday, there were two snowmen, a snow fort and an igloo that was later made into a shark.
I learned an important lesson during the current Snow Day. Never try to get into your truck while getting ambushed by snowball throwing teenagers. The interior of my truck needed to be cleaned anyway.
Draven
January 16, 2023
Draven holds the office of Secretary for the J.A.G. (Jobs for America’s Graduates) Nebraska. J.A.G. is a school-to-career program. It provides a work-based learning experience that will enhance career opportunities for student participants.
At the end of November, 2022, Draven traveled to the National J.A.G. Conference in Washington, D.C. where he participated in J.A.G. meetings, met national politicians and saw the sites of Washington, D.C.
In April, 2023, Draven is running for National Secretary of J.A.G. He will be competing against students from 1,000 different high schools, middle schools, alternative schools and community colleges.
Draven would like to be an actor and/or drama teacher. He has not selected a college or university, but he has been accepted at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Youth Council
January 9, 2023
The Children’s Home’s Youth Council has been a part of many important decisions over the two decades that it has been around. Their input has ranged from the design of new buildings to what kind of food to eat at a party.
About 12 years ago, the Youth Council assisted in the design of the Recreation Center. The original floor plan had a movie theater, clothing store, common area, game room and no fitness center. They asked if the architect could reduce the size of the game room and add a fitness center. Their wish was granted.
Party planning is a more common part of their monthly meetings. Fortunately, everyone can celebrate in the Recreation Center again, which makes for a good time.
Currently, summer planning is the hot topic with the Youth Council and the Youth Director. Working together, they will assure that the summer is full of fun and learning.
Sandi
January 2, 2023
Growing up in a family with three girls in Pomeroy, Ohio, Sandi lived and learned a customary American lifestyle, except for one thing. Her mom and dad started selling antiques on their front porch and later owned their own shop. Her love for antiques started at an early age. It’s now one of her hobbies.
In addition to antiquing, Sandi has been an important part of our residential system for over five years. Currently, she is a house parent at Paden Cottage, where she takes care of six teenage girls.
She said that it’s fun to see the girls appreciate the basics of life that many of them have never experienced, such as a traditional home cooked meal during the Christmas holiday. She added that baking Christmas cookies and candies is also a special time for the girls.
The children were humbled and appreciative. Our thanks to the many donors that made the giving/receiving part of Christmas memorable. We hope that you too had a very Merry Christmas.
Summarizing why she works at the Children’s Home – “I’ve always had a place in my heart for kids that need some extra help. There’s always hope that I can make a difference.”
Elf Duty
December 26, 2022
The task of moving gifts from the Christmas tree to the children has turned into a tradition. Those who are in their last year of high school are assigned the task of handing out gifts. One might call it “elf duty”.
It was a daunting task for our three seniors. Donors (aka Santa) were very gracious.
Santa gave out some practical gifts – winter gear, tool boxes, clothes and shoes, but he also gave many fun gifts – remote control cars, nerf guns, coloring books, stuffed animals and candy.
The children were humbled and appreciative. Our thanks to the many donors that made the giving/receiving part of Christmas memorable. We hope that you too had a very Merry Christmas.
The three elves, two of which are over six feet tall, did a great job. Everyone received the correct gift!
Christmas Tree
December 19, 2022
According to www.history.com, Germany is credited as starting the Christmas tree tradition in the 16th Century. Over the years, the tradition moved to America and finally, to the Masonic-Eastern Star Home for Children where it is still practiced.
Not long after Thanksgiving, the children decorate their cottage with Christmas trees and decorations. It’s a festive evening with Christmas cookies, hot apple cider and Christmas music.
It’s now a waiting game for the children. The pinnacle of a Christmas tree. Presents under the tree. A few presents have already arrived. The rest of the presents will be here soon.
Merry Christmas!
Christmas Cookies
December 12, 2022
What’s better than seeing a house with Christmas decorations? Smelling Christmas cookies, fresh out of the oven.
The children have been busy decorating their cottages, writing their wish list to Santa and baking Christmas cookies.
The memory of a fresh baked Christmas cookie. It’s a wonderful thing.
Undefeated
December 5, 2022
The Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s 2022 Exhibitor of the Year, Aurora, started her wrestling season with two wins and zero losses.
Aurora is a methodical wrestler who waits for an opportunity to score points and/or pin her opponent.
Fremont High School freshman, Aurora, stated, “I was surprised to win both matches, but I thought it was pretty cool.”
Aurora’s happy about her positive start to her high school wrestling career and hopes for more wins this year.
Thanksgiving
November 28, 2022
A traditional Thanksgiving meal was enjoyed by all at the Children’s Home.
We go the extra mile to celebrate holidays, so traditional holiday celebrations can be enjoyed by the residents at the Children’s Home and passed on to another generation.
Concentrating on homework will be an even greater challenge than normal for the children, because it is now the season of Christmas.
Christmas trees went up the first weekend after Thanksgiving.
School Activities
November 21, 2022
All of the residents at the Children’s Home are students in the Fremont Public School system in Fremont, Nebraska. We encourage them to study hard and get involved in extracurricular school activities.
Currently, children are involved in wrestling, basketball, band, theater, choir and SkillsUSA. A combination of school and 4-H activities give the youth productive and fun experiences that they will remember forever.
Pictured, is Aurora, Daven and Cady. Daven was the mascot at football games. He did a wonderful job of keeping the fans cheering and laughing.
Happy Birthday!
November 14, 2022
The staff at the Children’s Home go above and beyond to create a very special day for children on their birthday.
Their choice of meals and a personalized birthday cake are some of the many events to make it a golden day for the child having a birthday.
Birthday celebrations are created by the Children’s Home’s staff, and are funded by financial gifts from gracious donors. The Christmas Campaign funds Christmas presents and activities, our clothing fund and our birthday fund.
Halloween
November 7, 2022
It’s frightening to think about the amount of fun the children experienced during the week before Halloween and the day of Halloween.
Candy and jack-o-lantern pizza were some of the many unique treats that the children consumed.
The children enjoyed finding their way through the local corn maze, zip-lining, watching a family friendly Halloween movie, and, new this year, riding through a haunted trail on a hay rack. We can thank Sandi for coming up with the hay rack ride idea and Todd for following through with a great plan
Plans for next Halloween have already started – it’s almost too spooky to think about.
Leaf Removal
October 31, 2022
A couple of record-setting cold days last week caused almost all of the trees to shed their leaves at once. Normally, we mulch leaves and/or pick them up with a riding mower. The large quantity that fell all at once caused us to change our routine. It was a blessing and a curse.
Multiple staff, children, rakes, corn shovels and an old farm wagon turned the mountain of leaves into a mole hill. Everyone pitched in and got the job done. It was a great experience of camaraderie between staff and children.
The enormous task of removing leaves turned into a fun activity. Children jumping out of a leaf pile and scaring an oncoming new crew usually instigated a leaf fight - that was fun. Children screaming because they found a snake in a leaf pile – that was funny.
Hopefully, the children walked away with some fun memories and learned that work can be fun.
Cameron
October 24, 2022
Cameron has the qualities and traits of being anyone’s favorite neighbor. She is very kind, friendly and helpful.
For Cameron, being a neighbor will have to wait a couple of years. She has to finish her last year of high school and she wants to join one of the branches of the armed services when she graduates.
During high school, Cameron has excelled at 4-H and powerlifting. She had numerous 4-H projects compete at the state fair level and she won second place in the bench press at the Nebraska State Powerlifting Meet. Cameron plans to wrestle this year on Fremont High School’s first girls’ wrestling team.
Cameron has a lot of dreams and aspirations for her future. Hopefully, she attains her goals and someday becomes someone’s favorite neighbor.
Christmas Postcard Competition
October 17, 2022
At the end of every August, the artists on campus start thinking of ideas for the Christmas card competition. The winning design is used on the Children’s Home’s Christmas postcard.
Thirty years ago, when the completion started, the completion was for Christmas cards that were used as fundraisers and to deliver our Christmas message. Unfortunately, Christmas cards have lost their popularity, so the cards changed to postcards. The postcards are used to deliver our Christmas message.
Competition was fierce this year, but Max won by one vote. Members of the Board of Directors vote on designs at their September Board meeting.
Max is a quiet boy who is very helpful at the farm. He puts a lot of thought and effort into his 4-H projects. Of course, his art and projects won big at the fairs.
Homecoming
October 10, 2022
It was a special day for the youth who went to the Homecoming Dinner and Dance.
