eNEAFCS-March 2019
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March 2019

Table of Contents

President's Message 

NEAFCS 2019 Annual Session Keynote Speakers

Springtime greetings from the Silent Auction Team

Challenge! Opportunity! Leadership!

JCEP Extension Leadership Conference - NEAFCS Affiliate Meeting Report

The Journal of NEAFCS wants to hear from you!

NEAFCS Awards and Recognition: A Part of Our History Since 1944

Committees are Hard at Work for your Professional Development!

Reaching Unfamiliar Audiences

Public Affairs Update

Western Region Highlights

Eastern Region Highlights

Sweet Adventure During the Welcome Event

Meet the Executive Board - Vice President for Professional Development


Important Dates

NEAFCS 2019 Awards System
Deadline is March 15, 2019

NEAFCS Webinar: Birds, Bugs, and the Benefits of Collaboration in Supporting Children’s Sense of Wonder through Nature
April 10, 2019

PILD Conference
April 14-17, 2019
Arlington, VA

Nat'l Urban Extension Conference
May 20-23, 2019
Seattle, WA

NEAFCS 2019 Annual Session
Sept. 30 - Oct. 3, 2019
Hershey, PA

NEAFCS 2020 Annual Session
September 14-17, 2020
Snowbird Resort, UT


Home Baking Association
2019 Educator Award

March 31, 2019 Deadline

Click here for details and to submit

Additional Resources 

President's Message - Telling the Family and Consumer Sciences Story
Karen Munden (VA), President 

A Big Thank You goes out to everyone who contributed to the 329 Impact Statements representing 37 State Affiliates.  This number is up from 268 submitted in 2018.  Submitting Impact Statements is just one way to tell about the positive impacts your programs have in your community.  Impact Statements provide individuals outside the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) profession the opportunity to read about the relevance and importance FCS has within the community. Thus, they have a better understanding and greater appreciation of what we do on a daily basis. Please continue the wonderful work and telling your story.

Submitting an award application is another method to tell your FCS story.  At the end of February, there were 415 award applications submitted.  The deadline to submit an award application to NEAFCS is March 15th, but you will need to check with your State Affiliate for their deadline.  Congratulations to all who submitted award applications and/or were a part of a team.  Even if your application does not go forward as a winner, you are already a winner because you helped citizens change their living situation through your educational programs, materials, and resources. I wish you much success this year!

Another way to tell the FCS story is to apply for the National Award for Excellence in Extension and the National Extension Diversity Award.  Both of these awards are provided through the Extension Committee on Organization Policy (ECOP) in conjunction with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities (APLU).  These award opportunities are open to all Cooperative Extension staff.  The Award for Excellence in Extension recognizes individuals who have made significant strides throughout their career to implement high impact programs, conduct programming on emerging issues, and/or conduct programs in collaboration with University colleagues and/or stakeholders. The Extension Diversity Award recognizes individuals who create, conduct and/or deliver programs to address the issues of diversity and pluralism. The deadline for these two awards is May 1, 2019. Please visit www.aplu.org/CESAwards to learn more about the awards and please consider applying. My hope is that someone in NEAFCS receives one or both of these awards this year. 

Please remember to look for the Hershey Kiss in this newsletter for your chance to be entered into the drawing for a FREE Annual Session Registration. Email me the location at [email protected] and please put Kiss in the subject line.  The first three people who email me, their names will go into the drawing. Good Luck!  Congratulations to February’s winners Naomi Bechtold, Lori Hendrickson, and Joy West. 

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NEAFCS 2019 Annual Session Keynote Speakers
Daryl Minch (NJ)

Come to NEAFCS’s 2019 Annual Session to be inspired by our keynote speakers.   They will spark conversation and provide ideas and opportunities for action back in our communities. 

People want to live long, healthy lives.  Can our oldest elders serve as “experts” on how to live our lives?  Dr. Karl Pillemer, Professor of Gerontology at the Weill Cornell Medical College and Professor of Human Development at Cornell University, will discuss “Advice for Living from the Oldest (and Wisest) Americans” at our Opening Session.  Dr. Pillemer studied over 1200 elders to get their advice for living a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life.  Elders shared their wisdom about marriage, career, parenting, aging, happiness, and overcoming loss.  This project led to two bestselling books and a “Building a Community Together” project that brings youth and elders together for discussions of life wisdom.

