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Table of Contents
President's Message
Come Join Us at JCEP!
Time to renew, it's not too late!
Consider submitting to the Journal of the NEAFCS!
PILD First Timers Scholarship Application Portal Open from Dec. 18 to Feb. 1
Developmental Disabilities Training Series
There is a YOU in Annual Session. YOU have what it takes!
NEAFCS Impact Statement Portal Open December 1 to February 1
Welcome to Hershey!
Eastern Region Update
Interview Questions for Extension FCS Educators
Meet the Board: Secretary
Farm Stress Management Summit
Important Dates
NEAFCS 2019 Awards System
Deadline is March 15, 2019
NEAFCS 2019 Annual Session Call for Proposals
Deadline is January 31, 2019
NEAFCS Impact Statement Portal
Deadline is February 1, 2019
JCEP ELC Affiliate Scholarship Application
Deadline December 15, 2018
NEAFCS PILD 1st Timer Scholarship
Opening December 18th
Deadline February 1st
Affiliate Annual Reports Due to National Office
December 31st
Membership Dues to National Office
December 31st
JCEP Extension Leadership Conference (ELC)
February 6-7, 2019
San Antonio, TX
NEAFCS Webinar: Birds, Bugs, and the Benefits of Collaboration in Supporting Children’s Sense of Wonder through Nature
April 10, 2019
PILD Conference
April 14-17, 2019
Arlington, VA
Nat'l Urban Extension Conference
May 20-23, 2019
Seattle, WA
NEAFCS 2019 Annual Session
Sept. 30 - Oct. 3, 2019
Hershey, PA
NEAFCS 2020 Annual Session
September 14-17, 2020
Snowbird Resort, UT
ANNOUNCEMENT
Michigan State University Extension is hosting the Farm Stress Management Summit to equip Extension professionals around the country with tools to work with farmers and to educate agribusiness stakeholders.
Join us in Lansing, Michigan, January 24 – 25, 2019, and learn to teach the Farm Stress Management curriculum that provides two workshops to help farmers manage stress and to help those who work with them learn techniques to connect farmers with resources.
Learn More and Register
IMPORTANT
Please add the following two emails to your "safe sender" or "white lists" to ensure you continue to receive emails from NEAFCS as we move to a new system.
[email protected]
[email protected]
For those of you accessing your email through a work email server, you may wish to share this information with your IT person and ask for their help in ensuring the email addresses are added to your safe sender lists.
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President's Message - 2018 Reflection Time
Karen Munden (VA), President 
As 2018 comes to a close, this is an excellent opportunity to reflect on things that happened throughout the year and lessons learned. I like to take a personal inventory of myself and ask several thought-provoking questions. A few of the questions include: Have I done the best job that I could have done? Have I been the best co-worker, instructor, member, friend, and/or mentor that I could be? Did I treat others as I want to be treated? Did I listen attentively to all sides of issues before making decisions? I also take time to ask myself: Have I contributed to others’ lives? Was I a positive example for others? Did I provide someone information they could use to improve their life? Did I offer words of encouragement and did I provide someone a smile or hug? During this time of reflection, I also ponder over how others have affected my life throughout the year. Have others contributed to my life positively or negatively and what were the lessons I was to learn? I also reflect on new friendships and partnerships that were established as well as those that were renewed and/or strengthened during 2018.
During this time of reflection, I also think about the work we do as Family and Consumer Sciences Agents/Educators. During our financial workshops, we instruct our participants to develop and write SMART (Smart, Measureable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound) Goals. During our food and nutrition workshops, we instruct participants to use more whole grains, less sugar, less fats and more fiber when preparing meals; we also instruct our participants to practice food safety skills. During our health wellness workshops, we instruct our participants to move more and implement stress reduction strategies. During our parenting workshops, we instruct our participants to set limits and be consistent with rules that focus on positive behavior. During our professional development workshops, we instruct our participants to “make good first impressions” and to utilize professional ethics before, during and after employment.
After a self-reflection and pondering about all the work we do in our professional lives, I like to become the participant. Every year as I strive to be a better me, I utilize materials and resources I use during my educational classes, trainings, and workshops. My hope is that you will take time for yourself to reflect and decide how you plan to be a better you in 2019.
It is an honor to be a part of the National Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, because of our dedication, service and commitment to empower others with knowledge and skills to improve their lives and make this a better place in which to live. Please be safe and enjoy the holiday season. I wish you a wonderful new beginning as we start a brand NEW YEAR!
