Extension office shares its vision with community

The team from the Holmes County Ohio State University Extension invited community members to join them for a biannual gathering in the Baker Building at Harvest Ridge on Tuesday, Sept. 26, where the group shared some of the success stories they have experienced this year, along with providing an opportunity for the community members to present insight into what programs they’d like to see the extension office create.

According to Janessa Hill, Holmes County Extension program director, these meetings every six months can go a long way in inspiring the staff to develop programs that benefit the community.

“We only have these twice a year, but these get-togethers are very important to us as an organization,” Hill said. “There’s a lot of really good ideas and seeds of information that arise from our community. We can kind of take these ideas from others and run with them and build some really educational and important programs around them.”

One such program that arose from the community was Life Skills Camp, which the organization is developing now and will take place with Hiland and West Holmes High School students in October and November.

“We’re trying to give the community a voice in how we shape our programs and what issues and fields are important to the community,” Hill said. “There is no playbook that’s etched in stone here.”

Hill said when she first arrived in the county with the extension, she learned everything Holmes County 4-H and the extension office had done in the past. She and her teammates are now turning their attention to development and growth and are creating new programs that will get the community and 4-H groups invested.

She said many of the extension office’s community partners are already on that level of communication and development and are creating programs that weren’t around in the past.

Hill said these biannual meetings with the community advisory members are important because it allows her and the extension staff to share their vision, relay what new programs are being created, and talk about the success and challenges during the recent past.

“That community partnership only helps us grow, and that input is invaluable to what we want to do in promoting our 4-H and our office,” Hill said.

One thing Hill mentioned during the meeting was the extension office’s effort to hire a new agriculture and natural resources educator in the coming months. The role will include the new hire being responsible for a broad range of duties, from basic to complex, with an emphasis on precision agricultural practices, crop production, livestock production and horticultural production.

According to Hill, the hope is to create a small team to create a complete job description in early October. Then once that is accomplished, it will advertise for the position. Any candidates will attend a state interview, and the hope is to hire someone to fill the role at the start of 2024.

Hill then fleshed out some of the family and consumer science projects they have completed through the spring to fall period this year.

From Kids in the Kitchen with Kate Shumaker to Dining with Diabetes, Home Food Preservation, collaborations with the Holmes County Library to present a variety of programs and more, the CFAES programs continue to provide education and insight to community members both young and old.

“Kids in the Kitchen was another huge success this year thanks Kate and to all of the volunteers who helped with that,” Hill said. “Kate is busy and has lots of different programming coming up later this year.”

That list includes holiday cooking classes beginning in November.

Darcy Becker, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program educator, spoke briefly about how the program, which was formerly food stamps, continues to play a vital role in helping clientele learn how to utilize federal funding for food and how to budget for food expenses.

She said her goal is a simple one. “We’re the people who are helping people who are on SNAP figure out how they can get off of SNAP and survive in the world in a positive way and not have to rely on somebody else for food,” Becker said.

One of those ways is through CelebrateYourPlate.org, a program promoting basic nutrition curriculum.

Becker said the nutrition education doesn’t just focus on eating the right thing all the time, something many families with financial issues struggle with.

“It’s about realty, about living in the real world,” Becker said. “How do you do that and do it on a budget? We want to develop positive behavior changes. That means seeing people more than once.”

She said they offer a series of three classes, for seniors, adults and children.

SNAP-ED is currently working with Holmes County JFS, Robin’s Terrace, Sunshine Villas, Anazao and Kno-Ho-Co Ashland Community Action.

To learn more or to find out if you’re eligible, visit www.go.osu.edu/snap-ed.

Ella Lorenz, Holmes County Extension program assistant, then spoke about many of the 4-H programs in the county and the great year Holmes County 4-H has experienced.

She said the county had more than 450 4-H volunteers, which provided an estimated $360,000 worth of work to the 4-H program.

“We couldn’t do this without our volunteers,” Lorenz said.

She said Cloverbud Day Camp saw 16 area agencies lend a hand and came in to talk to the youth.

She also said she will invest in STEM opportunities inside the area elementary classrooms.

“When I first reached out, I was hoping to get maybe six classrooms under my belt, but I’m now at 19 classrooms, so it’s been exciting,” Lorenz said.

With that type of planning and growth, a dedicated staff, and input from the community, the extension office continues to raise the bar and think big when it comes to providing for the people of Holmes County.