In order to live long, healthy lives; we need to prevent and manage chronic diseases.   “We Got the Chronic Disease Blues” is the topic for our closing session.  Dr. Ann Albright, RDN, Director of the Division of Diabetes Translation at the CDC will share the current state of chronic diseases, two effective interventions, and opportunities for Extension to collaborate in these interventions.  Dr. Albright has provided leadership in policy and interventions for years in California prior to coming to the CDC, particularly in diabetes prevention.  She was also a policy advisor at the Office of the United States Surgeon General.

Find out more about our speakers on the NEAFCS website including general session presenters. The Eastern Region looks forward to your coming to Hershey for “Nurturing the Richness of Lifelong Learning”.

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Springtime greetings from the Silent Auction Team
Tonya Johnson (OR), NEAFCS Chair of Awards Sponsorship and Support Subcommittee

We have some exciting news to share! New this year, we will have an online gallery of auction items that will be available at the Silent Auction in Hershey PA.  This is meant to generate excitement for the auction, and to get people thinking about their bidding strategies. Oh, what fun!!!

The online gallery will open on March 10th.  As soon as you have an item to donate to the auction, complete the form here and send it to Elizabeth Lane along with a nice photo of the item. The National office will then upload the item to the Online Gallery on the NEAFCS website.  Donation forms and photos received by September 16th will be included in the online gallery.  You will still bring your auction items to Hershey to display at the Silent Auction. 

Indeed, the flowers and sun are starting to show their glory.  Show the NEAFCS some glory by gathering items to donate to the NEAFCS Silent Auction and help us make this year’s Auction the best one yet!   One hundred percent of funds raised go directly to Awards and Recognition, including cash awards, registration fees, and other items for award recipients. Support your peers through donating items to the NEAFCS silent auction!

Please feel free to call or email with questions, ideas, comments. [email protected]; 503-373-3763.  Looking forward to seeing you in Hershey, PA!

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Challenge! Opportunity! Leadership!
Lora Lee Howard (KY), Immediate Past-President

Challenge others to become involved!  Challenge yourself to reach new heights!  Opportunity to serve your association!  Opportunity to share your skills!  Be a Leader for our great association and represent our great members from across the nation!

NEAFCS is accepting credentials for President-Elect, Vice President for Awards and Recognition, Vice President for Public Affairs, Central Region Director, Southern Region Director, and Treasurer.   If you are interested in additional information or wish to submit credentials, please contact one of these Nominating Committee members; Glenda Hyde, Gisele Jefferson, Linda Law-Saunders, Joanne Kinsey, Kathy Dothage, Peggy Ehlers, Molly Alexi or Cristin Sprenger.

If you have questions about responsibilities for one of the positions, please review the policies (click here). The candidate form can be found in forms (click here).

If you are interested, please complete all the requirements and send to me postmarked by May 1, 2019. My email is  [email protected].  I am looking forward to hearing from you.

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JCEP Extension Leadership Conference - NEAFCS Affiliate Meeting Report
Ellen Bjelland (ND), Central Region Director
Dianne Gertson (TX), Southern Region Director

The Wednesday afternoon NEAFCS Affiliate meeting began with hugs and a welcome from President Karen P. Munden.  President-Elect Roxie Price then led a discussion on how to encourage members to apply for national leadership positions.  She also asked what the affiliates needed for leadership training.

Karla Belzer, Illinois, provided the thought for the day.  She gave everyone garden seeds and read “How to Plant a Garden of Daily Living”.  Dianne Gertson (TX), Southern Region Director, led a discussion on ideas for celebrating the 85th Anniversary of NEAFCS within the affiliates.

The afternoon closed with a presentation on Servant Leadership:  Implications for Extension Work led by the Central Region Director, Ellen Bjelland.

On Thursday, the NEAFCS Affiliate Leadership met to provide feedback to the National Board.  This was a very lively and engaging session.  Many great ideas came from the brainstorming session.