The day started early for the girls. Nails, makeup and dresses had to be just right. Photographs with family, friends and staff were next on the agenda. One of the group pictures consisted of a photo op in the Jeep that transported them to dinner.
After dinner at a local steakhouse, the group danced the night away in the high school’s gym. It was time to adjourn the evening after a beverage at McDonald’s on the way home from the dance.
A good time was had by all.
Irrigation
October 3, 2022
After the month of July, 2022, the pastures needed to be watered. It was very dry – officially a drought.
We didn’t have to irrigate for the past few years, which means that all of the current 4-H’ers were rookies when it came to moving irrigation pipes and moving the water gun by hand. Everyone learned quickly and made fast time of a chore that needed to be done three times a day.
Experiencing the comradery of working toward a common goal and feeling cold well water on their bare feet are two unforgettable memories for the 4-H’ers.
The 4-H’ers were able to see the fruits of their labor. They got to see cattle graze in pastures that they helped grow. Pastures that will be grazed into the fall season.
Change of Plans
September 26, 2022
There are numerous after-school activities planned for the members of the Rawhide Wrangler 4-H Club. Art, woodworking, livestock and welding, to name a few. Members can also participate in extracurricular school activities or work at a part-time job after school.
It takes a lot of planning to successfully use time after school in a productive manner. Youth Director Todd, Navigator Jacci, teachers and the residential staff do a great job of fulfilling each youth’s activity choices.
There are times when we need to change plans. This time it was because two large tree branches fell during a storm. The branches were cut up while the youth were at school, so they would not be around dangerous equipment.
A team of boys helped load the dissected branches. It was not only a fun activity, but each boy earned some money and got a meal at a local restaurant.
Showman of the Year
September 19, 2022
Cole earned the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s 4-H’er of the Year award for the summer of 2022. At the age of 13, he is one of the youngest to earn the award.
At the barn, Cole is focused on his calf. He does not like to be bothered when he is practicing showmanship with his calf.
Cole kept busy with homework, karate and football over the last year. He earned a High Grade Point Average award during the last school year.
Cole has the potential to be one of the youngest to earn 4-H’er of the Year next year.
Softball
September 5, 2022
Aurora, the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s Exhibitor of the Year, is playing softball for Fremont High School’s softball team this school year. She’s a fast running outfielder that doesn’t let too many balls past her and she can run the bases like a cheetah.
During her last game, Aurora got on base twice and threw an opposing player out at second base from right field.
Aurora will have to wait to start on her 2023 4-H projects until the end of the softball season. Even with a late start, Aurora will be a contender for another 4-H Club award.
An in-the-park homerun is on Aurora’s agenda before the end of the softball season.
Farm Repairs
August 29, 2022
The members of the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club have plenty of projects that relate to farm and ranch work. Periodically, a practical need for their skills arises at the 4-H Farm. Lately, it’s been repairing sheds and fixing farm wagon flats.
Repair projects are not only practical, but the 4-H’ers build comradery and lasting memories. Many former residents, who come back to visit, point out something that they helped build or repair.
Pictured, in the attached photo, is a 10-year old boy who wanted to help fix a flat on one of the farm wagons. After some WD-40 and a helper bar for the wrench, he successfully replaced the worn-out tire.
Summer Interns
August 25, 2022
4-H is in full swing when summer hits. This means that the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club needs extra help during summer months. Part of this extra help consists of college interns who are looking for a temporary job that will also give them college credits and practical knowledge for their field of study.
Last summer, four interns were employed at the Children’s Home. Three were assigned to a team of 4-H’ers – each had their own team of six. The fourth intern is studying to be a Home Economics teacher. She helped with the baking projects and daily treats.
It didn’t take long for the rookie interns to learn their jobs and create professional working relationships with the 4-H’ers. The results of their labors were found at the fairs. The members of the 4-H Club earned high marks in both fairs and have numerous projects earning the right to compete at the Nebraska State Fair.
Results were also found that are unmeasurable. Each summer intern was a positive role model for the 4-H’ers.
I miss you all so much! — Baleigh
Jacci’s 20th Anniversary
August 23, 2022
Everyone loves Jacci. She’s kind, compassionate, smart, reliable and many other positive adjectives. Jacci also possesses the ability to quickly attain and maintain positive relationships with children, parents/guardians and other staff members.
On the date of August 1, 2002, Jacci was hired as a house parent. It didn’t take long for her to build necessary relationships – particularly with the girls in her care. She still has contact with many of these girls today.
Through the busiest days at the Children’s Home – fairs, first days of school, proms and chili feeds – Jacci could find ways to lighten the stress with humor. Jacci and Diana’s (Diana is a former house parent) pranks and antics are legendary.
Last year, Jacci agreed to work as a Navigator who trains new and existing employees. Her last educational creation written for children and staff, “Building Good Character”, earned her a commendation.
Thank you, Jacci, for the positive influence that you have made for everyone’s benefit.
4-H'er of the Year!
August1, 2022
Cadie earned the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s 4-H’er of the Year award. She earned this award, because of the high marks that her 4-H projects earned at the fair.
Of the many awards that she earned, she stated that her Reserve Champion sewing award is the one that she likes the best. She stated that she liked designing her own pillow and seeing the finished product.
Cadie also earned Reserve Senior Showman with her dairy cow. “I like the fact that I have to put effort into it (livestock). I have to set daily goals and accomplish them. It also helps me with my patience,” Cadie stated when asked about the benefit of showing livestock.
She will be in 11th grade and hopes to land an after-school job at a local nursing home. Cadie earned her C.N.A. certificate last summer. She would like to be a physical therapist in her adult life.
S.T.E.M.
July 25, 2022
The 4-Hers stepped away from their routine schedules this week, so they could take a S.T.E.M. – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – workshop and stack hay bales.
Both activities had some commonalities. The 4-Hers had to plan a structure that would not fail, while completing both projects. In the S.T.E.M. workshop they had to build a toy bridge out of plastic sticks. In the hay barn they had to stack bales that would not fall over.
Baleigh and Eden won the bridge building contest – their bridge held 8 encyclopedias. Baleigh stated that they had a slow start, but once their critical thinking skills and problem-solving kicked in, she was confident that their bridge would win.
Six boys unloaded and stacked two wagons of square bales. Their stack was structurally sound. All of the boys seemed like they were pleased with a job well done.
Fremont 4-H Fair
July 11, 2022
Members of the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club earned significant awards (Champion, Reserve Champion, etc…) at the Fremont 4-H Fair.
Dairy and woodworking projects earned the most trophy caliber awards. Career, sewing, hobby and baking projects also had a respectable showing.
The 4-Hers were pleased with the outcomes of their hard work. Jenna, who earned the Champion woodworking trophy, stated that she was thrilled and exited when she learned that she won the trophy.
The 4-H Club’s Achievement Day is scheduled for July 30, 2022 at 10am in the 4-H Barn. Members of the Masons, members of Eastern Star, friends and families of the children are invited to attend.
Baking & Zip Lining
July 5, 2022
Record high temperatures sent 4-H’ers inside to bake cookies. When it was cool enough outside, they went zip lining at the local church camp.
Everyone learns how to bake in the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club. Some of our best awards have been baking projects. The 4-H’ers have a good time learning an important life skill and indulging in a few cracked cookies.
A former Children’s Home resident, with great memories of summer camp, has been sponsoring summer camp activities for many years. She continues to this day. Zip lining seems to be a camp activity favorite.
Whether it’s testing cookie recipes or testing ones’ courage on the zip line, it’s always a good time being a member of the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club.
Fishing Derby
June 27, 2022
A few decades ago, a few Fremont Masons and a few members of a local fishing lake offered to host a fishing tournament for the youngsters at the Children’s Home. The fishing tournament is appropriately called the Fishing Derby.
Minus a couple of years during the pandemic, the fishing tournament has turned into an annual event and a 4-H project.
Everyone had a good time and everyone caught at least one fish. Awards were given out to the angler who caught the biggest fish and the angler who caught the most fish. The smallest girl on campus stated that it was “really exciting” catching the biggest fish.
Cream of the Crop
June 13, 2022
Two of the Rawhide Wrangler 4-H Club members participated in a very competitive dairy cow show last weekend. There were competitors from five different states. The show was titled Cream of the Crop.
It was Cady’s first time showing. She seemed to be a natural and earned very good marks.
Edan has shown beef cattle a few times, but never dairy cows. She also earned very good marks.
