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Table of Contents
President's Message
Committee Spotlight on Awards and Recognition
Take Advantage of Professional Development Webinars
We need YOU! Please Plan Ahead to Help with the Annual Session Silent Auction
In Depth Sessions for NEAFCS 2015
Meet the Board:
Ami Cook (WV) 2015 Annual Session Co-liaison
Important Dates
PILD Conference • April 12-15
Hyatt Regency - Crystal City, VA
Members-only Webinar • May 21
Preventing Identity Theft
NEAFCS 2015 Annual Session • Nov 2-5
White Sulphur Springs, WV
NEAFCS 2016 Annual Session • Sept 12-15
Big Sky, MT
View All Events...
National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Science
140 Island Way, Ste 316
Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
(561) 477-8100
[email protected]
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President's Message
Peggy Ehlers, Ed.D. (IN), President
Dear NEAFCS Members,
According to the calendar, Spring 2015 is officially here! I hope you have been enjoying some of the special events and activities this time of year brings.
I am excited to announce that the 2017 Annual Session will be hosted in Omaha, October 15 – 19, 2017 by the Nebraska members. More details will be coming over the next 20 months, Thank you, Nebraska Affiliate, for this commitment.
During April, I am looking forward to attending the Public Issues Leadership Development Session (PILD). PILD is an opportunity to increase advocacy for Cooperative Extension.
Last year the centennial of the Smith-Lever Act was celebrated at PILD. The Smith-Lever Act officially created the national Cooperative Extension System. The conference theme this year is “Imagining Extension – Eyes on the Future.” We will, however, continue to celebrate our past by recognizing the 125th Anniversary of the passage of the 2nd Morrill Act, which created the 1890 institutions.
The PILD Conference is designed to provide professional development and personal growth opportunities regarding the political process at the national level, allow time for interaction with key leaders from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and other agencies/organizations in the Washington, D.C. area. In addition, there will be opportunities to learn about building public support for Extension through consistent and targeted communication. Thank you to Kathy Riggs of the Utah State University for serving as the 2015 PILD Chair.
Congratulations to members Katherine Brandt, Amy Peterson, and Katie Cullum, who found the key in the March 2015 newsletter. Look for the hidden key in the newsletter, remember you are the KEY- Knowledge, Experience, and You of NEAFCS.
My Best to all. Have a great month.
Peg
[email protected]
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Committee Spotlight on Awards and Recognition
Debby Mathews (AL), President-Elect
 If you submitted an application for an NEAFCS award this year, you know it took time and effort to get everything together and submitted on time. Hats off to you for doing that! Hats off, too, to those who worked behind the scenes to help set up the awards process. Think of them as the technical people who make the Hollywood stars look good! So let’s “spotlight” the Awards Training subcommittee! Barbara Hennard (Ohio) chairs this subcommittee. Other committee leaders are Donna Daniel (Virginia), Cheri Burcham (Illinois) and Dianne Gertson (Texas).
Here are some specific actions they took:
- Gave us awards tips on electronic submissions
- Sent an email to all 2014 awards winners asking them to mentor a peer to apply
- Emailed affiliate awards VPs to remind them of tasks to be done
- Conducted awards training for members and affiliate awards VPs
You can read all they do by going to www.neafcs.org and reading their committee action plan. You can find it under “About NEAFCS” in the committee section. Then, as you watch award winners cross the stage at The Greenbrier in November, remember to think of those who put the process in motion and encouraged all those members to act!
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Take Advantage of Professional Development Webinars
Julia Zee (HI), Webinar Subcommittee Chair
 Did you miss the webinar on “How to become a powerful PIN-fluencer!” with Alice Henneman, MS, RDN (NE) and Joanne Kinsey, MS, CFCS (NJ)? If so, view the recording and download the slides from the NEAFCS Webinar Archives under Professional Development. The slides include clickable links to the many references and online tools.
Join us for our next webinar on Preventing Identity Theft on Thursday, May 21, 2015 with Luke Erickson, Extension Educator with the University of Idaho. Learn about the fastest growing  white-collar crime, how to prevent your identity from being stolen, and steps to take if one becomes a victim.
