Illinois Extension Summer Report

03. Illinois Junior Chefs

With over half of Illinois adults having chronic health conditions, it is crucial that children learn how about healthy eating and how to cook nutritious meals.

Summer 2023

Bond. Clinton. Jefferson. Marion. Washington.

04. Back to Basics

Local community members learn traditional skills and receive money-saving tips.

04. 4-H Shows Demonstrate Life Skills

Shows are a safe outlet for youth to demonstrate knowledge and skills gained throughout the year.

Summer2023

Dear Community,

As your County Extension Director, as always, I am pleased to present our team’s accomplishments over the last quarter in our ongoing journey to make a positive, long-lasting impact in our community. Throughout the next few pages you’ll see how our programs have demonstrated their fruitfulness in empowering individuals and families in Bond, Clinton, Jefferson, Marion and Washington counties.

Illinois Extension, the linchpin between local communities and University resources, has been the conduit for some transformative initiatives this summer in our area. Extension is not merely about research, but translating insights found in the research into actionable strategies. During "Back to Basics" this summer we did just that as we provided our communities with critical cost-saving tips.

Just as summer represents a season of growth and energy, we continue to invest in our youth, recognizing their potential to shape our world. By providing nurturing environments and learning opportunities, we continue to equip them to become stewards of positive change. In this report you will read about Mason, an Illinois Junior Chef, who was inspired to make a salad for his family. We are proud of you, Mason!

We are here to empower Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to address challenges, make informed decisions, and embrace our always evolving corner of the world. This is a huge ask, but important work and we are honored to do it. The impact you will read about in this report is a testament to the professionalism and dedication of our team. I extend my gratitude for their unwavering commitment to our mission.

As summer comes to a close, I encourage you to explore the array of events and opportunities listed on our website extension.illinois.edu/bcjmw/events. Find something that sparks interest, and register to join us!

Bring on the crisp fall air,

Jordee

County Extension Director

Extension Councils Serve An Important Role In Programming

Our multi-county Extension Council helps drive the needs assessment which guides our local educational programming priorities. Through this Advisory Council, Extension comes alongside community partners to address issues related to food, health, economy, environment and community. Current members include:

Julie Brooks

Mike Bruns

Korbin Collins

Dee DeMoss

Wesley Gozia

Marla Guggenheimer

Matt Hornbostel

Julie Karmeier

Galen Mahle

Elaine McNamara

Julie Miessner

Bernard Myers

Sam Phillips

Jeff Pingsterhaus

Natalie Shook

Jamie Storey

Nick Suess

Terry Wilkerson

Herb Williams

Julie Wollerman

JORDEE KOEHLER County Extension Director

Illinois Junior Chef Teaches Nutrition Skills for Life

With over half of Illinois adults having chronic health conditions, it is crucial that children learn about healthy eating and how to cook nutritious meals. The Illinois Junior Chef program is a week-long day camp designed to improve youth nutrition education, diet, and well-being. Without learning about healthy foods and diet, the youth of our communities may develop chronic health conditions. Our SNAP-Ed staff members meet with these youth to help reduce unhealthy eating choices through hands-on nutrition education. In June and July, over 80 youth across Jefferson and Marion counties participated in Illinois Junior Chef.

A youth attendee’s mother stated that her son Mason loved attending Illinois Junior Chef and was ready to go every morning. On Vegetable Day, Mason learned about knife safety and how to make a cucumber salad. Cucumbers are one of Mason’s favorite vegetables and he loved the cucumber salad so much that he made the salad for his family. Mason is learning kitchen skills and how to make healthier choices that will stay with him for a lifetime.

Let's Talk Money Addresses Financial Well-Being

Financial instability can negatively affect physical, mental, and social health and can ultimately lead to bankruptcy. Illinois Extension supports financial well-being tools for all ages and stages which helps improve self-sufficiency, reduces the need for communities to provide support services, and creates opportunities for individuals to protect and build wealth.

Local Finance Educator, Jamie Mahlandt, along with the State Financial Education team provided a seven-week webinar series over the summer to help community members gain the confidence to talk with family and

friends about money. More than 240 people participated over the course of the series. Over 79% said they learned something that they plan to use in their work, organization, or personal life.

Many of the webinar topics are also tackled in Jamie's blog, Finding Financial Balance. Each month she focuses on a timely situation that area residents are facing. Financial education can make a huge impact in people's lives. Find upcoming webinars, Financial Education information and Jamie's blog online at extension.illinois. edu/bcjmw/finances.