This extra show will give both of the 4-H’ers the experience they need, so they can be the cream of the crop at the 4-H Fair and the County Fair.
Small Engines
June 6, 2022
In an effort to keep the choice of projects fresh and educational, the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club will learn about small engines this summer.
Joe Giesselmann, who lived with his parents at the Children’s Home from the age of three until he went to college, will serve as the small engine instructor.
The 4-H’ers will learn about how a small engine works and how to properly maintain a small engine. This practical knowledge will be an important part of their adult life. If all goes well, they plan to repair an engine that is not functioning properly.
Throughout the summer we will feature a few of the many Rawhide Wranglers 4-H projects.
Academic & Citizenship Awards
May 23, 2022
Academic and Citizenship Awards are distributed annually at the end of the school year at the Order of the Eastern Star’s annual conference.
The Academic Award is given to the student who has the highest Grade Point Average in their cottage. This year, the Academic Award winners are Porsche, Jennifer and Cole.
The Citizenship Award is given to the student who displays good leadership, good decision making and a willingness to help others in their cottage. This year the Citizenship Award winners are Baleigh, Zoe and Draven.
Each award winner has an interesting story to tell and a plan for their future. Maybe we can share their stories in future articles
Summer Fun
May 16, 2022
4-H will be the centerpiece of summer activities this year. There will be plenty of outdoor fun too.
Our 4-H instructors make working on projects fun. Woodworking, livestock, sewing, baking and art will be some of the many 4-H projects that the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club hope to complete this summer.
Fortunately, the Children’s Home is located next to two state recreation areas and two church camps. Camping, swimming and zip lining are favorite activities.
Summer is our busiest, but also our most enjoyable season of the year.
Perpetual Motion
May 9, 2022
Cole is a beehive of energy – even for a 12 year old boy. He wants to be busy doing something all of the time. Playing baseball and football are two of his favorite sports - until karate came along.
Shortly after Christmas, Cole started participating in karate. Three nights a week he travels downtown to practice. He is hopeful to move up a degree/belt in the near future.
Yesterday, the clanking of something hitting a wire fence could be heard. It was Cole. He was throwing his baseball against the baseball backstop, which is made of metal fencing.
Cole has made himself into a multi-sport athlete, so he can stay in positive perpetual motion.
Prom
May 2, 2022
The excitement for prom festivities started a week before the high school prom. There were only two girls old enough to go to prom this year, but all of the girls helped them plan and prepare for prom.
After an afternoon of getting their dresses and makeup just right, it was time for dinner. They chose to have dinner at a local restaurant that had a hibachi grill. They wanted a unique experience that was new to both of them.
They met more friends at the dance. Neither girl was a wallflower. They danced and laughed with their friends until the dance ended.
Post prom is a big deal in Fremont, Nebraska. Local high schools collaborate and host a party that lasts until 4am. This year, post prom had a Hawaiian them, so the girls shed their dresses and put on their comfortable clothes. It was a long and memorable prom night.
Opening Day
April 26, 2022
Among the many traditions and festivities of Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is the presentation of flags. Former Children’s Home resident and current U.S. Army sergeant, Aiden Austin-King, was honored with the task of presenting the flag at Opening Day ceremonies for the New York Mets. It was a day that he will never forget.
Let’s back up six years. Aiden moved into the Children’s Home his sophomore year of high school. He gravitated toward welding classes in school and welding projects in 4-H. A few years later, he earned Champion awards two times at the Nebraska State Fair and welded in state competitions at Skills USA events. Evenings, he took welding classes at the local community college. Before he graduated from high school, numerous companies asked him to weld for them.
Aiden chose to serve his country by joining the U.S. Army. He is trained as a mechanic and is stationed in the state of New York. He recently extended his Army experience another four years and chose to move to Germany. He could have stayed in the United States, but he wanted a new experience.
Finding an experience in Germany that will top his Opening Day experience will be a challenge, but Sgt. Aiden Austin-King is always up for a good challenge.
Buy a Vowel Wins!
April 18, 2022
The team called “Buy a Vowel” won the Egg Toss Contest this year. Taylor and Taylar were the two players on the team.
The Egg Toss Contest is a Children’s Home tradition that is played shortly before the Easter holiday. There are two players per team. Each team tosses a raw egg back and forth as they step farther and farther apart. The team who is the last to break their egg is the winner.
There’s no joke about it, there’s plenty of yoke involved. Few people escape without all, or at least part, of a broken egg on their clothes or in their hair.
The highlight to the 2022 Egg Toss Contest was an egg falling on a staff members head at the end of the contest. Yoke streamed into her hair and down her face. She took it like a champ by joking, “I won’t have to use conditioner on my hair tonight.” Everyone had a good laugh.
Zoe's Boots
April 12, 2022
Zoe is a very busy girl who appreciates activities, having fun and a good pair of boots.
She is currently busy working on her 4-H woodworking project, preparing for the speech contest and participates in track. She just got done participating in her first cattle show. Part of showing a calf is being dressed properly. Zoe had a nice shirt, bling jeans and a bling belt, but did not have a pair of boots.
Todd, our Youth Director, took on the quest of shopping for a pair of boots with Zoe. It didn’t take long for her to find them.
She wanted to wear them daily, before the show, so they were comfortable in the ring. During the show, she tucked her jeans in her boots, so she could proudly display her new boots. Zoe was pleased with the results of her first cattle show and, of course, her new boots. Since the cattle show, almost daily, she wears her boots to school.
Progress Show
April 5, 2022
Progress shows were designed to acclimate calves and 4-H’ers to the show ring before the county fairs begin. For our 4-H Club, the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club, competition begins in Oakland, Nebraska at the Burt County Beef Progress Show – about 3 months before our first fair.
Calves were loaded before sunup. It’s only a 30-minute drive, but the calves needed to be washed, dried and given a final trim before 10am. Two of the girls had never shown calves before, so a little extra time was needed to acclimate them to the fairgrounds.
A little extra anxiety could be felt in the air when the order of show was announced over the loud speaker. The 4-H’ers handled it well and concentrated on their tasks at hand. The calves even handled the pressure well. Only one laid down in a pile of wood chips after being washed and dried.
It was a great experience for the 4-H Club and 4-H’ers. Nobody finished last and nobody finished first.
South Lot
April 4, 2022
With a homemade cart and plenty of work gloves, the boys helped clear logs from our South Lot expansion project. There were plenty of volunteers.
Upon completion, the project will offer more cover for livestock, a road leading to other lots and improve the look of the 4-H Farm.
Projects like this are a great learning tool for the 4-H’ers. Hopefully, they will learn that it is possible to have fun and work hard at the same time.
Artist
March 28, 2022
It was a pleasant surprise to discover that Cole is not only proficient at baseball and karate, but he is a good artist.
Cole plans on using his art talents in 4-H. He plans to have at least two art projects done by the beginning of the first fair in July.
Trying out for baseball and rejoining karate are on his list of things to do this spring.
Woodworking Projects
March 21, 2022
The 4-H’ers were excited to learn that woodworking would be offered as a 4-H project this summer. Night stands, jewelry boxes and treasure chests are some of the many choices of woodworking projects.
Some of the 4-H’ers started their woodworking project during afterschool activities. One of the favorite, but more challenging projects, is the treasure chest. The jewelry box project is a close second.
The first of our three fairs will start July 7th. By then, all of the 4-H’ers will be ready to compete for the Best of Show award.
Spring-like Weather
March 7, 2022
Cameron has been playing her flute overtime lately as a member of the Fremont High School Pep Band. The Fremont High School girls’ basketball team made it to the Nebraska State Girls’ Basketball Tournament. The Pep Band has played at all of their tournament games.
Playing her flute overtime is okay with Cameron, because she enjoys the camaraderie of the other band members and she enjoys playing the flute. She started playing it when she was in fifth grade.
Cameron hopes to continue her flute playing career next year.
Go Tigers!!
Spring-like Weather
March 7, 2022
It was good to get a taste of spring last week. The 70+ degree temperatures allowed the children to play outside and it made calving much easier.
Kicking footballs, playing catch with the baseball and playing with the dog were the activities of choice. It looks like we have a punter and a baseball pitcher to watch next season.
We added another calf to our small herd. He was born to a first-time mom who had a difficult time giving birth, because he was 30 pounds larger than normal. The 4-H’ers were at school when he was born, but he was the center of attention after school was dismissed.
Tiger
February 28, 2022
Tiger, our barn cat, earns his keep. He not only controls the rodent population, but he provides companionship to the 4-H’ers when they are at the barn.