Remember to look for the Hershey Kiss in this newsletter for your chance to be entered into the drawing for a FREE Annual Session Registration. Email me the location at [email protected]. Good Luck!
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Come Join Us at JCEP!
Ellen M. Bjelland (ND), Central Region Director & Dianne Gertson (TX), Southern Region Director 
Let’s start at the beginning -- What is JCEP? The Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) is an umbrella organization that includes representatives from all seven Extension professional associations, including NEAFCS, National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA), National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA), to name a few, plus USDA-NIFA staff. One of the primary goals of JCEP is to promote leadership through the JCEP Extension Leadership Conference (ELC).
The upcoming ELC conference will be at the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas, February 6-7, 2019. The theme for this year’s conference is Cultivating Leaders (see https://www.jcep.org/elc). Conference sessions will provide professional development to address leadership and management skill development critical for emerging Extension leaders. These skills apply across all Extension program areas and JCEP member organizations.
During the ELC, there is time designated for NEAFCS attendees to gather and discuss issues relevant to our association. Speaking for all the Regional Directors, we highly encourage each NEAFCS Affiliate to send a representative to this conference. Recognizing that many of our Affiliates do not have the resources to send a representative, the NEAFCS Board of Directors is offering forty-five (45) $350 scholarships to subsidize the cost of attendance. For more information, contact your Affiliate President or Regional Director.
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Time to renew, it's not too late!
Cindy Schlenker Davies (NM), Vice President of Member Resources
It seems like renewal time comes quicker every year. I hope you find being a member of NEAFCS is a benefit to you personally and professionally. Thank you for renewing your dues for 2019.
First time members welcome! We are so glad to have you join our National Association and your State Affiliate. Please consider attending Annual Session in Hershey, Pennsylvania this year. We have a special event for our new members at the annual session!
Our subcommittees are up to some exciting things!
The Journal committee is an active group; notice their article in this newsletter. We are highlighting Julie Garden-Robinson’s article, “Faith Communities Alive: Evaluation of a Nutrition and Fitness Intervention Implemented in Faith Communities.”
Michelle Brill from the diversity committee has some great resources for working with developmental disabled individuals. Check out Michelle’s article this month!
The Diversity committee would like you to check out the Diversity resources link: https://neafcs.memberclicks.net/member-resources---diversity-resources. Check back often as more resources will be added.
As we wrap up 2018, I’d like to wish you all a joy filled Holiday season.
Article Highlight: Faith Communities Alive: Evaluation of a Nutrition and Fitness Intervention Implemented in Faith Communities
Article by Julie Garden-Robinson, North Dakota
Faith communities can be instrumental in health outreach, but few evaluations studies have been conducted in Midwestern states. The goal of the North Dakota Extension-led Faith Communities Alive project was to provide collaborative training, tools and support for volunteer leaders in addressing healthful eating, physical activity and health. This article describes the process of launching an initiative in 25 faith communities and provides evaluation outcomes using common tools. Evaluation results showed that faith communities made strides in creating sustainable health-related programs. This project represents a programming opportunity for Family and Consumer Sciences educators in the community setting.
Read the whole article on pages 27-43 in the 2018 The Journal of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
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Consider submitting to the Journal of the NEAFCS!
Meagan Brothers (IN), Marketing Officer – Journal Editorial Subcommittee of Member Resources
As you have surely already seen, the Journal of NEAFCS has been published online. What great work our colleagues are doing in their communities! This is a great time to start thinking about how you can let your own light shine and submit an article to the Journal for 2019. To learn more about submitting an article and being involved as a reviewer, go to https://neafcs.memberclicks.net/journal-of-neafcs. Submissions are due April 1, 2019, so you have plenty of time to plan and write.
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PILD First Timers Scholarship Application Portal Open from Dec. 18 to Feb. 1 
Julie Garden-Robinson (ND), Vice President of Public Affairs & PILD Planning Team Member
The 2018 Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) Conference will be April 14-17, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA. Past PILD attendees have found this professional development experience very valuable, so be sure to read their reflections on the NEAFCS website.
PILD first-time attendees may be eligible for one of the twenty $300 NEAFCS 1st Timer's scholarships. Contact your affiliate President if you wish to be considered for the state PILD team and this award. Only one scholarship per affiliate. The scholarships are awarded on a first come, first serve basis among those who complete the application as directed. Attendees are required to submit a reflection article and photo after participating.
The PILD scholarship applications are collected online at www.neafcs.org. The PILD conference is sponsored by the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP). Go to www.jcep.org/pild for up-to-date conference information. You also can find the link on the NEAFCS Public Affairs Home Page. Conference registration opens January 2, 2019. Early Bird Registration is due by March 22, 2019.
