August

    By: Cole Bell 

Calloway County Ky.

 The last several weeks I have spent a considerable amount of time helping 4-H kids prepare for State Fair Contests.  Mostly I have worked with Horticulture but I have also helped some with poultry contests.   I was not in 4-H when I was in school, it is amazing to me how much some of these kids know about Horticulture and Poultry.   Some of them know more about horticulture now than I knew in middle school.  They will have an advantage over many students if they someday choose to pursue a degree in an Agricultural field. 

     One day I got to meet with Mr. Daniel Becker, the Fruit and Vegetable Specialist from UKREC in Princeton.  He was meeting a farmer interested in pursuing commercial fruit and vegetable production.   Mr. Becker was very informational and eager to help in any way that he could. 

     Today I spent about half a day organizing our new “Reinforcements”, with such a small office we have to make a puzzle with all of the boxes to make them fit in our closet space.  It was neat to see all of the different tools of reinforcement and see how they will help people of our community.  I really don’t think we could have fit anything else into the closet space we have available, maybe soon we will get some metal cabinets for additional storage space.

     Some of the highlights for my upcoming last week are one more radio appearance and teaching a class on cover crops for home owners, and gardeners.  I hope to send them away with some valuable information that they can apply on their properties.  There are many benefits to soil quality including: water holding capacity, addition of organic matter, reduction of erosion.  

This is it...

Hi Everyone..

So this is my last week of the internship and I truly cannot believe that it is over. I knew this would be something I would enjoy, but I never thought that the only summer I spent working while I was in college would be my favorite summer. Interning at the Letcher County Extension Office has been one of the most exciting and fulfilling experiences of my college career. This experience has allowed me to work alongside some of the most amazing people I have ever met, people that are mindful and respectful of others and as passionate as possible. This career is what you make it, and these women and men put everything into their work and their community.

I also got to experience my county and community in a way I never thought possible. I have been living in this same county since birth and I have seen and experienced things this summer that I haven't ever before. I met new people, learned about different opportunities, and had a chance to positively influence the place that I love, Letcher county. Tomorrow my office is throwing a small staff outing to say goodbye to me, for now, and I couldn't be more grateful to everyone who made this amazing opportunity possible for me! I hope all of you have had a similar experience in this position and that you finish this internship wanting more!

Thank you!
Caitlin Collier

Final Days

As the end of my internship draws near, I have begun to reflect on my time spent with the Meade County Extension Service. On the surface it seems that the greatest benefit of this internship would be furthering my family consumer science knowledge and experience; however, my most valuable lesson was learning how to keep an open-mind. As a devout Christian, compassionate vegan, hardcore feminist, and young democrat, I fit into an extremely small population of people- a population that may not even exist in Meade County.  College has allowed me to cultivate and grow my own ideas, but it has also allowed me to pigeonhole myself into a narrow belief system that was rarely challenged. Being raised in this county, I knew that the transition back home would be tricky. Perhaps even more challenging would be keeping my professional and personal self in check. Oh, was I right. Fortunately, I had the extension agents, staff, and homemakers to reteach me how to respect diversity.

On my first day of work my supervising agent, Jennifer Bridge, was quick to give me a schedule of the events that would take place this summer including homemaker meetings, food preservation classes, farmers’ market demonstrations, 4-H Camp, and the county fair. I could tell my summer was going to be busy, educational, and fun. Even after only a few days of working with Jennifer, I learned that she was a determined woman who spoke her mind. Anytime she felt that she needed to voice her opinion she did. However, she did so with respect and professionalism, two things that I admittedly struggle with. Jennifer taught me how to respect others’ opinions, but to also voice my own. Besides my supervising agent, I spent most of my time with the women of the Meade County Extension Homemakers. These ladies taught me how to be a stronger woman. Seeing women take leadership roles, develop community service events, and care for their families made my feminist heart happy. The women in this organization know who they are both as individuals and as homemakers.  I hope that I can utilize the skills I have learned from the homemaker association in my future career and home. I can honestly say that I am now a more professional, caring woman than I was at the start of this internship.

