Extension field specialist Nancy Clark, dressed as a carrot, told kids
about the importance of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables during
a TEAM Nutrition international food fair at North Iowa School in Buffalo
Center.
Strengthening
families to become the best --
Extension does it all the time
“The Extension presentations really added value
to our program,” Marlene Leinenweaver said of Iowa State University
Extension’s involvement in the 2001 World’s Expo of Antique
Farm Equipment in Ankeny. “It made the participants start thinking
… gave them options.”
This describes just how ISU Extension educational programming strengthens
families to become the best, the theme for ISU in 2000-2001. JaneAnn Stout,
director of ISU Extension
to Families, said the year-long theme was a statewide celebration
of the families programming that is going on all the time -- the sharing
with communities.
Leinenweaver was the event coordinator for the Expo. After attending
ISU Extension’s “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate”
workshop in her own county, she invited an extension field specialist
to the Ankeny event to conduct two of the workshops on making decisions
about how to pass on family keepsakes.
In the area of nutrition, ISU Extension has collaborated with the communities
around Buffalo Center to help children of the North Iowa School better
understand the importance of eating a variety of fruits, vegetables and
grains, decreasing fat intake and increasing physical activity. The school
is a pilot site for a TEAM Nutrition grant through the U.S. Department
of Agriculture.
School nurse Deb Aukes describes Extension’s role as providing expertise
in answering the school’s nutrition questions, providing classroom
presentations and assisting in program planning, implementation and evaluation.
“They are helping us to get the message across to students, parents
and community members — not just creating change at the school, but
in the community as a whole,” she said.
Residents of Forest City have benefited from ISU Extension’s involvement in their new and only day care center, the Hanson Family Life Child Care Center. The center is running successfully with ISU Extension assistance in structural and financial guidance, parenting, nutrition and curriculum research, according to Carol Peterson, extension education director for Winnebago County, who has been a part of the center’s board since its beginning. The board’s co-chair Sheryl Putz described Peterson’s role as “the connecting person to the university” and said the expertise of ISU was helpful.
Contact Laura Sternweis, editor, lsternwe@iastate.edu.
Visit the ISU Extension homepage.
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Last update: January 2002