He is quick to greet barn visitors, unless he is delayed coming down from his roost above the office. Pictured is Tiger using the built-in ladder to come down from his bachelor pad.
Over the years, Tiger has used a few of his nine lives. Close calls with vehicles, stray cats, protective cows and some wild animals to name a few. The veterinarian knows him well.
Whether he’s greeting visitors, cuddling with a 4-H’er or chasing mice, Tiger will always have a home in our barn.
Valentine's Day
February 21, 2022
Decades ago, a very gracious anonymous donor started supporting the Children’s Home’s Valentine’s Day Party. It always involves pizza and some type of a tournament – bowling or ping pong.
Ping pong was the tournament of choice this year. The three winners were Baleigh, Taylar and Draven.
Unfortunately, the anonymous donor passed away a few years ago. Fortunately, a gracious couple from Iowa wanted to start sponsoring the party immediately. The Valentine’s Day Party lives on.
State Medal
February 14, 2022
Hard work and dedication paid off for Cameron at the 2022 Nebraska State High School Powerlifting Meet. She earned a fourth place medal in the all-around competition and second in the bench press competition.
Cameron will reset her goals and she looks forward to powerlifting next year.
First Calf!
February 7, 2022
In an effort to decrease the cost of 4-H livestock projects, the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club started its own small herd of cows almost a decade ago. Calving is also a priceless experience for the children.
Livestock projects are a unique experience for the 4-H’ers at the Children’s Home. It’s not a weekend workshop project, it’s a project that can start as early as October and last until the first fair in July. Livestock projects teach patience and hard work.
We have five more cows that will give birth within the next few weeks. Purple Ribbon Club donations will complete the remainder of the livestock projects.
The angus cow, pictured above, found a pile of corn stalks and surprised everyone by giving birth, without assistance, a week before her due date. Within a couple of hours, the calf was standing and taking nourishment.
Purple Ribbon Club
January 31, 2022
Seventy year ago, 4-H livestock was given to the Children’s Home by Nebraska farmers and ranchers. As the number of farmers and ranchers decreased in Nebraska, so did the amount of 4-H livestock given to the Children’s Home.
About 30 years ago, a member of the Children’s Home’s Board of Directors came up with an idea to resolve this problem. A fundraising campaign would be developed for the purchase, feed and care of 4-H livestock. The fundraising campaign would be and still is called the Purple Ribbon Club.
Some people still donate livestock to the Children’s Home, but most people give a monetary donation that adds up to at least 30 4-H livestock projects each year.
The boys and girls in the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club are grateful to the members of the Purple Ribbon Club.
Masonic Home of Georgia
January 24, 2022
Four members of the Masonic Home of Georgia’s Board of Directors and their Director, flew to Nebraska to brainstorm with our Executive Committee and our Executive Director last week. Even though our campuses are a thousand miles apart, we have a lot in common.
We shared stories and tried to solve a few common problems. Staffing and covid to name a couple of the common problems. Stories of resilient children who are experiencing success during a pandemic, were plentiful.
Our Georgia visitors were treated to Nebraska strudel, chocolate and beef during their stay, but they didn’t have time for a Runza. Maybe next time.
Arwen
January 17, 2022
Arwen is one of two comfort dogs on the Children’s Home’s campus. She lives with the Executive Director Ron, and his family. She is commonly found with Ron when he is working or socializing on campus.
She is trained to comfort the children and staff, but she does dabble as a herding dog at the farm. Her on-the-job training at the farm has led to some close calls with a donkey, a protective cow and a bull. Fortunately, she is very quick for a large dog.
Shortly after Arwen’s photo was taken, Ron stepped on the jack that was located behind her – as you can see in the photo. After Ron stepped on the jack, her quickness was her benefit, again. She quickly got out of the way as Ron hopped on one foot and pulled the jack from the other foot.
Sailor
January 10, 2022
After a stellar 4-H career at the Children’s Home, Maddie is now a sailor in the US Navy. She graduated from 8 weeks of training at the Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes, Illinois last week. There were 1,088 sailors in her class.
It was an impressive 1.5-hour long graduation ceremony with a lot of marching, bands playing Navy songs and a high ranking inspirational guest speaker from the Navy. There weren’t many dry eyes when everyone sang Anchors Aweigh.
At the end of the ceremony, “Liberty call - liberty call - fall out!”, was announced. The crowd and the sailors were allowed to meet after 8 weeks apart.
Maddie’s next stop is career training and then off to her first assignment.
Fan Club
January 3, 2022
There’s conflict in Paden Cottage! No, it’s not over using all of the hot water or eating the last cookie. Heated words are being exchanged about the NFL Playoffs and the possible Super Bowl contenders.
Taylar’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, may have lost postseason home field advantage yesterday with a close loss. Jennifer’s team, the Green Bay Packers, marched to another victory yesterday. The Packers will also be in the playoffs. The chatter has already started.
It is quite possible that the Chiefs and the Packers will not be in the Super Bowl, but we know what one of the discussion topics will be at the dinner table for the next six weeks.
Thank you!
December 27, 2021
A sincere and loud thank you from the children for their Christmas gifts.
Once again, Santa’s little helpers: Nebraska Masons, members of the Eastern Star and other generous donors created a traditional Christmas experience at the Children’s Home.
We hope that you too, had a very Merry Christmas.
Towels
December 21, 2021
For decades, the youngsters at the Children’s Home have been given a personalized embroidered towel for Christmas. The members of OES Ruth Chapter, in North Bend, Nebraska have happily sponsored this project.
A former resident of the Children’s Home once stated that she still has her towels and remembers what color she received for each year. She was here for five Christmases.
We are thankful for the members of Ruth Chapter and the many other gracious donors that make a Merry Christmas for the children.
Cam Earns Powerlifting Award
December 6, 2021
Cam took third place in the girl’s bench press competition at the Creighton Prep Powerlifting Invitational.
Cam spent the first quarter of school learning how to powerlift and practicing in her physical education class at Fremont High School. Her powerlifting class ended in October. She spent two months practicing on her own until the first meet of the year at Creighton Prep.
In two months, Cam will participate in the Nebraska High School Powerlifting Meet. She has reset her goals and is looking forward to state competition.
Thanksgiving
November 29, 2021
Thanksgiving is a day to feast, socialize and teach traditional holiday customs at the Children’s Home. Each cottage is treated to a turkey dinner and enough side dishes to utilize the use of another hole in the belt.
Conversations generally consist of classmates at school, past Thanksgivings, football and the upcoming Christmas season.
Everyone seemed to have a good time and may have fit a nap in before or after some pumpkin pie.
Winter Preparation
November 22, 2021
Two-thirds of November is over and we are almost done getting ready for winter. The important parts are done – shovel distribution, purchasing winter gear, purchasing ice melt, connecting snow blades and moving livestock. We still have a few things left on the to-do list.
One of those things is pulling t-posts, so we have a place to pile snow. Pictured is Taylar. She is helping remove t-posts.
Sometimes an unpleasant rhyme helps a youth remember a life skill. Such a rhyme would be: Tackling the first snow storm is never fun, but with proper preparation, we will get the job done. The youth don’t like hearing the aforementioned rhyme any more than you liked reading it. Maybe it will stick in their memory better.
Tree Project
November 15, 2021
The boys and girls who are members of the Children’s Home’s Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club have many 4-H projects to choose from. 4-H’ers are guided to choose a well-rounded group of projects, so they can experience skills that they may use in their adult life or hobbies that they want to have fun with now.
The newest project to choose from is forestry. This project offers practical life-long knowledge and has career possibilities.
4-H’ers grow their own tree from a seed, identify trees by leaves and identify trees by bark. Unfortunately, nobody has developed a tree climbing contest.
Happy Trails
November 8, 2021
When children move into the Children’s Home they are asked about what career trail they want to take – even Middle School students. From there, goals are set and 4-H projects are planned to help them prepare for their adult life.
Typically, career trails change, so plans and projects need to be readjusted. We feel that it is healthy for the child to have ownership in their career search. The Children’s Home is in their corner when needs arise.
Lately, a majority of the Children’s Home’s graduates have chosen a career in skilled labor – such as welding, carpentry or cooking – or they join the Military.
Whatever career trail they elect to choose; we want them to have a happy adult life.
Pictured is McKenzie. She chose early childhood education as her career.