On the other end of the extension spectrum was the agriculture agent Andy Mills. Within the first two weeks of work Andy had asked me to assist him with artificially inseminating a cow, which I gracefully had to decline. It didn’t take me long to figure out that Andy and I probably didn’t agree on much. As someone who does not willingly impregnate or eat animals, I learned a great deal from someone who does both of those things.  I learned from Andy that caring for animals is difficult work and not something to be taken lightly. Several times a week he would travel to local farms to help people provide the best care for their livestock. Thanks to Andy, I am more knowledgeable about the humane treatment of animals and how to interact with someone who was vastly different than myself.  The rest of the staff helped me to feel welcomed by answering any question I might have and by providing some much needed guidance. They even went out of their way to respect my lifestyle by bringing me vegan recipes and cupcakes. I could not be more thankful for the wonderful people that I worked alongside this summer.

At the start of this internship I believed that I would be too different to truly connect with the people I would be working with. Although opinions did vary and sometimes clash, it turns out that the diversity I encountered actually contributed to building more meaningful relationships. I learned more about the people and needs of this community than I would have ever thought possible. I would like to thank the people of Meade County for helping me grow as a professional and individual. I hope that one day I can use these lessons to give back to my hometown.

Firsts...

I still have a couple of days left of my internship but I've recently sat back and thought of all the things that I've done for the first time since I started this internship.

I rode on a helicopter for the first time ever. Although it was a scary moment I am so glad that I got the opportunity to do so. I had such a blast and I learned so much about helicopters and airplanes.

I attended camp for the first time in my life. I'm not much of an outside person, so when I heard about camp I was nervous. The first day was a lot to handle because our rooms didn't have air conditioning and the idea of using bath houses really scared me. Once I realized that I needed to just enjoy nature and enjoy spending time with the kids, I had a blast. I was a cabin leader for 20 girls and our cabin was filled with laughter and we all made lifelong memories. Experiencing camp for the first time ever is something that I will tell people for a long time; not only did I have to overcome my fears of bugs and bath houses but I learned a lot during those four days.

I taught a class at the YMCA. It may not sound like a lot but before starting this internship I was terrified of public speaking and now knowing that I can get up there and teach a whole class shows me how much I've grown during this time. I'm still not the biggest fan of speaking in public but I'm getting better.

I experienced the county fair for the first time. I had always heard about the fair but I had never gone to one.  This year fair week was a little crazy and we also worked in the 4-H booth selling food. At moments I found it very hard to keep going because I was tired, my feet were hurting but I pushed through and we had a very successful turn out.

I went to Teen Conference in Lexington. We took a couple of kids to Teen Conference and they all learned a lot and had a lot of fun. We got to stay in the new dorms at UK, which was very nice and the activities that we had planned out were a success.

I got to go to Virginia Tech and attend the NICE Conference. I had a blast at Virginia Tech and learned a lot about cooperatives and I know the kids learned a lot and they had so much fun, which is very rewarding. I am very glad I got to attend.

The things that I mentioned above aren't even half of the things that I did for the first time. Coming in to the internship I would have never thought that I would have done all this things and although some of them were scary or they were tiring they each taught me something about myself and I don't regret doing them. I learned that I can survive a week at camp, I learned that I can speak in public and not be terrified, I learned about how much of an influence we are to the youth. Each one of these lessons are things that I will need for the future and my future career.

Cloverbud Camp!

This year i was able to go to cloverbud camp again. I knew it would be fun just like last year, and different since we were going to another camp location. I was taking 3 boys down with our county to enjoy the weekend. i had never been to camp feltner before so i knew it would be a new experience.