Five questions were asked:

  • How would you reconfigure the Annual Session schedule?  Also, think about days – would something other than Monday – Thursday work best?
  • Think about concurrent sessions – length, programmatic, subject matter expertise, topics.
  • With regards to Awards ceremonies, what can be done to improve?  What was good, what should be changed – time, dividing awards, regional.
  • What can be done to encourage affiliates to step up to host?  Should regional rotation continue?  Is financial commitment discouraging bids?
  • We have added scholarships for JCEP, PILD, Annual Session.  What are other member benefits you would like to see?

The responses will be shared with the National Board and our Management Company.  We will work diligently to review the responses and work to provide the best member benefits.

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The Journal of NEAFCS wants to hear from you!
Dana Wright (WV), Journal of NEAFCS, Co-Editor 

Have you recently completed a research project that could provide valuable insights to Family and Consumer Science professionals?  Perhaps you have learned valuable lessons that could assist others in delivering high-quality educational opportunities for communities served by FCS professionals. Or maybe you have noticed a trend surrounding an emergent issue that will affect Family and Consumer Sciences as a vocation. The Journal of NEAFCS, a refereed journal on Extension Family and Consumer Sciences research and program evaluation is the perfect place to share your knowledge and skill on a national platform.

Submitting an article for publication in the Journal of NEAFCS just became easier! This year, article submissions will be completed using an online process. The committee felt it was important to develop a process that would allow for improved communication between authors and the journal subcommittee while refining the publication process.

To submit an article, or for more information about submission categories and procedures, log into the NEAFCS website, and under the member resources tab, click on the link titled “click here to view submission guidelines”. Deadline for article submissions is April 15, 2019. We are looking forward to receiving articles that share the knowledge and expertise you have gained as a Family Consumer Sciences professional. Further questions? You may contact me at [email protected].

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NEAFCS Awards and Recognition: A Part of Our History Since 1944
Susan Routh (OK), Vice President for Awards and Recognition

It seems so simple.  The first “awards ceremony”’ for the National Home Demonstration Agents Association (NHDAA) or as we are known today as the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) began with the recognition of “Distinguished Service.” Those members who were recognized were given – flowers!  On June 23, 1944, Mrs. Evelyn Morrow, First Vice President of the National Home Demonstration Agents Association presented a rose to the outstanding member nominated from each state.  The four outstanding agents by “district” or as we know today as “regions” were then recognized and were presented a gardenia.  The first four regional Distinguished Service Award recipients were:  Miss Alda Henning, Kentucky, Southern Region; Miss Ruth Appelthun, Colorado, Western Region; Miss Clara R. Brian, Illinois, Central Region; and Miss Mae Pritchett, West Virginia, Eastern Region.  NEAFCS was eleven years old when the awards program began. 

From this beginning, the NEAFCS awards program has grown to sponsor 35 award categories that recognize first, second and third places at the regional and national level.  In 2018, NEAFCS introduced the “registration fee waiver” as the “prize” for national winners.  I hope to see you in Hershey this fall as we celebrate the many successes of our members. 

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Committees are Hard at Work for your Professional Development!
Jayne McBurney (NC), Vice President for Professional Development 

The most important benefit of being a member of NEAFCS is Professional Development opportunities.  Did you know that there are TWO committees that are working to provide that to you?   If you are interested in serving on one of these committees, please sign up on the Member Resources tab on the NEAFCS Website.

The Professional Development Sub-Committee receives and assures that proposals for concurrent sessions for our Annual Session meet specific criteria for presentation.  We have just concluded the review process for 2019 and we will be scheduling the concurrent sessions in the coming month, presenters will be notified in April.  We appreciate all of the reviewers who assisted in the process of reviewing numerous proposals and thank the members for submitting such great content for review.  Leading these efforts are the following members who have volunteered to serve:

Committee Co-chairs:  Marcia Parcell, Indiana and Candace Heer, Ohio
Chair-Elect: Christine Kendle, Ohio
Apprentice: Karla Belzer, Illinois 

The Webinar Sub-Committee reviews proposals on a rolling basis for virtual presentations throughout the year.   Proposals are peer-reviewed and must meet specific criteria for presentation.  Webinars are a great way to share your professional expertise, program successes, and meet your university’s requirements for scholarly work.  Committees within our organization and partner members are eligible to present webinars for the full membership, as well.   Serving as leaders on this committee are:

