2009 State Displays

At our Spring Meeting we had every member to vote on what they thought their counties would like for a major and a minor focus for the next two years.  Our members choose    Be Med Wise as our major focus for the next two years.  Our minor focus will be” Fit in 10” which will fit our project in Common   “NVON Let’s Take off.”  We hope we can have a measurable goal to report.

In our state we encourage counties and clubs to present project books.  These are books on a project    the county or club has worked on during the year.  This year we had a lot of interesting projects which included these;

*Sending packages to troops

*Back Packs filled with school supplies

*For Childrens Hospital…Blankets, booties, caps, and other baby needs

*For the nursing homes   …Lap robes, Walker bags, Bibs and other decorations for their rooms.

*Several counties helped with 4H projects

*A lot of money was raised for the needs of the counties, with yard sales, bake sales and lots of meals.

This is a few of the thing we have been busy with in the great state of ARKANSAS

The IAHCE Annual Conference was held March 3-5, 2009 in Springfield, IL with 394 attendees.  The theme this year was in honor of President Lincoln’s 200^th birthday.  The opening luncheon entertainment was a portrayal of Mrs. Lincoln’s seamstress and friend, Elizabeth Keckley by Kathryn Harris.  She told of her time she spent with Mrs. Lincoln.  During the Wednesday luncheon, we were entertained by the Springfield High School “Seven and Senators” singers.  They had just returned from performing at the Lincoln Center in Washington, D.C.  The highlight of the banquet Wednesday evening was the music and wit of Ken Bradbury.  The share shops from topics such as Preserving Flowers, Lasagna Garden, Facts on Ethanol, Wind Power, Preserving Family History Material, Heart Healthy Seafood, and many other interesting topics held during the 2 days were enjoyed by all.  Of course, the Cultural Arts exhibit, Silent Auction, and the many vendors added the chance to look and shop. 

It was reported at the Conference that the members had volunteered 310,358 hours during 2008 to their community, church and HCE.  I know that figure would probably double if everyone reported the hours they have volunteered.  Volunteering is important part of our organization. The monetary value of $19.51 per hour set by the Illinois Extension makes the value of the volunteered hours-$6,055,084.58. 

Many of the counties service projects are listed below:   

For our children:  955 Linus Blankets, 100 handmade stocking caps/mittens, 4 large boxes of school supplies, 4 doll blankets, 114 book bags for pre-school,  and 20 blankets for children to be wrapped in when being removed from a home where Meth is made because their clothes must be left behind also.  They have given 30 Foster bags for children to put their belongings in when being removed from the home, 66 shoe boxes, 150 Toys for Tots collection, and 212 Teddy Bears given to emergency rooms.  One county provides 75 backpacks filled with food from the Food Bank.  These bags are then given to children who would not have any food during the weekend.  The children eagerly return the bags on Monday, ready to be refilled for the next weekend.   

For the military:  35 boxes of supplies; 15 crocheted lap quilts for veterans hospital; 500 neck coolers for military in Iraq;  389 helmet liners, 125 lap quilts for veterans hospital; 114 items of clothing for veterans home; 121 toiletries for veterans home. 

For the community:  18 chemotherapy fleece shawls; 30 walker bags to a nursing home, 10 colostomy bag holders; 17 turning blankets to a nursing home; 175 turbans for cancer patients; 20,773 postage stamps to disabled workers; 64 lap robes for nursing home; 62 night shirts for nursing home; 143 towels to animal shelters; 100 pies for HCE fundraiser, monetary gifts to 4-H campers, food banks, senior citizens centers, American Cancer Society, Meals on Wheels, and many other local charities.  

Since I have been president only a short time, I have been compiling reports from several HCE counties on the various activities they have completed.   What a joy it has been to see what different parts of Illinois have been doing to help others.  I know that next year I will receive information from even more of the counties to share with you as they all are great at volunteering. 

Since the fall of 2008 was Presidential election time, the importance of voting was also stressed. A local county clerk spoke at each of the fall meetings giving ways to register and methods available to vote in person and absentee. The election board and its functions were explained along with the need for and duties of workers in local precincts.

The Indiana Leadership, Education, and Development training program was offered for the third year at Home and Family Conference with forty-two students in the three sections. Ten participants completed the program and were awarded diplomas.

Educational lessons chosen and presented in each county were as varied as our membership. Several counties had lessons on Living Green with emphasis on conserving our resources. Disaster preparedness, health and nutrition, identity theft, communication, and storage lessons were popular. Many leisure arts lessons were also presented throughout the state.

Members participated in many Volunteer Community Support projects and give many dollars to their causes. Recipients of time, gifts and money include Riley Children's Hospital and Ronald McDonald Houses as statewide projects, and local hospitals, nursing homes, county and city police units, Habit for Humanity, food pantries, museums, shelters, schools, 4-H programs and activities and many other local charities.

Our international project, Habitat for Humanity in Haiti, was promoted with a video presentation at our spring district meetings and enough funds have been collected to build a small house in that country.

Many counties present college scholarships to high school graduates and make continuing education grants to their own members.

The First Books for Kids project continues with many children being given a copy of   the books read to Head Start classes.

In March of 2009, many FCS agents and KEHA members were present as the Governor of Kentucky declared the “Second Sunday” program to be observed in all counties.  The issue of healthy Kentuckians has become a greater part of our Health Education program. 

