2010 Master Wellness Volunteers Ready for Action     

Another Column on Diabetes
by: Johanna Hicks
Hopkins County AgriLife Extension Agent    

Texas AgriLife Extension in Hopkins County is involved in every aspect of life - Family & Consumer Sciences, Agriculture/Natural Resources, 4-H & Youth Development, and Community Development.  Recently, five individuals received training as part of the Master Wellness Volunteer program as part of the Family & Consumer Sciences area.  They received training on Walk Across Texas, Better Living for Texans, Reaching Diverse Audiences, MyPyramid, Portion Distortion, Phyte for Good Health, Understanding Dates on Food Labels, Keeping Food Safe, Packing a Safe & Healthy School Lunch, Cooking Foods Safely Outdoors, Staying Healthy-Living Longer, Finding Reliable Resources on the Web, Exercise Basics, Skin Cancer, Understanding Your Blood Pressure, Medication Management, Coloring Our Children's Plates with Fruits & Vegetables, Child's Play: Better Health One Step at a Time, and Public Speaking: How to effectively Convey your Message.  Whew!  That's a lot of information, but this group of individuals rose to the challenge!     

As Master Wellness Volunteers, they have agreed to give 40 hours of volunteer service to the community.  These include, but are not limited to: assisting with health fairs, presenting programs, work-site wellness programs, assisting with registration at various programs, serving as judges or volunteers for 4-H foods events, tray preparation for Cooking Well with Diabetes, preparing goody bags, making phone calls, assembling packets/notebooks for programs, assisting with Extension exhibits at the Farmers' Market, serving on committees, assisting at Kids' Safe Saturday and Fall Festival, data entry, and many other opportunities.  Upon completion of 40 hours of service, the volunteers are certified as Master Wellness Volunteers.     

In addition to the opportunities listed above, the Master Wellness Volunteers from Hopkins and Hunt counties meet quarterly for a professional development luncheon.  These luncheons provide the opportunity for volunteers from both counties to share projects in which they have been involved.      

Hopkins County currently has six certified volunteers: Linda Tanton, Laura Mitchell, Kim Assunto-Sellers, Rebecca Hopper, Nell Shipp, and Denise Deel (Denise shares her volunteer activities between Hunt and Hopkins Counties).  The newest trained volunteers are Doris Counts, Tracy Irby, Bernadette McKenzie, and Julie Walter.  One other individual attended three of the training sessions, but was unable to complete the course due to extenuating circumstances.  (Hope we can get you back next year, Stephanie!)      A couple of individuals have expressed interest in participating in the 2011 Master Wellness Volunteer training.  Dates will be available later this year, so if you, too, would like to be involved, stay posted!  In the meantime, call my office if you have questions.  

Sun & Heat Safety      Spring will soon be here, which means more and more people will be preparing gardens and spending time outdoors.  Two brochures are available at our office that you would find helpful.  These are "Play it Safe in the Sun", which addresses protecting your skin, and the other is "Avoiding and Treating Heat-Related Problems", which addresses heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke, how to prevent and treat them.  These publications are absolutely free, so come by and pick up your copy!  

Closing Thought Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed - Booker T. Washington  

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