Jenna
November 1, 2021
Happy Memories
“I’ve never looked as forward to the future as much as I am now,” said Jenna while being interviewed about her scholastic awards. She earned four High Grade Point Average awards over the past year.
Jenna’s favorite classes in school are science related. She likes to learn new things, and science fulfills this want in her life.
She also likes a good challenge. Jenna has taken a number of Advanced Placement classes and has performed very well in those classes. Another challenge for her is her favorite 4-H project – livestock.
Jenna participated in the dairy and beef divisions last summer. She stated, “I loved working with my cattle and helping other people with their cattle.”
Her love of science, and of helping others, has led her to healthcare as her career choice. Currently, she doesn’t know what career in healthcare she wants to focus on, but I’m sure that she will be very helpful to those in need of her assistance.
Happy Memories
October 25, 2021
Happy Memories
LaVonne, a former resident at the Children’s Home, came back to visit and brought some pictures with her.
She has numerous stories about her life at the Children’s Home. Her fondest memories are her times at summer camp – unfortunately, we don’t have any pictures of her at camp, but we do have a photo of her riding a horse at the Children’s Home’s farm, as well as her senior picture.
About a decade ago, LaVonne and her deceased husband Richard, started a fund to financially support youth at the Children’s Home to attend summer camp. Their graciousness has created many happy memories for children who wanted to attend summer camp.
Halloween and Tree
October 18, 2021
Halloween Victory
The boys in Truman Cottage won the Halloween decorating contest.
Planning was their edge to success.
They were motivated by their passion to win and the prize of a meal at their favorite restaurant.
Tree Donation
The Rainbow Girls donated and planted a redbud tree to cap off their fall meeting.
Wildlife
October 13, 2021
The Children’s Home owns 80 acres inside the City limits of Fremont, Nebraska. Most of the property is devoted to pastures, so 4-H livestock have something to eat. The remaining parts of the campus consist of places to learn, live and play. Inside those areas are trees, the Rawhide Creek and wildlife.
Wildlife is a great learning tool for the 4-H’ers. Learning how to respect a wild animal’s habitat and comfort zone are two big takeaways for the 4-H’ers.
After the play, the cast forms a line down the hallway, outside the theater. It seemed to be a proud moment for Draven to see the audiences’ appreciation.
Wildlife 4-H projects have netted many 4-H awards at the fairs. Over the years, a few wildlife projects made it to the Nebraska State Fair and earned high marks.
Watching a mother duck take care of her ducklings might be the biggest learning event for the 4-H’ers.
High School Play
October 4, 2021
Draven didn’t have to wait until Halloween be a pirate. He played the part of a pirate last weekend in the high school play, Peter and the Starcatchers.
The cast had about a month to produce a play that had a lot of dialogue. They did a particularly good job delivering the humor that is involved with the play. It was a very impressive production and it was fun to see Draven in a different light.
After the play, the cast forms a line down the hallway, outside the theater. It seemed to be a proud moment for Draven to see the audiences’ appreciation.
Maybe if the school chooses to produce the musical Oklahoma, Draven could be the farmer. He has plenty of 4-H clothing to wear for the part.
Arrr, Matey! Have a nice day.
8th Grade Football
September 27, 2021
JQ is always up for a game in the park at the Children’s Home. Whether the game is baseball, basketball or football, JQ wants to be a part of it.
It came to nobody’s surprise when JQ wanted to play 8th grade football.
At his most recent home game, JQ played the position of safety on defense. A few minutes into the game, he made a touchdown saving tackle. He had a little extra bounce to his step as he walked back to the huddle. During the next set of plays, he made another touchdown saving tackle. After the tackle, he jumped into the air, ran back to the huddle and received rough congratulations from his teammates.
That was a game to remember for JQ.
Hay Bales
September 20, 2021
Loading and stacking hay bales is a true farm and/or ranch experience. A few of the members of the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club got to experience this agricultural rite of passage last week.
Completing a uniformed stack of hay bales gave the 4-H’ers a true sense of accomplishment. A treat from Dairy Queen, at the end of stacking, was their reward.
Our thanks to the folks who donated work gloves.
Rawhide Wranglers Results
September 9, 2021
The 4-H’ers did a great job this year. The Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club earned 420 awards this year. Not only did they produce a lot of projects, but they produced quality 4-H projects.
Of the 420 awards 18 went to the State Fair, 36 earned medals, 2 earned special recognition, 141 earned purple ribbons and 166 earned blue ribbons.
Projects for the 2022 season have already begun.
Hands-On Education
August 30, 2021
Not everything can be done on a computer. Physical strength, or at least some type of hand-on work, needs to be incorporated into most projects – particularly around the farm.
The 4-H’ers at the Children’s Home are taught to safely complete a task that involves physical labor and how to have fun while completing the task. Having fun while mucking stalls is easier said than done.
Our goal is to educate children about the balance of brain power and back power.
Former Linebackers
August 23, 2021
The middle linebackers from the last undefeated Fremont Middle School football team came back to visit a couple of weeks ago. To the Fremont High School football coaches dismay, both boys moved back with their parents after their 8th grade year in 2015.
Daniel and Reynaldo lived in the same cottage, had many of the same 4-H projects and played the same sports. They were and still are the best of friends.
Currently, they live in separate states and have different kinds of occupations, but they try to cross paths as much as possible
Daniel and Reynaldo were not only talented athletes and 4-H’ers, but they were also good students. Pictured, you will find them holding their high Grade Point Average trophies.
Driver's Education
August 16, 2021
All youth, who are in their Junior or Senior year of school, are required to participated in Driver’s Education classes if they live at the Children’s Home. This is one of many skills that youth will need when they enter their adult years of life.
They got a taste of driver’s education at the county fair. The Nebraska State Patrol had a presentation about the importance of using your seatbelt. This was a great educational experience for our soon-to-be drivers.
In addition to driver’s education, youth are taught many other skills that will benefit them for years to come. Cooking, home finances and home repair to name a few.
Dodge County Fair
August 9, 2021
The last load of cattle came back to campus from the county fair at 10pm last night. It was a successful and fun week at the fair.
There are numerous 4-H projects going to the Nebraska State Fair. Welding, career, electrical and woodworking to name a few.
School starts tomorrow. It’s another busy week at the Children’s Home.
Moving Into The County Fair
August 4, 2021
The Dodge County Fair is in Scribner, Nebraska, which is 20 miles from the Children’s Home in Fremont, Nebraska. In total, we will transport 6 trailers of equipment and livestock to the county fair this week. On Sunday, it will all need to come back to the home of the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club, which is at the Children’s Home.
It’s a lot of work, but we try to make it as fun as possible. All of the work pays dividends when it’s time to show livestock and other 4-H projects. It’s a great lesson for the 4-H’ers.
Stay tuned for the fair results next week!
4-H’er of the Year!
July 28, 2021
In addition to earning purple ribbons and medals at the 4-H Fair, Harley earn the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s 4-H’er of the Year Award at the 2021 Achievement Day celebration.
Harley’s proficiency in welding earned her a gold medal. Her Career in Law Enforcement project also earned a gold medal. She earned silver medals with her dairy, art and poem projects.
The combination of hard work, being a good leader and being passionate about her 4-H projects has lead Harley to being the 4-H’er of the Year.
Fremont Fair
July 12, 2021
The Rawhide Wrangler 4-H Club earned eleven gold medals and two silver medals at the Fremont 4-H Fair, aka Fremont Expo. 4-H’ers from 9 counties compete annually during the month of July. Even with a lot of quality competition, the Children’s Home’s 4-H Club did very well.
Woodworking, dairy, welding, electrical and cooking seemed to be the projects that earned the highest marks.
The 4-H’ers will learn from this fair and make adjustments for the Dodge County Fair.
Summer Camp!
July 5, 2021
A former Children’s Home resident, with great memories of summer camp, has been sponsoring summer camp activities for many years. She continues to this day.
Hiking, volleyball, zip lining, camp fire treats and swimming are some of the many summer camp activities that all of the children participate in. Swimming seems to be the favorite this year.
One girl, who is not from Nebraska, was relieved to know that there are no bears in Nebraska. She needed to know before she went hiking in the woods.
Fishing Derby
June 28, 2021
Great fun was had by all at the Children’s Home’s annual Fishing Derby. Everybody caught at least one fish and our college intern caught her first fish.
This event started with a group of Fremont Masons and members of the Rod and Gun Club in Fremont over 20 years ago.
As you can see in the photos, a few of our anglers are still leery of touching their prize catch.