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Developmental Disabilities Training Series
Michelle F. Brill (NJ), Diversity Subcommittee Member
The CDC reports there are over six million individuals in the U.S. with developmental disabilities including 1 in 6 children. Developmental disabilities include Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability and others. Individuals with developmental disabilities are protected under federal and state discrimination laws and are sometimes an underserved audience in diversity and inclusion efforts.
Cooperative Extension is an equal access/equal opportunity institution and as such does not exclude, and would benefit from welcoming individuals with disabilities into its programming. In order to ensure that programming is accessible and appropriate for all audiences, Extension educators need a foundation of knowledge about developmental disabilities and how to effectively adapt their programs to meet their audiences learning needs.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension FCHS and 4-H faculty created the Developmental Disabilities Training Series, a five-part course that furthers understanding of the needs, characteristics and rights of individuals with developmental disabilities and provides inclusive educational strategies. The course is suitable for Extension personnel, volunteers and non-formal educators who design and implement programs for youth and adults with disabilities who participate in school and community-based programs.
The course includes: Overview of Disabilities; Disabilities and Learning; Understanding and Managing Behavior; Visual Supports; and Disabilities Laws, Program Accommodations and Modifications. The Developmental Disabilities Training Series is available as an online non-credit course through Colorado State University at https://www.online.colostate.edu/badges/developmental-disabilities/.
The partnership with CSU evolved from our participation in eXtension’s Diversity and Inclusion Issue Corps. In-person training can also be arranged by contacting Michelle Brill [email protected] or Jeannette Rea-Keywood [email protected].
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There is a YOU in Annual Session. YOU have what it takes!
Jayne McBurney (NC), Vice President for Professional Development
It is the end of the year, you are working on reports, data is collected and analyzed, and success and impact stories are written. Now, gather that information and write a proposal for our 2019 Annual Session in Hershey!
I have just reviewed the results of surveys from the 2018 Annual Session in San Antonio, and there were many comments related to the concurrent sessions. Comments were made about too many sessions in one content area and not enough in another. Our members want programs that they can duplicate at the county level, not just statewide programs. This is where YOU come in…
Do you know that the content of your professional development is YOUR responsibility as a member of NEAFCS? Proposals selected for the Annual Session are based on submissions from YOU! Have you accomplished something this year, or last, or the past three years together that made a difference in your community? What have been your great successes in programming? Do you conduct programs that are new and unique? Have you brought back training in basic skills that is innovative and/or successful? If so, YOU have what it takes.
The Request for Proposals for Annual Session opened on December 1st and will remain open until January 31, 2019. Now is the time to collect all your information and concisely present it in a proposal. Not sure what to include? Participate (or watch the recorded session) our “Tips & Tricks for Submitting a Successful Concurrent Session/Showcase of Excellence/Ignite or World Café Proposal” webinar on December 12 at 3:00 pm Eastern. Marcia Parcell and Candace Heer of our Professional Development Committee will give you all the details you need to write your proposal.
Gather all your program details, successes, and impacts. YOU have what it takes!
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NEAFCS Impact Statement Portal Open December 1 to February 1
Julie Garden-Robinson (ND), Vice President for Public Affairs
We invite all affiliates to submit impact statements for potential inclusion in the 2019 NEAFCS Impact Statements! These statements are used widely to show what our programs accomplish nationwide.
Each state is encouraged to submit one to three high-impact programs in one or more program/subject areas. In 2019, we are adding a new category: disaster education.
Click on the “Public Affairs” tab and the “Education” section of the NEAFCS website to view the NEAFCS impact report archives and also review tips about writing powerful impact statements. We encourage submission of high-resolution photos. The review committee looks forward to reading about the impacts your programs have made in the past year.
Visit www.neafcs.org to submit your state’s impact statements.
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Welcome to Hershey!
Lynn James (PA), Tri-liaison, 2019 NEAFCS Annual Session
September 2019 may seem like a long way off, but I want to be the first to welcome you to the “Sweetest Place on Earth, Hershey PA” for our next NEAFCS annual conference. As tri-liaison, I have been asked to write this initial article about the next conference. Why did we pick Hershey PA you may ask? There are so many reasons! Here is a list of some and we will highlight more reasons in future articles.
- Explore the rich cultural history of Milton Hershey, great industrialist, philanthropist, visionary educator and humanitarian. Learn more at the Hershey museum.
- Chocolate! Our Opening Session will be at Chocolate World, where you can smell, taste, and create your own chocolate bars, and learn about everything chocolate. Even the town’s street lights are shaped like Hershey kisses!