Chair: Leslie Shallcross, Alaska
Chair-Elect: Hillary Long, Texas
Apprentice: Valerie Vincent, Louisiana

 


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Reaching Unfamiliar Audiences
Lorrie Coop (TX), Diversity Subcommittee

As an Extension educator, do you sometimes find yourself reaching the same audiences time and time again? If you’re like me, programming to my “go-to” groups makes me feel good. They understand what we’re all about and keep coming back for more. They’re familiar. But, what about traditionally underserved populations found in every community? How do we connect with those new, unfamiliar audiences? It all starts with an assessment. First, discover which groups are underserved in your community. Get out and really explore unfamiliar neighborhoods. Look for meeting places, churches, businesses. Which groups and organizations are active there? Second, identify what challenges you face in trying to reach these audiences. Is there a language barrier or a transportation issue? Do your programs need to be at a different time of day? Third, identify what resources you have to reach these groups? When you think about resources, don’t limit yourself to educational material. Think in terms of human capital, such as a trusted key leader within the group that can help you connect. Invite them to join your committee or task force. Fourth, what opportunities do you have to introduce yourself to this audience? Attend a community event such as a health fair. Set up an information booth and greet people individually. Personal relationships are critical in making people feel welcome, understood and respected. Becoming familiar with what issues are important to the families and communities you seek to engage will help you create quality, relevant programs that will make a lasting difference. 

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Public Affairs Update
Julie Garden Robinson (ND), Vice President for Public Affairs & PILD Planning Team Member

Impact Statements: Special thanks goes to the 41 affiliates who submitted Impact Statements.  We had a record-setting year with 329 impact statement submissions, compared with 268 submissions last year. Our editors are working hard to collate all the information into two-page documents. We will be releasing the Impact Statements at the Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) conference in April. We will be working on 60-second elevator speeches at the NEAFCS PILD session at the conference, and we will share those with the membership. We also will create social media and infographics to share your successes. If you have other ideas for communicating our messages, please let me know.

“Say Yes to FCS” Recap:
 Did you participate in the Twitter chat or share social media posts? I know that many of you shared the information about “Say Yes to FCS” and I am conveying a note of thanks from the national planning team for your help. The concentrated “bursts” of social media were powerful in reaching people during the campaign from Feb. 12 to 14. On Twitter, their potential reach was 255,925, and they had 67,961 impressions on Facebook.

Living Well Month:  March is Extension Living Well Month, so we have a great opportunity to promote what we do to the nation and beyond. Please continue to share the Living Well messages using a variety of methods in your state and community. Check out the ideas on the NEAFCS website under the Public Affairs tab. If you have materials to share with your colleagues around the U.S., please send them to me and we will get those uploaded.

Thanks for all your work in promoting the mission of NEAFCS!

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Western Region Highlights
Mary Ellen Fleming (CO), Western Region Director

Greetings from the West!  In case you have not heard, the 2020 Annual Session will be in Utah!  The dates are September 14 – 17, at the Snowbird Resort outside of Salt Lake City.  Mark your calendars and plan to attend!  This is what is now referred to as a ‘Regional Model’, meaning no one in the west bid on the meeting so our management company put out bids in the west for hotels.  The Snowbird Resort’s bid was accepted, and our Utah Affiliate graciously offered to help with the planning.  Planning has begun and we now have three liaisons who will lead the planning.  Please help me welcome Teresa Hunsaker and Kathleen Riggs from Utah and Sheila Gains from Colorado as our Utah Tri-Liaisons.  Liaison is what we call the co-chairs for the event.  Many thanks to our Tri-Liaisons for taking on the job!  We will be calling on the western states as the planning goes forth for help.  Please be thinking about how you can help. 

Committees are as follows: speakers, opening ceremony, in-depth sessions, welcome event, leadership event, hospitality, decorations, A/V, Marketplace/fundraising.  If you would like to serve on a committee, please send me your name and committee you are interested in.

And as always, before an annual session, an email goes out to all members asking for volunteers to help with the various sessions and events at the actual event.

