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Table of Contents
President’s Message
Award Winning Application FAQs
Submitting Support Materials
Reflections on Attending PILD to Gain Valuable Skills; PILD 1st Timer’s Scholarship Application Opens on December 19th
Western Region Highlights – Montana
2017 Annual Session – Omaha
Calling All Members!
Meet Board Member Karen DeZarn
Important Dates
Members-only Webinar • January 5
Make it Automatic! –America Saves & America Saves Week
Impact Statement Data Due and PILD Scholarship Application Due • Feb 1
Concurrent Session Proposals Due • Feb 15
2017 NEAFCS National Awards Deadline • March 15
JNEAFCS Articles Due • March 1
NEAFCS 2017 Annual Session Oct 15-19
Omaha, NE
NEAFCS 2018 Annual Session Sept 24-27
San Antonio, TX
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National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Science
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President's Message
Theresa Mayhew (NY), NEAFCS President
I hope you and your family had fun participating in the third annual Family & Consumer Sciences “Dining In” with Healthy Families Day on December 3. I even used my holiday china and table linens! Hopefully, this year’s campaign exceeded last year’s number of 125,000 individuals and organizations that participated. Of course, we should encourage family meal time whenever possible but highlighting its importance on this one special day is a start! If you missed taking part in this year’s celebration, put it on your calendar for December 3, 2017!
Since last month’s message, I have been busy coordinating the management company search with our national evaluation committee comprised of Past President Debby Mathews, President-Elect Lora Lee Howard, Treasurer Nancy Stehulak, Vice- President of Member Resources Edda Cotto-Rivera, and The Association Source. We received eleven (11) proposals from management companies. Our evaluation committee reviewed and vetted all proposals and interviewed finalists during our Winter Board Meeting held in Savannah, GA, December 6-8. This has been an interesting process when you consider the smorgasbord of services, products and supports available to professional development organizations such as ours. It has given us much to think and talk about! Once we’ve made our selection and a contract is signed, we will announce who will be representing us going forward next year!
For many of us, December is a short work month with all the holidays and festivities that surround them. But it’s a month of important deadlines and happenings for our members – the online awards application process is now open and membership monies (new and renewals) are due by the end of the month. JCEP Leadership Conference registration is now open and I encourage affiliate presidents or their designees to attend this terrific learning and network event which takes place in Orlando, FL next February 8 - 9. This will include some exclusive NEAFCS meeting times which will enable us to learn more about your needs, wants and desires for your affiliates and our association at large. Go to www.jcep.org to learn more!
I wish you all the happiest of holidays as well as peace and prosperity in the New Year. Here’s to a fruitful and fabulous 2017!
Sincerely,
Terri
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Award Winning Application FAQs
Dianne Gertson (TX), Vice President for Awards and Recognition
 What are the guidelines for applying for awards?
Award criteria and the application process are on the NEAFCS Web Site at neafcs.org. Select and click on the Awards category on the home page, and you will get the main page for Awards and Recognition. Go to the Awards Manual. First review the General Eligibility Requirements of the Awards Manual. These requirements apply to all awards categories. Next, select the award you are interested in applying for to obtain more information about what is needed to successfully submit your application. Make sure you carefully follow the specific guidelines and criteria, i.e., years of service, etc. These are different for each award and individuals who do not follow the guidelines will be disqualified.
What is important to emphasize in my award application?
Impact! This is much more important than the number of participants that were involved. How did this program make a difference? Is the information current? Highlight impact accomplishments first. What are the educational aspects of the program? Why is your program important? What did the participants learn? Did they gain new skills? Were there behavior changes? Make sure your award application shows that your program made a difference to the people it reached!
Evaluation! Make sure you know how to interpret the evaluations. In the past, judges have noted a lack of interpretation of the evaluation or understanding of the impact on the audience. How did the research impact an Extension program? Did you base your project on existing research? Make sure you can detail how your program applied the related research. Are the results valid? What was the sample population? What are the demographics of the community? Is it rural or urban? Fifty participants in an urban area might not sound impressive, but 50 participants in a rural location might be half of the clientele! Use actual percentages, not statements such as “a few” or “most”. List results in frequency value of percentages. Make sure your evaluation and/or impact data are understandable.
What else can I do to send in a winning application?
Be creative! Make your application worth reading. Plan ahead to give yourself enough time to revise and rewrite. Proofread your application! Many times, the judges have a difficult time deciding how to rank the entries. Spelling errors, sloppy applications, or grammatical errors sometimes are the deciding factor for points awarded. Have someone proof your application. Before you send, double-check your grammar, style, and the ease of understanding the points you are trying to make. Be neat. Send it in on time!
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Submitting Support Materials
Barb Hennard (OH), Awards and Recognition Training Subcommittee
Before you are ready to submit your award application, have all support materials gathered. Read the awards manual for instructions on each award to determine what type of support material is needed. It may include an outline, program documents, newsletters, an audio clip, or a curriculum. Documents may be scanned together or documents combined into one file. A folder may contain multiple documents. Supplementary materials are considered as 5 pieces, not 5 pages! Three files of 25 MB each can be uploaded. Follow the online information on uploading folders. There are three spaces. If you try to upload more, the previous folder in that space will be deleted. Documents can be combined using Adobe Merge. A fourth upload space has been added for the required photo to be uploaded as a.jpg. Links to newsletters, blogs, and curriculum can be used. Be sure to label each support piece and application with your name and state. Hard copies of applications and support materials will not be sent to NEAFCS but check with your state affiliate to see if they require hard copies.