Back to Basics: Focus on Frugal Living

Traditional homesteading tools and money saving tips.

Foodborne illnesses cost our society an estimated $36 billion annually. Food safety is challenged everywhere, from the field to the kitchen. Safe growing,handling,andpreservation practices can help reduce the social and economic impact of foodborne illness. Growing evidence shows that time spent around plants and in green spaces has many benefits, including improved health, better interpersonal relationships, and a higher quality of life. This summer, our Horticulture Educator, Chris Lueking, launched a Back to Basics series for our local communities to learn traditional skills and receive money-saving tips.

The Back to Basics series tackles frugal living topics like gardening to stretch your grocery budget, canning and meal planning, beekeeping, backyard chickens, sourdough basics, herbs, dried flowers, and home cooking. In addition, the series also draws in Financial Education components with help from Finance Educator Jamie Mahlandt. 87.74% of the participants said they would use resources provided or referenced during the workshop following a sesson on meal planning and grocery budgets.

Our goal from these workshops is that participants will implement what they have learned, to ease stress from increased living costs. Register for upcoming sessions at go.illinois.edu/BacktoBasics.

4-H Shows Demonstrate Life-Skills

4-H members find their spark

Thriving Youth are the core of healthy, robust communities. 4-H shows are a safe outlet for demonstrating knowledge and skills gained throughout the year. Members start by choosing a content area in which they are

interested. They then demonstrate knowledge gained through showing a selected project which is scored by a judge.

Some examples of projects from this year include:

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• A farm to finish needle felting project

• A presentation on armadillos and how we can humanly reduce their numbers in our communities.

• Cooking a variety of items; coffee cake, cookies, and bread.

• Raising and showing livestock.

After showing, members received feedback, and some moved on to compete at the state fair. 103 youth in our area competed at the Illinois State Fair. Fourty-one of those projects received special recognition. These projects allow our youth to gain leadership and communication

shout outs

Thank You Farm Bureau offices in Bond, Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, and Washington counties for sponsoring the livestock champion banners, and the photo backdrop for the 4-H shows this summer.

Thank You United Way of South Central Illinois for providing ingredients for Back to Basics participants to make salsa at the canning workshop.

Thank You 4-H volunteers for all the time and energy you put into making the local 4-H programs a success.

skills, responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment.

Show of Champions

4-H members in Bond, Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, and Washington counties were invited to the Show of Champions. General projects exhibitors who earned a state fair delegate, state fair alternate, project champion and/or an inspire award at their county show and exhibitors in small pets/poultry/rabbits, dairy and livestock projects who stood first in their class, breeding or market champions, received an inspire award and/or showmanship champions were invited to the Show of Champions.

4-H Projects can often spark youth to follow their passions, interests, and talents. These sparks can lead youth on a new path to career development, enjoyment, and belonging.

Show of Champions saw a 25% increase in participation this year. There were 148 entries in the General Projects phase on August 23, and 227 entries in the Livestock classes on August 31. Both phases of the show were held at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Nashville. The show will rotate each year between our five counties. The hosting county will hold a showmanship clinic and YQCA clinic in the Spring, then the Show of Champions in late August.

Our Staff

Kara Boozer

4-H Youth Development

Amber Heern

4-H Youth Development Educator

Amanda Fox-Clark

4-H Youth Development Coordinator

Bailey Hawkins

4-H Youth Development Coorindator

Tammy Guidish

4-H Youth Development Coorindator

Cheralee Vohlken

4-H Youth Development Coordinator

Amanda Voss

4-H Youth Development Coordinator

Jamie Mahlandt Consumer Economics Educator

Chris Lueking Horticulture Educator

Rhonda Mueller Office Support Specialist

Makayla Karrick Ag. & Natural Resources Coordinator

Kelsey Alli Office Support Assistant

Kristen Buttrum

SNAP-Ed Community Worker

Stacey Ottenschnieder Office Support Assistant

Krystal Pruden

SNAP-Ed Community Worker

Jennifer Zurliene Office Support Assistant

Elaine Craver Marketing & Communication Coordinator

Fawn Terwilliger Office Support Assistant

Daniel Simonton Marketing & Communication Coordinator

Mariah Smith Office Support Assistant

Photo by Meredith Petrick on Unsplash