Other News & Articles
75th Anniversary Historical ChallengeJan Scholl (PA) contributed this series of historical quiz questions, published in the 2009 Annual Session official program. We've provided answers too. Opportunities Available to Attend e-Commerce WebinarsThere are a number of e-Commerce webinars available for us to attend and for us to spread the word to our local economic development departments so they might also participate. Hope you give it a try! Get Involved — Join a Committee!It's time to sign up to serve on national committees for the 2010 membership year. Check them out and apply today! PILD Conference Update: April 26-28, 2010PILD is the single conference that helps you keep abreast of public issues that impact your communities and affect Extension programming at the Federal and local levels. NEAFCS offers twenty-five $150 scholarships to the conference. Dr. Anna Mae Kobbe Recognized as the 2009 Friend of NEAFCSThis year's honoree is well known for her work in the Land-Grant University System. A member of NEAFCS throughout her career, NEAFCS thanks Dr. Kobbe for her years of service to the organization and the profession. Award Winners — Publicize Your Accomplishments!Congratulations to all of the 2009 national award winners! Be sure to share your accomplishments with your local media using the Awards news release on the NEAFCS website. States Step Up to the "$75 for our 75th" Endowment ChallengeThank you, to all donors! Every donation makes a difference – we appreciate everyone who has stepped up to the 75th Challenge and encourage others to become a contributor. There is still time in 2009 to meet the 75th Challenge – we offer some ideas on how you can do it. Thank You, from Judith Breland"Thank you very much; Thank you very much - that's the nicest thing that anyone ever did for me." An Afternoon with Southern Living MagazineThe afternoon was one of the highlights of the 2009 Annual Session. "The South is like no other place . . . ." If you didn't get to come to Birmingham, ya'll come see us some other time. Southern Region ReportAn update on Southern Region members and activities during, and since, Annual Session. Meet Your Board MemberI would like to introduce myself to my fellow NEAFCS members, since I will be serving as the Central Region Director. |
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President's Message
Dear Members, When I was elected Vice President of Professional Development at the 2006 Annual Session in Denver, little did I know that two years later I would be elected to work with all of you as your 61st President – thank you! I am humbled by the opportunity and by the challenges and changes that we will work on together to keep NEAFCS vibrant. The Alabama Affiliate members, administrators, spouses, and AHCL volunteers had as one of their goals to show our members Southern hospitability at the 2009 Annual Session in Birmingham – and they did! From the hospitality tables – with all the goodies like sweet potato pie, sweet potato muffin tops, apples and peanuts – to the Welcome Event at Tannehill Historic Ironworks State Park; to the In-Depth Sessions showcasing the Birmingham area, an Afternoon with Southern Living Magazine and the special Friendship Event. To each and every one of you – your hard work is greatly appreciated and you created a grand Annual Session. We thank you! The 75th Anniversary Committee, chaired by Patricia Powley and supported by a hard working committee and historian Cheryl Jones Syracuse, made sure that no member attending would forget that this was our 75th Anniversary. We had information and quizzes in our Annual Session program book, 75th Anniversary presentations at General Sessions, a "Diamond Room" showcasing member and association memorabilia, and cloth napkins embroidered with the anniversary logo given as a commemorative gift at our Friendship event and 75th Anniversary Party at the historic Alabama Theatre. While at the theatre, Cecil Whitmeyer, resident organist, entertained us with music and sound effects to the silent films of home economics agents while Jan Scholl narrated. Another highlight to the evening was the Sacred Harp Singers with their incredible voices. Visit the 75th Anniversary web page to see photos of these activities and venues. A special highlight for all of us was the Wednesday morning General Session in which we had the opportunity to meet the candidates and learn about relevancy from Dr. Marshall Stewart, Associate Director, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, as he presented "Visibility and Impact." You will be hearing more about these subjects throughout the year from your President-Elect, Marsha Lockard and me. Details were presented about our book project, Living Well: More Than a Cookbook. The purpose of this book is to generate funds for NEAFCS and our Affiliates, as well as to market Extension FCS to our Federal partners, clients and others. Thanks so much to the hard working committee chaired by our Immediate Past Treasurer, Debra Cotterill. At this writing, the book is already on the press and advance orders are nearly 25% of the entire print run – very exciting! For more information and order forms, visit the Living Well Book web page. Pledges and donations to the NEAFCS Endowment Campaign during the 2009 Annual Session pushed the total to over $135,000 in cash and pledges. When we set our goal of $300,000 by our 75th Anniversary, we had no idea that the economy would take a nose dive. We will continue beyond 2009 to work on fulfilling the Endowment opportunity. There is still time for you to be a special part by giving at least $75 in the remaining part of our 75th year. If you have any questions about the NEAFCS Endowment Campaign or would like to make a pledge or contribution, please visit our web site, print out the form and mail to the national office. Past President Judith Breland, known to many of you as "Miss Judy", chose her worthy cause as the United Way Community Food Bank, (United Way of Central Alabama). Thanks to Carol S. Miller of Ohio for asking about the cause at the Annual Business Meeting, a helpful reminder. NEAFCS members contributed $1,075; thank you, members, for your generous donation. We also thank Miss Judy for her gift at the Awards Banquet of the commemorative anniversary lapel pins; they are lovely. A grand highlight of the week was the Awards Banquet, where our Distinguished Service, Continued Excellence, Communications and other sponsored award and fellowship winners were recognized. The Awards Committee made many changes to assist in working with the Board on fiscal responsibility and this was greatly appreciated. Please make sure to visit the website to read and print the Awards booklet. 
At the Awards Banquet, your past officers were recognized for their leadership and the new officers were sworn in. The close to our 75th celebration included special cakes on each table as part of the 75th Anniversary Surprise; our Executive Director, Dave Beebe carried a cake lit with sparklers into the ballroom. We commemorated the occasion and brought the anniversary celebration to a close by raising our flutes of sparkling grape juice in a toast: "Here is to our rich heritage and celebrating the accomplishments of our past. Here is to the present, the work we do and the quality of lives that are improved. And most importantly to the future and the many opportunities that will be provided through the vision, dedication and hard work of NEAFCS members." The quick and easy-to-use online membership renewal form for 2010 is up and the Affiliate Treasurers are already communicating with you about renewing your affiliate and national memberships. My theme for all of you this year is "Invest in Your Self." Next month, I will share our five major goals. Until then, travel safely, be good to yourself and make the most of every day. Cheers! Mary Ann
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About the eNEAFCS NewsletterIf you are having trouble accessing the links contained in this newsletter or want to look at past issues of this electronic publication, visit the Newsletter Archives at: enews.asp. eNEAFCS is published monthly by the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences. www.neafcs.org, 972-371-2570. The copy deadline for articles, calendar items and announcements for the eNEAFCS newsletter is the first Friday of each month. All submissions must be made electronically to: enews@neafcs.org. Printer Friendly - Click here to view the entire newsletter with all articles. eNEAFCS is edited by Kathleen Olson, NEAFCS Secretary and Dave Beebe, Executive Director. |
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