Extension Notes …

Posted October 3, 2018 at 2:18 pm

Community Needs

Assessment helps move Kentucky forward

Source: Hayley Pierce, extension marketing manager and

Melody Nall, CEDIK engagement director

If you have an interest in the future of your community, please take a few minutes to fill out the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service’s Community Needs Assessment.

Available online at http://bit.ly/KYExtension , the needs assessment helps us start a discussion with local residents about issues you find important and prioritize the needs of our community. In extension, we have always used local input to develop our programming, but this is the first time we have formalized the process.

No prior knowledge of the Cooperative Extension Service is required to complete this survey. You’ll answer a series of questions related to many aspects of the community. These questions include topics such as health, public infrastructure, agriculture and youth.

Your responses are confidential and will be analyzed by UK’s Community Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky. Each county will receive personalized results from the assessment. County extension agents will use the responses to help develop new and innovative programs to tackle local issues and address community concerns. Extension has long been known as a great unifier within Kentucky communities, and we will also use survey results to develop collaborations and start discussions with different community leaders and organizations about ways to address issues that are important to our community members but outside the realm of traditional extension programming.

If you do not have computer access, you can complete a survey by visiting the Clinton County Extension office. The deadline to complete online and paper surveys is October 26.

As part of the assessment, extension is also hosting local focus groups to further discuss potential needs of our community. If you have a strong feelings about some aspect of our community, you might be interested in joining one of these groups. To join, contact the local extension office. Focus groups will meet periodically until December 14.

Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expressions, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.

Managing Holiday Expenses class offered October 9

Holidays are often an exciting time of the year. Spending time with family, enjoying time off work, and celebrating with family traditions are enjoyable activities.

However, the holidays can also represent added stress due to the crunch on your wallet.

Have you ever looked forward to a holiday while worrying about how you will pay for it? Have you even stressed about how to provide a fun experience for children without breaking the bank?

Decorations, gifts, and food expenses add up quickly. The objectives of this program are learning to develop a budget for upcoming holiday expenses, identify ways to re-use and make decorations, and identify cost saving strategies for specific holidays.

A class designed to help you manage holiday expenses will be offered to the public at the Clinton County Extension Office, Tuesday, October 9, at 10:00 a.m.

Edith Lovett, Pulaski County FCS Agent, will be teaching the class. Come join us!