Mid-Year Check-up

 

The year is half over, and what a year it has been! Texas AgriLife Extension has brought many quality programs, workshops, trainings, and events to Hopkins County. The motto is "Improving Lives, Improving Texas", and our mission is "To improve the lives of people, businesses, and communities across Texas and beyond through high quality, relevant education". Extension's vision is "To be the premier outreach and education organization in Texas responding to the needs of the people".

That's a pretty tall order, but time after time, we have received very positive feedback, words of appreciation, and affirmation that lives have been improved through our efforts. As your Family & Consumer Sciences Extension Agent, here are a few highlights of the first half of 2012:

• · Completed Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative with Travis Elementary School - School received $10,000 to use toward installing a walking track, new playground equipment, new gym equipment, Zumba training certification and classes, and installation of a greenhouse.
• · Diabetes education: "Cooking Well with Diabetes" 4-lesson series; "Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes" lesson for Wood County clientele; two one-shot diabetes programs; numerous one-on-one consultations
• · Better Living for Texans monthly nutrition programs for parents at Early Childhood Learning Center
• · Implementation of "Brown Bag Lunch Bunch", a weekly nutrition/physical activity program at the ROC (currently taking a summer break)
• · Two Health Fairs, exhibiting nutrition and diabetes-related topics
• · Twogether in Texas marriage education workshops
• · Parenting education series
• · Served on steering committee to plan and implement the East Region Family & consumer Sciences Professional Development Conference
• · Currently serving on: School Health Advisory Committee, Community Health/Wellness Alliance, Sulphur Springs Resource Group, Hopkins County Marketers Association, Kids' Safe Saturday Board, Head Start Advisory Committee, Hopkins County Fall Festival Board, Hopkins County Dairy Festival Board
• · Newsletters: "Volunteer Connections" (for Master Wellness Volunteers); 4-H Gazette (for 4-H members and families); Better Living for Texans Nutrition newsletter
• · Regional Childcare Conference (150 attendance)
• · Kids' Safe Saturday Sun Safety exhibit (reached 600+)
• · Kids Cook at the Market implementation
• · Transforming North Texas initiative to promote consumption of fruits and vegetables - on-going
• · Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative promotion and support to Hopkins County schools (to be implemented fall, 2012)
• · Implementation of Kids' Camp: Fun, Food, Fitness 4-week summer camp (reminder to parents whose children are registered- the final week starts Monday, July 16)
• · 4-H: clothing projects, foods projects, public speaking/educational presentations, photography, robotics, County 4-H Council, county and district contests, 4-H FCS coalition
• · Multi-county 4-H camp preparations; 4-H Day camp preparations

 

 

 

 

 

• · Hopkins County Dairy Festival Dairy Foods contest implementation and assistance with Balloon Rally
• · "Book Cooks" programs for students (reached 140 students)
• · Collaborations with Hopkins FCS Committee, Extension Leadership Advisory Board/Youth Board, Master Wellness Volunteers, 4-H leaders, and episodic volunteers to plan and implement events and programs
• · Multi-county FCS committee: planned Regional Diabetes Conference and Celebrating Women conference, currently preparing for "Dinner Tonight" cooking school, scheduled for October 30, 2012

The list could continue, but I hope this gives you an overview of the multi-faceted involvement of Extension Family & Consumer Sciences in Hopkins County.

Enjoy the next six months of 2012 and be prepared for a long answer when you ask, "What's going on with Texas AgriLife Extension?"

Closing Thought

When you are going through a rough day, pause and give thanks that you have a God who loves you unconditionally.

Johanna Hicks, B.S., M.Ed.

Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Agent

Hopkins County

1200-B W. Houston

P.O. Box 518

Sulphur Springs, TX 75483

903-885-3443 - phone

903-439-4909 - fax

jshicks@ag.tamu.edu

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