Alex, McKenzie and Olivia were this year’s winners.
Woodworking
June 21, 2021
Woodworking is one of the favorite 4-H projects on campus. It’s a very rewarding way to spend time and learn a new skill, because the Rawhide Wrangler 4-H Club’s woodworking projects usually earn high awards at the fair.
The 4-H’ers only use electric tools for drilling holes and some sanding. Hand tools are used for the remainder of the projects
Hopefully, six or more woodworking projects will earn their way to the Nebraska State Fair this year.
Summer 4-H
June 7, 2021
The first week of Summer 4-H went without a hitch. The members of the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club worked on livestock, welding, electrical and woodworking projects. They even had time to help remove a broken tree limb.
Most of the 4-H’ers got a jump start on their projects during the school year. Sewing, speech and wildlife projects were some of the many projects that got done before summer started.
The 4-H’ers are looking forward to participating in the Fremont Expo and Dodge County fair this summer. The Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club’s Achievement Day is scheduled for July 24th. A few of the 4-H projects will earn their way into the Nebraska State Fair at the end of the summer.
New 4-H'ers at M–ESHC
May 31, 2021
The best time for a child to become a member of the Rawhide Wrangler 4-H Club is at the beginning of summer 4-H, which is tomorrow. In addition to our existing club members, we will have 6 new members. None of the new members have any experience in 4-H. None of them toured the Children’s Home with cowboy boots on, so they will be in for a different lifestyle. A lifestyle that they accepted after their tour.
Their summer will consist of learning about 4-H and working on their 4-H projects in the morning. Afternoons are dedicated to other activities that are usually not 4-H related.
Each new 4-H’er will receive a Welcome Kit. My thanks to those of you who participated in this project. It will be the icing on the cake for the new 4-H’ers.
Pictured are some examples of 4-H projects that the 4-H’ers will be working on.
Passing Grades
May 24, 2021
We are usually excited when students at the Children’s Home earn all passing grades, but with all of the challenges and distractions that the pandemic has given us, we are very excited to report that every student earned passing grades during the fourth quarter of school.
There were a couple of students who had to study hard and do well on their final exams to pass their classes. They studied hard, passed their finals and got the job done.
Pictured is Taylar who earned a trophy for having the highest Grade Point Average during the third quarter of school.
Graduate
May 17, 2021
The Rawhide Wrangler 2018 4-H’er of the Year Award winner, Maddie, graduated from high school last weekend. We are very proud of her accomplishments in school, band and 4-H.
She plans to study criminal justice with a forensic science endorsement.
Maddie has a fun personality and a great work ethic. This combination will open a lot of doors in her future endeavors.
Happy trails, Maddie!
Arbor Day
May 10, 2021
The Children’s Home likes to celebrate as many holidays as possible. Our latest celebration, Arbor Day, consisted of planting a tree by our newest cottage.
There was no cake and punch at the celebration, but we did talk about the history of Arbor Day and have the opportunity to plant a blue spruce.
The best part of the event was hearing two girls talk about seeing the tree, after graduating from high school, when they come back to visit.
There was also discussion on what the tree’s name is. Not heated, but lengthy discussion. The name of the tree is still undecided.
Prom!
May 3, 2021
Only Juniors and Seniors can participate in Prom at Fremont Senior High. This year, we only have two girls who are in that age group. We have a young group of boys.
Preparation started a few hours before dinner. Nails, hair, make-up and dresses had to be just right for the big night.
It was a traditional Prom Night of festivities which consisted of dinner, dance and post-prom. The night ended at 3am.
Farm Crew
April 26, 2021
There are always plenty of thing to fix at the farm or on the Children’s Home’s 80 acre campus. We have one maintenance man.
Many projects get done by other staff members and a crew of children. The children get paid cash and maybe a malt if they do a good job.
Working on the farm crew is a great learning event for the children and a good way to complete a maintenance project.
Spring!
April 12, 2021
Spring at the Children’s Home brings everything from an Easter egg toss competition to planting potatoes on Good Friday. Somewhere in there we finish calving, mend fences and have a traditional Easter meal.
Todd, our Youth Director, started the Easter egg toss competition. Youth toss an uncooked egg back and forth until the last one without yoke on their face is the winner. It’s a messy, but good time.
Planting potatoes on Good Friday is easy to remember and usually has the most success. Potatoes grown here are consumed by children and staff and used as 4-H projects.
The first five calves of the year were born with no problems. The last two, unfortunately, didn’t live. It was a tough experience for everyone.
Fixing fences is a chore that most people don’t like to do. Our 4-H’ers jump at the chance to help fix fences. For whatever reason, it’s usually a job that gets done in half a day.
Our motto of being a home away from home for the children here is something that we take very seriously. Some of the children will not have a chance to experience a traditional Easter meal, so we provide this experience for them.
After a long winter of scooping snow, spring was welcomed by all.
4-H Speech Contest
April 5, 2021
With safety precautions in place, 4-H’ers from the Children’s Home’s Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club participated in the Dodge County 4-H Speech Contest.
It took weeks of preparation and practice for the 4-H’ers to be ready to compete. Most of them talked about their favorite 4-H project.
Our 4-H Club continues with speech projects, because it builds organizational skills, public speaking skills and self-confidence. There’s also a feeling of satisfaction after completing a project.
Hopefully, the results of the speech contest will be ready for an upcoming blog.
Back to School
March 22, 2021
After three quarters of doing school online, students at the Children’s Home will be attending school during the fourth quarter. This is due to certain coronavirus objectives being met in the Fremont community and on our campus.
Coronavirus protocols had to be adjusted to accommodate for the new daily routine, so the children and staff can continue to have as safe of an environment as possible during a pandemic.
The students are happy to go back to school and get back into an almost normal routine
Wheeler Visit
March 15, 2021
A few months ago, Jean Wheeler called the Children’s Home and asked if she could schedule a tour during the month of March. Online, Jean shared photographs of her father, who lived at the Children’s Home during the Great Depression.
We scheduled the tour when the children were in school, so she could visit the campus and community where her father, Don, lived for nine years. Fortunately, Don lived at the Children’s Home at the same time as our former Board of Director’s President and former resident, Ched House. Ched loved to tell stories about his experiences at the Children’s Home.
The tour started with pictures of buildings that were frequented by the children in the 1930’s - the YMCA, the Union Pacific Depot and the Junior Boys Cottage, to name a few. The barn where they used to milk cows before school is still intact, so that was our first stop. The Senior Boys Cottage was our second stop. The cottage basement where dances were held was our third stop on campus. We then drove into the Fremont community and visited Don’s church, his probable fishing hole and his high school.
Jean remembers her father talking about how he liked his house mothers, the farm and the friends that he made on and off campus. His friends turned into lifelong friendships.
Don graduated from high school in 1939. He worked as a welder in Omaha, Nebraska until getting drafted into the Army in 1941. He served on an Army engineering/construction crew until WWII ended. His entire career was spent working for the Automobile Club in California. He met his wife in California and they had one child, Jean.
Rescued Goats
March 8, 2021
The Children’s Home is located in a town called Fremont, Nebraska. Fremont is located between two rivers called the Platte and Elkhorn. Both rivers are great for recreation and notorious for spring flooding. The spring of 2021 was no different.
Flooding occurred a little early this year due to an ice jam on the Platte River. The ice jam caused some lowland flooding adjacent to Platte. Flooding did not enter Fremont.
A concerned local Mason called the Children’s Home and asked if we would be willing to help rescue two goats who had a flooded yard. The owner of the goats was unable to help. We loaded the livestock crate into the truck, got our hip waders on and drove to and into the flood waters. No children were with us due to concern for their safety.
With the help of the local Mason and some concerned neighbors, the goats were loaded into the crate and taken to higher ground. Goats, Cookie and Willy, are warm and dry in their temporary location at the Children’s Home’s 4-H Farm.
It was almost a snag-free mission. After the goats were loaded, a soft spot was found in the flooded road and the truck transporting the goats got stuck. Forethought included loading a chain for such an occasion. Easy fix.
Pork Project
March 1, 2021
It’s always fun to find an old photo. While looking for a photo for a former resident I found this photo of a prize hog and a proud 4-H’er. I don’t know why the young man is shirtless.
The picture was not marked with a name. Please let me know if you recognize the 4-H’er.
Purple Ribbon Club
February 16, 2021
Raising livestock to show at fairs, and staying competitive, is an expensive game. It is a game that is well worth the effort, time and expense for the good of the 4-H’ers at the Children’s Home.