- Tour Hershey Gardens, with 23 themed gardens, over 275 varieties in the rose garden, an extensive herb garden, children’s garden, Japanese garden, and more. It also includes a Butterfly Atrium, with more than 400 tropical and North American varieties.
- The outstanding hotel, Hershey Lodge, will be our base. But make time to visit the historic Hershey Hotel, which has a premier spa. Chocolate bath or shower anyone?
- Of course, if you and your family want to visit the world-famous Hersheypark, plan to come the weekend before, which is the last days of the regular season.
I hope you are getting as excited as we are in Pennsylvania to have you visit. It truly will be a sweet experience!
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Eastern Region Update
Sharon McDonald (PA), Eastern Regional Director
Greetings from the East,
Our tri-liaisons, Theresa Mayhew, Lynn James and Denise Continenza, continue to work with the National Office and VP of Professional Development on the annual session in Hershey, September 2019. At this point many people have volunteered for the various committees but we are still in need of committee members and chairs. While the East may be small in numbers of members, we are a talented and dedicated group.
Please feel free to contact one of these individuals to see what slots need to be filled!
The Pennsylvania Affiliate held a meeting this fall and elected new officers for 2019. Congratulations to Amber Denmon, President, Mandel Smith, President Elect, Elaine Smith, VP Awards, Denise Continenza, VP Professional Development, Jacqueline Amor-Zitzelberger, VP Member Resources, Stacy Reed, VP Public Affairs, Laurie Welch, Secretary and Kathy DiGuiseppe, Treasure.
Happy Holidays to everyone!
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Interview Questions for Extension FCS Educators
Jan Scholl (PA), 85th Anniversary Committee member (Edited by Teresa Mayhew (NY) Tri-liaison, 2019 NEAFCS Annual Session)
During the NEAFCS 85th anniversary, you might want to interview longtime current or retired members for your historical records. If you are recording the interview, start by saying the date and where the interview takes place. Introduce yourself, the interviewee, and the topic of the interview. You might ask some of these questions and/or include some of your own depending on the person. It might be easier for current members to fill out a form but they also might enjoy being interviewed.
- Where did you grow up and go to high school and college?
- You were a family and consumer sciences educator (home economics agent) in _________county? Did you ever work in another state?
- Why did you choose this location?
- Were you a specialist or a district educator?
- How many agents (educators) were in the state at the time? How many were in FCS?
- What were the major problems (challenges) in your community?
- Did you travel in your position for conferences or work?
- Were you part of state or national professional organizations? Did you hold any offices?
- What was your first experience in ___________county?
- What event made you feel you had been accepted by your county? Do you remember or recall anything that got you “over the hump”?
- Who were the Extension personnel in your office and was there someone who mentored you?
- What unusual activities were you involved in?
- Were you known throughout the county for specific expertise or programs?
- How did you plan your annual program?
- What do you think was your greatest Extension accomplishment?
- Did you have advisory committees? How did they work?
- How did you keep up to date on subject matter?
- Did you have frustrations or “down days”?
- What are your current hobbies or activities since retirement?
- Do you think Extension is as important today as it once was?
- What else would you like to say?
The interview should be translated in text as well as in an electronic format. Consider setting up a collection of your state’s Extension FCS materials and send them to your university’s library archives.
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Meet the Board: Secretary
Jessica Trussell (MO), Secretary
Hello from the Show-Me State! I am excited to be serving as the Secretary of NEAFCS for the next two years. I have already learned so much and I am excited to serve with this excellent board. A little background about myself. I have most recently served on the arrangements subcommittee for the past three years. I have also held a number of positions within our Missouri affiliate chapter, including president, president-elect, secretary, and other vice president positions. I certainly encourage all members to look at where and how they can serve within their state affiliate and consider serving at the national level as well.
Personally, I am a north Missouri girl and when I was five, I said I was going to be a Tiger like my daddy. Luckily, that worked out and I was able to obtain both my bachelor’s (psychology) and master’s (human development and family science) degrees from the University of Missouri. I credit my college advisor, Dr. Sara Gable, with my career in Extension. She worked with me to find a career path that I was interested in and it led me to the world of Extension and an internship that let me learn about the day-to-day life of an extension specialist. I have been serving as a field specialist in Human Development and Family Science for 10 years and currently cover 10 counties in northwest Missouri. I met my husband, Matt, while we were in college and we have three boys (11, 7, & 5). We love watching MU games (both in person and on tv), playing games as a family, and traveling when we can.
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