We had a cabin full of very energetic kids that were ready to have a fun weekend at camp. we were able to settle in and get to know everyone when we got there. we met the staff and the other adults, who all seemed to be enthusiastic. friday evening was short but fun and got us warmed up for the rest of the time we would be there. saturday was a very long and hot day. we went to a lot of classes and activities that the kids really liked. the best part of the day was getting in the pool because it was really hot that weekend. i figured as the day went on the kids would start winding down, but they didnt seem to slow down a bit. they wanted to stay up all night with the new friends that they made.

even though it was 85 degrees in the cabin when we went to sleep saturday night, we were up and ready to go sunday morning to finish camp. we still were able to have class and fun activities even though we were leaving that afternoon. cloverbud was a successful even this year for sure and i definitely enjoyed it. i hope that all the kids did too and that they continue to keep going!

Busy in Breathitt County!

To say that I've had fun this summer would be a huge understatement. At first I was hesitant going into another community but I was welcomed with open arms. The staff here at the Breathitt County Extension Office have definitely showed me that a good relationship with your work family is key to a successful office. The past few weeks have been so busy that I haven't had much time to sit and think about everything I've done.

I have helped with several cooking classes from BBQ Day Camp to 4-H Cooking School. The children learned not only how to BBQ chicken the proper way but the safety precautions you must take when using a charcoal grill. 4-H Cooking School focused on nutrition in each different area. This three day camp consisted of a day focusing on fruits, a day on vegetables, and the last day on grains.

I was also included in planning the annual back-to-school day camp here in Breathitt County. Breathitt County 4-H partnered up with Douthitt Park Recreation to provide this day camp. We had over 90 children participate with well over 30 volunteers. The children went to several different classes taught by people in the community. They were given a backpack with several items that would assist them before school started back.

I also completed my intern project at the Breathitt Regional Juvenile Detention Center. My main focus was to teach financial literacy in my three session class, "Money Management." In the first lesson I explained the main differences between checking and savings accounts, how to write a check, and complete an entry into a check register. The second class focused on budgets and how each person must have a budget that fits their own needs. I also explained the different forms of debt such as loans, credit cards, and how those things effect you down the road.The last class I let the students test their ability to manage money by doing a Reality Store. For those who aren't familiar with this program, each student is given a career with a salary and monthly income. They are also given families where some people may have three children and others only have one. Then they must go around to all of the booths where they have to purchase all of their needs and wants with their limited monthly income. It may seem simple but it shows each student the value of a dollar. In my class there was only one student who could get by on one job alone. Most others had to have second jobs to provide for themselves and their families.

While I am very sad that my internship will soon be over, I cannot wait to see what these last few weeks have in store for me. I will be helping my agent as she goes and helps prepare for the state fair. Louisville, here I come!

Busy but Fantastic

Summer 2015 is winding down and so is my internship at the Clark County Extension Office. My to-do list is almost complete and my summer project is finalized. During my last blog I wrote about planning for a summer day camp called “Getting in the Garden.” Twenty youth participated in the day camp making food and learning about soil quality. All of the participants enjoy the day camp and were excited to share the recipes with their family and friends.

 After the day camp was completed, I went to work finalizing my main summer project. I contacted participants from the 2015 communications contest to video their speech and demonstration. These clips were made into a longer video for the agents to show in school classrooms. Along with the video, I created a grading sheet that includes a scale for the students to judge the participants in the video. The guidelines the students are judging came from the actual judging sheets for the communications contest. The video and judging sheets will allow the students to visually see what an actual speech or demonstration looks like for a competition.

 During the last week of my internship I had the opportunity to work with David Davis, the agriculture agent in Clark County. For David’s Ag Field day, I planned farm friendly kid’s activities for kids to do while the adults went on the farm tour. I also helped set up for the event, attended the event where I helped on the tour and with the kids activity, and of course cleaned up for two days afterwards. In between working on the field day, David let me tag along on a few farm visits where we looked at soy beans and maple trees. The work was hard but very rewarding.

To describe my summer in two words would be bust but fantastic. Some days went late into the night, some days were spent on the road, and some days were too short. Having the chance to work for the extension office has given me more of an appreciation for the agents. The agents in the Clark County Extension office do more than just go to camp and buy supplies for activities; they teach and support everyone they encounter.