If you have a program that you'd like to share with NEAFCS members, submit a proposal online anytime. NEAFCS webinars are peer-reviewed and presented to a nationwide audience. Visit the webinars webpage (http://www.neafcs.org/webinars). Contact Julia Zee ([email protected]) if you have any questions or have a suggestion for a future webinar.
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We need YOU! Please Plan Ahead to Help with the Annual Session Silent Auction
Cheryl Barber Spires (OH) Chair, Silent Auction Subcommittee
 Spring has finally arrived, but my mind is on November in West Virginia and Winter Holiday Decorations galore! I hope to see you at The Greenbrier as we are setting up, selling, and receiving payment for a variety of items at the Silent Auction. The Silent Auction raises money for the NEAFCS Awards and Recognition Fund. It is an opportunity for each state and individual to be involved in bettering our organization. Please consider bringing something related to a hobby, a special interest, something that represents your state, a handmade item (quilts, crafts, etc.), or something even more unique and creative to be auctioned off to benefit NEAFCS awards. We request that each state bring at least one item to be auctioned, but we welcome as many as you want to bring. Remember to try to bring smaller items that one can easily fit into a suitcase. Be sure to share this item request with all of your members so that your state is well represented at the 2015 Silent Auction! Your participation and excitement in donating items and making purchases helps to make the overall Silent Auction a great success each year! In addition, if you are looking to join a sub-committee, this is a great one to take part in at Annual Session. Click here to sign up! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, phone: 419-438-3016 and email: [email protected]
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In Depth Sessions for NEAFCS 2015
Andi Bennett (WV) Annual Session Planning Committee Member
 As you plan to visit beautiful West Virginia and the famous Greenbrier Resort, we hope you will take time to attend one of the 13 in-depth sessions provided for you. The committee strives to offer a variety of options that cover the diverse topics surrounding Extension and Family Consumer Science today. Another goal is to give you an opportunity to explore West Virginia culture and heritage.
If you are looking for nutrition related programs, you will want to attend one of these great options: “Fruits of Labor,” “Abracadabra,” or “Venison 101.”
If you're looking for sessions about the community and economic development of West Virginia, as well as the financial resource management of local artisans, explore these in-depth sessions that will take you out into Wild & Wonderful West Virginia: “Tamarack Visitors Center,” “Historic Hinton Downtown Revitalization and Community Growth,” “National Radio Astronomy Tour,” “Spirits of Southern WV,” and the “North House Museum and Downtown Lewisburg Walking Tour.”
Those who work with youth will enjoy “Helping Youth Succeed in Science and Technology,” and those who want to learn more about history will want to attend “Stories of History from Fiber, Music, and Dance.
Whichever in-depth session you choose to attend, you will receive a unique experience that combines our proud Appalachian traditions along with a sample of our Mountaineer spirit!
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Meet the Board
Ami Cook (WV) 2015 Annual Session Co-liaison
One of the main reasons that I am so excited to bring the NEAFCS 2015 Annual Session to West Virginia is because I LOVE it here. I can’t wait to show people how beautiful our state is, how friendly our people are, and how much there is to do in West Virginia. The best part is that The Greenbrier is the perfect location to highlight all three of these things.
I was born and raised in WV, attended college at West Virginia University and now work for the WVU-Extension Service in the central part of the state. My husband, Steve, and I are raising our three-year-old daughter, Chloe, and our five-year-old son, Wyatt, in what I consider to be the best state in the country. While we enjoy vacations at the beach and Disney World, we also love to travel the state. Recently we spent spring break at the Cacapon State Park Resort near Berkley Springs, WV and had tons of fun flying kites, riding bikes, hiking, and enjoying the fresh mountain air. Last summer we visited Blackwater Falls State Park and camped at the Smoke Hole Caverns and Seneca Rocks areas. Check out more great places to visit while you’re here at www.wvstateparks.com.
I love serving rural West Virginia because I know what it’s like to live in a rural area. I’m familiar with the challenges we face and have spent my entire life coming up with solutions to overcome those challenges. My background in Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Counseling provide a broad range of education to cover the vast expanse of Family Consumer Science issues that we address through the WVU-Extension Service. My main focus areas are Health and Nutrition, Food Safety and Food Preservation, and Healthy Families Education including relationship, financial and parenting education.
We look forward to seeing you here in November!
Ami E. Cook, MS, CRC
WVU-Extension Service Instructor
Braxton and Clay Counties
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