Decades ago, livestock was given to the Children’s Home by farmers and ranchers who were usually a part of the Masonic family. As time went on, farm machinery got bigger and farmers and ranchers got fewer. Livestock donations decreased at the same rate as farmers and ranchers.
Bonnie Brasel, who was a Children’s Home Board member, saw the decline and came up with an idea to keep the livestock projects going: The Purple Ribbon Club. The Purple Ribbon Club enables all donors, even those from metropolitan areas, to help purchase, feed and care for livestock that 4-H’ers raise at the Children’s Home.
Livestock projects help our 4-H’ers learn that hard work can help them earn a purple ribbon in life.
High GPA Awards
February 8, 2021
Baleigh
–1st Quarter High GPA Award. McKenzie – 2nd Quarter
High GPA Award 
Jenna – 2 High GPA Awards 
Tyler
– 2 GPA Awards
My Uncle Thorvald once told me in his very broken Danish-English accent, “when you make plans, plan on changing them”. I was in grade school and had planned on a fun activity upon visiting him. The day got moved around and the fun activity was not to be. It was a tough lesson to learn, but one that is still true to this day.
The children that live here did not plan on moving to the Children’s Home. Things happen in a family that is usually out of the control of the child. That is when they need a home away from home, such as the Children’s Home, until everything gets settled with their family.
Pictured are three children who have done more than accept that their life plans have changed – they have also excelled in school. Each won the High Grade Point Average Award in their cottage.
As you probably suspect, my Uncle Thorvald was a practical, no-nonsense man. He lived through World War I and his chosen profession was carpentry. He was not a man to explain why after telling me what to do or not to do.
He had a very plush green lawn where I liked to play with my shoes off. Upon my arrival at his house he told me to play in the grass with my shoes on. When he went inside I took my shoes off and played catch with his neighbor boy. I quickly found out that the other neighbor got a new dog that was not kept on a leash. Not a heel shot, but one that went between my toes. Another Thorvald lesson learned.
Dairy Queen
February 1, 2021
It was a pleasant surprise to find that the Children’s Home’s Holstein cow, named Dairy Queen, had a baby overnight last Sunday. The baby heifer is healthy, except for a tender front leg.
Dairy Queen was the second cow to give birth this year. There are eight more expectant mothers in our very small herd of cattle.
Calving is a great experience for the 4-H’ers and very economical for our 4-H Club.
Practice Makes Permanent
January 25, 2021
One of my favorite coaches was both my grade school basketball coach and my high school track coach. He was everything that you want in a coach. He was knowledgeable about what he was coaching, created a professional relationship with each player, knew how far to respectfully push each player, and he believed in repetition.
Coach verbally stressed, “practice makes perfect - practice makes permanent”. He reminded us of this as we practiced plays until everyone was perfect and muscle memory made it permanent. The same philosophy was coached in a high school track environment that lead his teams to win numerous state championships.
Repetition is mandatory when working with livestock. Practice is good for the 4-H’er and the animal. We have had to make some accommodations during the pandemic, but we strive to practice with the livestock five out of seven days – almost year round. Practice makes perfect – practice makes permanent.
Pictured is Harley working with her calf. It looks like she’s going to hold up a train with her bandana on, but the bandana is used in an effort to follow corona protocol, even at the barn.
Leftover Christmas Candy!
January 18, 2021
In addition to the candy in their Christmas stockings, each cottage was given a jar of candy by a group of gracious donors in Lincoln, Nebraska. It will last until the next wave of sugar around Valentine’s Day.
Fortunately, each child is given a “Welcome Box”, when they move in. The Welcome Box has many useful things inside some of which are a toothbrush, floss and toothpaste.
Click here to go to our Amazon Wish List of Welcome Kit items
Agriculture Technology Building
January 11, 2021
The possibility of a new Agriculture Technology Building is slowly becoming a reality. Working on 4-H projects in a central location will be a welcome convenience and add quality to each 4-H’ers learning environment.
The blueprint for the Ag. Tech Building is still on a piece of typing paper, but the vision is becoming clearer.
It is also possible that Fremont High School will want to use the facility during times when 4-H’ers will not be using it. This collaboration would benefit students from the community and the Children’s Home. Very unofficial at this point. Wishful thinking.
More to come on our blog as things transpire.
Thank You!
January 4, 2021
Our thanks to all of the Santa’s who made a pandemic year brighter for the youngsters at the Children’s Home.
Santa put forth extra effort this year by leaving a little something for each child, each morning, during the month of December.
Presents were opened after an especially large breakfast. Children were also treated to a traditional turkey dinner.
The spirit of Christmas was present at the Children’s Home.
First Snowman
December 21, 2020
The award, if there was one, goes to the girls in Paden Cottage for building the first snowman on campus for the winter of 2020-21.
The girls named him Little Nick. The girls intend him to be one of Santa’s elves – thus the name.
If you look closely, Little Nick has a scowl on his face. He just found out that the Husker football team will need to wait until next year, hopefully, to experience a winning season.
Also pictured are the girls of Veazie Cottage. They are sporting their Christmas gift from the members of the O.E.S. in North Bend, Nebraska. All of the children receive a bath towel with their name sewn on it. The members in North Bend have been giving the children towels for decades.
Daily Gifts
December 14, 2020
Starting on the first day of December and lasting until the day presents under the tree are opened, Santa has made sure that each boy and girl at the Children’s Home had a gift waiting for them at their study hall desk. Gifts ranged from a candy bar to a scooter.
This is not common procedure by the gift giving man. Other years, gifts from Santa and other gracious donors are opened at one time. As all of us know, the year 2020 has been and still is a challenging year. It has challenged everyone’s morale.
This tiny gesture to show the children that someone cares enough to give them a daily gift to enlighten their day, has been enough to raise their spirit.
Thank you, Santa and all of the other gracious donors/elves that helped him.
Pictured is McKenzie. She lined up her gummy bears before homework began.
4-H Projects
December 7, 2020
As I’ve mentioned before, the Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club is much more than a summer livestock 4-H Club, it’s a year ‘round 4-H Club. Off-season 4-H is designed to teach life skills, hobbies, vocational skills and how to be a good neighbor.
Baking, gardening and first aid are a few of the many life skills that the Rawhide Wranglers learn about.
Hobby projects are a choice by each 4-H’er. Some 4-H’ers choose to build a rocket while others learn about the outdoors – such as the young man in the attached photos. Woodworking is a hobby project that all Rawhide Wranglers partake in.
Rawhide Wranglers get a taste of a few different hands-on vocations such as welding, electrical and carpentry. We hope to have a new centralized location someday to make the learning environment more efficient. Everyone does a career project, so they can learn about their possible career choice.
Last, but not least, is reminding and/or teaching the 4-H’ers how to be a good citizen. Volunteering in the community, respecting others and learning appropriate social skills are a big part of being in a 4-H Club.
The Rawhide Wranglers 4-H Club earned the Nebraska 4-H Club of Excellence award this year. This award is granted to well-rounded 4-H Clubs.
Christmas 1964
November 30, 2020
Every once in a while a picture surfaces that is fitting for the season. The cancellation of a few meetings during the pandemic has given me time to clean my office. While cleaning, this picture of four children that lived in the Children’s Home in 1964 caught my eye, so I thought it timely to share it with others.
A few years ago, when I first saw the picture, I thought the older children were staff members. After contacting someone who lived at the Children’s Home in the 1960’s, I discovered that they were in high school. Probably best that I’m not a bartender.
The boy with the firetruck lives in Fremont and does contract work for the Children’s Home. The high school girl was found by an interesting coincidence a few months after the photo was found. In 2015, she lived in California and came to Nebraska to visit friends
Sandy, the high school girl in the photo, recalls many fond memories of the Children’s Home, but some of the best were the memories of Christmas. Talking about the Christmas décor, meals and gifts brought a smile upon her face.
Ice Storm
November 16, 2020
Between wind storms and ice storms, we shouldn’t have to trim many trees this year. The recipe of rain followed by freezing temperatures in Fremont, Nebraska, produced significant damage on the Children’s Home’s collection of trees.
Fortunately, the only building damaged was the donkey shed. A tree limb went through the roof. Some of our retired neighbors asked if the donkeys could stay at pasture another month. The pasture is adjacent to the neighbors and away from the damaged shed. Thankfully the donkeys were out to pasture and uninjured.
Pictured is a calf that took the liberty of eating a few icicles after the storm. Teresa Giesselmann’s keen eye for a good picture produced this result.
