Home Away From Home

It is crazy for me to think about this being my final week here at the Pendleton County Cooperative Extension office. I am truly sad to think that all that I looked forward to all year is coming to an end, but this summer was everything I was hoping it would be and so much more. I was not active in 4-H or really any other programs at my home extension office so this whole summer has been a constant learning experience and I couldn't think of a better program to become familiar with. I love promoting this great program and talking with the community about all that extension has to offer.

My summer project took most all summer to complete because it wasn't just a day camp or a class. All summer I was doing "Plate It Up!" sampling with our watermelon Kentucky Proud recipes. When I first looked over CEDIK to decide what I thought the need was in Pendleton County the first thing that stuck out to me was that 36.2% of adults are obese. I believe 36.2% is a high number when you compare it to the 31% in Northern Kentucky and 32.9% in all of Kentucky. Previously the extension assistant or the FCS agent would typically do samples at the local grocery store and the farmers market once a month but I took it to another level and did it a lot of different places to reach a more diverse audience. During the summer I did sampling at our local farmers market, 4-H camp, the senior center, the fair, and the 21st century program. Since I had my informational board on watermelon and my tasty samples at all of these different locations I could reach a more diverse audience than just the famers market or the store. I wanted to give a wide variety of Pendleton County residents an opportunity to receive healthy recipes to share with their family and friends.

Having a project all of my own was a great learning experience. I enjoyed knowing that I was in charge of the success, or failure, of my project for that day. It really helped me to see what all it takes to plan and organize different events so that you can get your message out. Sometimes I didn't have a spot, I forgot my recipe cards, or I just needed help carrying everything and there was always someone there to help me out and if not then you learn how to improvise and it truly helped me to be more independent in my work.

Simply being in Pendleton County all summer was a blessing all in its own way, I am not from here but my dads side of the family is. My immediate family was not close with my extended family because we do not live here, but since I have been here everyone recognizes my name or knows my family. I was able to reconnect with some of my grandfathers cousins, one who happens to be a very involved homemaker, and meet some family I never knew I had. It was truly the best possible county I could have been placed in because everything was new to me but I still felt like I belonged. I was able to learn all about a county I didn't know much about and meet wonderful people, I have and will always consider this my home away from home. 

What once was "Showalter's" car lot, Falmouth KY