As of this coming year, we have a new emphasis for our International Program.  We have a KEHA Exchange Homemaker traveling with a group of KEHA members, FCS agents and others to Ghana in West Africa.  The International Education program is asking for support for a kindergarten school named “Kentucky Academy”.  It is in the home area of Dr. Kwaku Addo, Associate Dean of the Graduate School at UK and Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science. Dr. Addo and his wife are natives of Ghana and founders of the Kentucky Academy.

We are working on various ways to “Go Green” environmentally with our reports and newsletters for the future.    All State Educational chairmen are working on seriously shortening the questions asked regarding their program of work.  We probably can’t stop the information gathering, but we hope to use the information that we collect help us to remain current and continue to improve the lives of our members and our communities. 

Membership levels for any organization are always a concern.  I believe; no, I know, that the skills that I have learned in Extension Homemakers are things that can be so useful in the economic down turn in our current world crisis.  We are gaining members, but we are losing a generation of charter members of KEHA in alarming numbers.  If we remain strong in our goals and continue our programs and consumer based information sharing, we will again show growth in numbers.   

We have supported Farmers Markets, Water Quality Changes and Camp Courageous for Kids in Scott County with hand-made quilts and coverlets. We participate in the NVON “Project–in-Common” through “It’s My Very Own-Bags of Love” with chapters across the state for foster care children.  Most counties provided handmade Christmas ornaments for the Kentucky History Museum in Frankfort, KY.  We have Quilt patterns on barns all across the commonwealth, we continue to support the 4-H program “Backpacks for Hunger”, we raised thousands of dollars for scholarships in all communities. There’s not enough space to list everything we do.  

Saving this for last is the frosting on this year’s report, we have passed the $1,000,000 mark in donation to Ovarian Cancer Research.  With the amount raise beyond the one Million we have a great start toward raising the second million.

The new structure replaced its Executive Board with a Leadership Team.. The Leadership Team is made up of a president, president- elect, past president and six vice presidents.  Each of the six district presidents serve as state vice presidents. In addition to their district level duties each vice president accepted responsibilities on the state level in one of the following areas: Records, Finance, Public Relations, Reports & Recognitions, Membership and Community Service. 

Although the structure changed, the mission remains the same. The mission is to strengthen families and communities through Leadership development, Volunteerism networks, Educational Support and Research based information from N C State University and A & T State University. 

Services were provided to North Carolina citizens ranging in age from preschool to senior citizens. Services were provided to cancer patients, nursing home patients,Salvation Army, school children and displaced and special needs children. Projects such as The Samaritan's Purse, Support Our Troops and The Red Cross had international impact.  ECA members were also encouraged to retain and teach our heritage skills to the youth.

Other Firsts for NCECA were the election of its first African American State President and voting to establish an NCECA Foundation. 

NCECA believes that it is the little things that create differences, that in the big things of life we are at one. It will continue to strive to be a viable force in improving the quality of life for the citizens of North Carolina and the world.

Another new program was created for 2009 with broad input from West Virginia University Extension faculty and CEOS leaders.  This was the Health Motivator Program for people aged 50 plus to help them achieve a healthier lifestyle by incorporating more physical activity into their lives.   

Approximately 300 Health Motivitators members were selected by their CEOS Clubs.  They were trained in using the new curriculum and leading club members.  Health Motivators used the leader’s guide to share talking points and lead a quick activity at each month’s club meeting.  The leaders guide gives a Health Motivator talking points and a quick activity that is done at each months meeting.  The members fill out their health Motivator Calendars through out the month and reported hours exercised at the following months meeting. The calendar also has tips for each month.  This program has been very successful.   

For the year 2010, we are working on another NVON Project In common by focusing on walking.  A six week walking challenge will be incorporated into the Health Motivator Program encourage clubs to form walking partners and increase members physical activity time.  Members will record daily minutes/steps.  I believe if the members walk for six weeks they will continue to do so thus giving me the facts needed for the NVON Project in Common “Lets Take Off.”   

If any States are interested, I have a few 2009 Health Motivators packets I would be delighted to give you. 

Out literacy program “Wisconsin Bookworms™ continues to thrive. 44,472  books have been ordered for the next school year.  We are in our 11^th year and have reached 52,525 children.  HCE members are finding new and unique ways of raising money to fund the program in their county raising over thousands of dollars each year.  Our Wisconsin Bookworms™ program is designed to provide free books to children who may not otherwise own books; giving them the experience of being read to and helping preschool children gain a lifelong love of reading.   We have a close working partnership with UW - Wisconsin Extension, Wisconsin Public Television and us – WAHCE. 

Our International Chair keeps us in close contact with our Sisters in Nicaragua. Contributions continue to pour in.  In fact, one county (Manitowoc Co.) has delivered 31 sewing machines and 14 boxes of sewing supplies plus several hundred yards of fabric to the collection center for shipment to Nicaragua sewing centers – and that is just one county. 

We did raise enough money to pay for a well in Tanzania and payment was sent in at the end of the year.  

Our Family Life Chair and Committee are working hard to provide programs suitable for

the traditional and non-traditional family, and to bridge the gap between generations. 

We continue to focus on our Mission Statement: 

                . HCE offers opportunities for Learning in a Social Setting

                . Sharing What We Learn

                . Caring to make a Difference in our Homes, Communities, and the World.