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Reflections on Attending PILD to Gain Valuable Skills; PILD 1st Timer’s Scholarship Application Opens on December 19th
Glenda Hyde (OR), Vice President for Public Affairs
 I learned how to speak with legislators… and more importantly, how to be heard. Extension leaders brought to light the impact of Extension and how innovation greatly impacts diverse populations. Dr. Frances Lee’s presentation helped me understand the perspective of the legislators and politics, how they function and how to effectively communicate with them. Most importantly, was the opportunity to practice these skills while visiting with my legislators/staff. Shannon Carter (OH)
I listened hard to make sense of a speaker’s Southern drawl that I thought was “sitter-spell,” and wondered “What kind of magic are they doing in Texas?” After a while I heard “sitting a spell” and laughed at myself. I sat a spell, and tried to absorb what presenters and others to had to say. I learned more about my coworkers somewhat isolated by geography and discipline; about party trends since the Civil War; that people still don’t understand us millennials; that Lee from Montana makes pretty amazing arrowheads; and that the conversations you have sitting a spell with others can have great importance decades down the line. Shauna Henley (MD)
The session, What I Learned: My Experiences “Advocating” for Extension, helped me understand the limits of advocating for Extension. Meeting Louisiana’s 5th District Congressman, I used my “advocating” skills for Extension. It made my day! He took time to listen, affirming our connection on much of what I had to say. Carolyn E. Robinson (LA)
Twenty 1st Timer’s Scholarships available December 19th: PILD information/application at Public Affairs tab.
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Western Region Highlights – Montana
Julie Cascio (AK), Western Region Director
 This month, Lisa Terry shared two significant programs being offered in Montana, DEEP and SHHC.
Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) was trained by an Extension agent to Extension educators and health care professionals to implement in Montana. Results from the program so far are positive. People’s A1C level, which is their blood sugar level over a period of three months, have dropped from 8.2% to 7.1% which is great for people with diabetes. Systolic blood pressure has also dropped by 10 points.
Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities (SHHC) meets two times each week for six months in Montana. Behavior encouraged during the program is to increase eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains, aerobic exercise and progressive strength training. At the same time, decreasing calories, dessert, processed foods, saturated and trans fat, sodium, sugar sweetened beverage consumption and stress is encouraged. Preliminary evidence suggests SHHC is promising for reducing cardiovascular risk by reducing weight and caloric intake as well as increasing physical acidity and functional fitness in midlife and older overweight/obese women.
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2017 Annual Session – Omaha
Jeanette Friesen (NE), Tri-Liaison and Nebraska Extension Educator Emeritus
Omaha 2017: a great place to “harvest opportunities”. Join us October 16-19, 2017, where you will meet with other NEAFCS professionals to learn about innovative programming and engaging learners in historic Omaha, NE. You will have a chance to immerse yourself in Midwest culture with a wealth of activities designed to stimulate both curiosity and teaching capacity.
In the coming months, we will provide you with all the information needed to “harvest opportunities” for fabulous dining, lodging, tours and activities. You will glean valuable information from our amazing speakers. See you in Omaha!
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Calling All Members!
Edda Z. Cotto-Rivera (GA), Vice-President for Member Resources
 By the time you read this article, your 2017 NEAFCS dues are probably and hopefully paid! If you have been a member of our organization, there are many reasons why you decided to renew your membership. You agree with our mission, and believe that you will have personal and professional development opportunities during the year. You have benefited from experiences that advance your leadership, your scholarship and networking partnerships, and have developed strong working relationships and friendships with other members that will last for a long time.
In less than a month, some of us will look at 2017 and will make at least one new year’s resolution. Today I would like to challenge you to have an “end of the year” resolution. Would you join me in thinking about what kind of  benefits you have received from our association during 2016? Would you be able to make a list of at least three things you accomplished, received or gained because of your membership?
If you were a First Timer during our 2016 Annual Session in Big Sky Montana, have you achieved any of the plans or dreams you anticipated achieving?
Today is a great day to think about making the most of your membership. Join a national committee, apply for an award, submit an article for our eJournal, connect with a member from another state, become involved with your own affiliate, and share with others your experiences as a proud member of NEAFCS. We wish you the best in 2017! Make your membership count!
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Meet Board Member Karen DeZarn
Karen DeZarn (TX), Vice-President for Professional Development
 Hi fellow NEAFCS members. I am Karen DeZarn, your new Vice-President for Professional Development. I was born and raised in beautiful southern Indiana. I tell people I was born in a county between the Kentucky Derby and the Indianapolis 500. I worked for Purdue Extension for over 16 years and moved to the great state of Texas in 2010. We live in the Hill Country where the Bluebonnets grow. I love to sew, needle craft, and listen to audio books. I recently started Zumba and I love it! I hope to hear from many of you this year. Please consider submitting an RFP to present at the annual session in Omaha or to be a reviewer of the proposals. You’ll be hearing more soon from the program development subcommittee.
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