Halloween Party
November 9, 2020
Everyone had a great time at their Halloween Party. The children watched a few spooky movies, played some traditional Halloween games and had plenty of treats, thanks to some very gracious donors.
Due to the corona, it was not a traditional Halloween Party. We usually go to a corn maze, roast marshmallows on an open fire, watch a few scary movies and eat candy. We can get back into the swing of things in 2021. For now, we will be happy with a Corona Halloween Party.
Christmas Postcard
November 3, 2020
Harley was the proud winner of the 2020 Christmas Postcard Contest. Her combination of a Christmas tree, cow and candy canes covered most of the bases on the Children’s Home’s campus.
The three items are probably on Harley’s top 10 favorite list too. She is front and center when Christmas trees need to be decorated, her 4-H Beef projects are always contenders and, like most kids, she won’t be passing up the candy.
Woodworking/Art Project
October 26, 2020
Isiah has been diligently working on his shop project for the past few months. The project combines two of his best talents – woodworking and art. When finished, his craftsmanship will have produced a Swiss chair called a sabine.
The chair is portable, so it is designed to breakdown. This means that Isiah needed to make very precise edges and holes. The woodworking segment of the project is finished. He is now working on the art. Isiah seems to be handling his nerves well, because he knows that if he makes a mistake during the painting process, it will affect his final plans for the project.
Isiah plans to have the project done before Christmas. I’m sure we will have a photo of his finished product in December. Until then, please wish Isiah a steady hand.
Halloween Decorating Contest
October 12, 2020
The boys in Truman Cottage won the 2020 Halloween Decorating Contest! The girls in Paden Cottage were a close second.
A few years ago, a local Haunted Halloween trail went out of business and donated their decorations to the Children’s Home. They have been a welcome part of our Octobers ever since.
The boys might have won the contest, but everyone was a winner, because everyone had a good time decorating their cottage.
Beam Me Up!
October 12, 2020
During one of the storms last summer, a part of the office’s pergola was damaged. Of the damaged parts a beam had to be replaced. Fortunately, the woodworking class stepped up and volunteered to prepare the beam for replacement.
Pictured is Tyler who is working on the beveled end of the beam. The class will cut it to the correct length, prime and paint it, so it will be ready to hold up the 2x6 boards that make up the top of the pergola for another 50 years.
This was a practical project that will be a positive memory for the woodworking class. When they come back to visit for their 25th Reunion, they can look above the front office door and say that they helped replace the beam. I’m sure that there will be a few autographs on the beam to prove their statement.
A few of you might recognize the woodworking shop. It used to be the O.E.S. state office. They moved to Lincoln and we repurposed the building into technology shops. The technology building is very popular, but getting a little tight. We would like to build a larger building in the near future.
Drawing Contest
October 5, 2020
With the new Agriculture Technology Center on the horizon, much of what goes into the mind of the planners is safety, affordability and practical use. How does a child view such a project?
M-ESHC’s Board President, Leona Paden, suggested that we put a sign in front of our flattened out pile of dirt that will be the foundation of the new building. We went a step farther by adding a drawing of the building, by one of the 4-H’ers, onto the sign. Kenzie was the big winner of the drawing contest.
Fun at the Farm in the Fall
September 28, 2020
Putting a halter on a calf’s head seems easier than it is. Most of the calves are still skittish around people, so having someone put a rope type object around their face can be a challenge. Patience and perseverance usually prevail. This is a great experience for our 4-H’ers. For many of them, the barn is their favorite building on campus, even when their calf makes them think they are in a rodeo instead of a fair.
Masonic Charities Golf Tournament
September 21, 2020
There was a record number of golfers at the 2020 Masonic Charities Golf Tournament. Perfect weather and steaks done just right made for a great day at the North Bend Golf Course.
The Children’s Home receives part of the proceeds from the golf tournament. Those funds will be used in the Grand Lodge Game Room at the Children’s Home.
Our thanks to the golfers, sponsors and volunteers. A special thanks to Craig and Steve for grilling brats and steaks all day. This is their 12th year of grilling at the golf tournament.
Kentucky Derby!
September 14, 2020
It was a big day at Paden Cottage. They put their sewing and creative skills to work, so they could watch the Kentucky Derby in style.
Sorry – no mint juleps or gambling on campus.
4-H Champions!
August 31, 2020
Five 4-H’ers earned Championship status at the Dodge County Fair
Projects: two woodworking, one baking, a career poster and a safety poster.
Quilts and Cows!
August 24, 2020
Sharlene saw that Ethan, aka Batman, was a huge Batman fan. She made a quilt with a Batman theme and gave it to him as a high school graduation present. He was very excited to get it shortly before joining the Military.
Our last calf of the year was born on August 23, 2020. Rumor has it that the Holstein/Angus might get the name Michelle Jordan – after the famous basketball player Michael Jordan. Michael wore the number 23 and Michelle was born on the 23rd.
Grand Lodge of Iowa Tree Damage
August 18, 2020
In Cedar Rapids clearing fallen trees from the Grand Lodge of Iowa's Masonic library and museum after the storm went though the state.
Iowa masons were very gracious to the Children's Home after the 2019 flood. It's the neighborly thing to do.
Tree Damage
August 17, 2020
Todd, the Children’s Home’s Youth Director, pitched in to help clear the campus of 3 downed trees and 8 large branches that were damaged in two separate wind storms. Todd has a lot of experience pitching in. He was a professional baseball pitcher in Europe before coming to the Children’s Home.
Koda Finishes Basic Training
August 3, 2020
Koda and TJ completed basic training for comfort dogs and their handlers.
Because of the pandemic, some of the training had to be Zoomed. Koda and TJ stayed focused, did their homework and passed their test.
Even after the training that stresses discipline, Koda has a lot of puppy in him. He needs puppy energy to keep up with the children. Koda also has a knack of spotting a child who needs some cuddle time.
Koda and TJ make a good team. Together they made it through basic training and together they will give the children something that only a pup can provide – a lot of fun, unconditional love and a touch of comfort.
Lonely Walter
July 27, 2020
Walter, our miniature donkey, will miss seeing the members of the Rawhide Wrangler 4-H Club. The 4-H’ers will be putting the finishing touches on their 4-H projects, so they can take them to the Dodge County Fair.
Baking, sewing, woodworking and career projects are some of the many projects that will be in competition at the fair.
The 4-H’ers are hopeful that their projects are chosen to go to the Nebraska State Fair.
Project photos will be posted once the results from the fair are in.
Welcome Back!
July 19, 2020
It has been a strange and not-so-fun year so far. But these signs at our entrance sure bring some hope!
The first wave of youngsters moved back July 15. The rest will trickle in before school starts in August.
A small number arrived on the 15th, and although there are a lot of policies and procedures that need to be followed, we are hoping this is the beginning of a sense of normalcy.
4-H During a Pandemic
July 3, 2020
The county fair is going to happen in Dodge County, Nebraska!! It will be a modified version, because of coronavirus concerns. Whether it’s a normal fair or a modified version, the Children’s Home’s Rawhide Wrangler 4-H’ers will be able to enter their projects into a competition. The hopeful fruits of their labors will exist during a pandemic.
Since the beginning of March, children have been working on their 4-H projects and Basic Agriculture Technology classes online. Most of the 4-H’ers have completed their automotive (modified), career, baking, art and fishing (modified) projects. They will have up to 18 online projects to complete by the end of the summer.
Beef projects will also be extremely modified this summer. In the middle of June, we have a Calf Draft on our Facebook site. The Calf Draft generated a lot of attention from current and former Rawhide Wrangler 4-H Club members and many other interested parties. The Calf Draft was a fun way to keep our 4-H’ers interested and a way to keep things partially normal for them.
Lightning might strike me for saying this, but the pandemic has served as a positive learning event for our 4-H’ers and the staff. It has taken the ability to problem solve to a new level. After a little bit of postage and a few ingredients, who would have thought that microwaved rice crispy bars could have been taught via Zoom.
I’ll leave you with an analogy from the original Rocky movie. This stage of the coronavirus is like Rocky between the 14th and 15th rounds. Rocky’s eyes were swollen shut from getting pummeled by his opponent, but he wanted to keep fighting. He asked Mick, his trainer, to cut his eyelids open. Our 4-H’ers and our communities are like Rocky between the 14th and 15th rounds. Nobody wants to throw in the towel. We want to keep fighting and learning through methods that most people wouldn’t have imagined.