From the Washington Affiliate we have the following news:
The following two faculty promotions were announced:  AnaMaria Diaz Martinez, MED – Assistant Professor - Human and Family Development Regional Specialist, Benton and Franklin Counties & Diane Smith, MA, RD – Assistant Professor – Food Access and Health Promotion Regional Specialist, Skagit and Whatcom Counties.  Both AnaMaria and Diane will be promoted to Associate Professor and granted tenure in July 2019. Congratulations to two outstanding FCS professionals.

Many thanks to the following who all volunteered to help review award applications!  We appreciate the help! 

  • Utah Affiliate; Darlene Christensen, Melanie Jewkes, Ashley Yaugher, Cathy Merrill, Callie Ward, Casey Coombs
  • New Mexico Affiliate; Lydia Montoya
  • Montana Affiliate; Marsha Goetting
  • California Affiliate; Mary Blackburn

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Eastern Region Highlights
Sharon McDonald (PA), Eastern Region Director  

Congratulations to members of the Maryland Affiliate on a recent partnership with the Maryland Department of Aging to present Fresh Conversations beginning April 2019. Additionally, the Financial Literacy and Ag Law Team provided retirement planning workshops, while the Health Insurance Literacy Initiative is developing train-the-trainer workshops via a virtual classroom setting.

Affiliate members, active and retired, are gearing up for Annual Session in Hershey in September, so if you have not penciled in the dates be sure to do so! While Hershey may be the “Sweetest Place on Earth,” you can also “Pursue Your Happiness in Pennsylvania!”

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Sweet Adventure During the Welcome Event
Patricia Powley (PA), Welcome Event Committee Chair

I am so excited to welcome you to the “Sweetest Place on Earth” during the NEAFCS Annual Session in Hershey, Pennsylvania and in my county!

The first part of “Nurturing the Richness of Lifelong Learning” is to attend the exciting time planned for you during the Welcome Event where you will experience “sweet treats and one-of-a-kind experiences.”

The Welcome Event will take place in Hershey’s Chocolate World where you can have the factory experience of Creating Your Own Chocolate Bar OR you can engage in a wonderful Hershey Chocolate Tasting Experience, tasting milk to dark and all varieties in between OR attend a 4D Movie Mystery Experience.

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Oh, I do not want to forget to tell you that there is also the Chocolate Making Tour which is a ride that takes you to see how the chocolate is mixed and the candies are made and packaged.

Chocolate World is full of all kinds of candy products, souvenirs, and gifts that can help you remember your experience for a lifetime!

You will have the time of your life and that is just the beginning of a fantastic time at the conference in Hershey. Prepare to be amazed!!

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Meet the Executive Board - Vice President for Professional Development
Janye McBurney (NC)

Jayne has been a member of NEAFCS since she began her career in North Carolina as a Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Educator in 2007.  Over a ten-year period in the field, she built a financial education program featuring money management classes and homebuyer workshops.   She has received two national awards for her work in family resource management including the Dean Don Felker Award and the Housing Outreach Award; she also received her Distinguished Service Award in 2018. 

Jayne also taught classes in food safety, healthy eating, and food preservation.  She has served on the Executive Board of Eat Smart, Move More, NC; and on the Board of Directors for Partnership for Children of Johnston County, Garner Area Ministries, United Way of Johnston County, and Reach Out Johnston; she was a member of the Garner Planning Commission from 2015-2017.

Jayne became the Program Coordinator for Steps to Heath, North Carolina State University’s SNAP-Ed Program in 2018.   The Steps to Health program is delivered through Cooperative Extension across the state with the goal to help people lead healthier lives. SNAP-Ed programs such as Steps to Health teach people who are eligible for SNAP about good nutrition, how to make their food dollars stretch further, and learn to be physically active.  The program also helps communities to create Policy, Systems, and Environmental changes so all can Eat Smart and Move More.

A native of Ohio, Jayne received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Ohio State University.   After receiving her BS, she spent a year as a Youth Development Volunteer through International 4-H Youth Exchange in the country of Panama.  Upon return to Ohio, she was a 4-H Extension Associate, and then returned to Graduate school.  She had an 8-year career at Ohio State advising students in the Admissions Office, University College and the College of Nursing. 

Jayne has a love of teaching and a passion for helping people live within their means by making good choices in all aspects of life.  When not at the office, Jayne enjoys traveling, time with her family, and using her skills and abilities in service projects.