Thanks for Meeting Us in Montana!

MSU Extension hosts NEAFCS 2016

The 2016 NEAFCS conference was a chance to Discover, Connect and Engage.  I just discovered that two months have passed since the national conference and some of my best intentions got put on the back burner as we ended up short staffed at our office.  Since returning home, I have been engaged in training for and teaching Living Life Well with Chronic Disease six-week class, hosting the Montana State 4-H Leadership Forum, teaching Powerful Tools for Caregivers six-week class, teaching StrongPeople strength training classes, attending MSU Extension annual conference and hiring new support staff, among other work and life duties and details. I am thankful to have meaningful work that I truly enjoy!  I also very much enjoyed helping host the NEAFCS 2016 conference and connecting with you.

Because our annual reports will be due soon, I hope to engage you for about five minutes in responding to a survey so we can discover some of the economic impact a national conference has on our state.  We would very much appreciate if you would take five minutes before December 1 to answer a few questions.

In addition to the survey, I wanted to offer all of you links to the materials from the in-depth session, concurrent session and Showcase of Excellence that I prepared for NEAFCS at Big Sky.  The in-depth session was on the Art of Science or the Science of Art.  In the class, we worked together to apply the scientific process to permanent marker dying.  I enjoyed teaching and appreciated tapping into the knowledge of colleagues who took the class and discovering the ways each of us uses science in our teaching.  We “let our minds wonder” and then set up experiments to test the “wonderings” or ideas. Class materials can be found here.

Showcase of Excellence

Our Showcase of Excellence was Operation Concession Intervention. Several of the Montana State University faculty were involved in this project including Carrie Ashe and Roubie Younkin. We want to encourage our colleagues across the nation in working with concession booths to upgrade the nutritional value of their food offerings.  Originally we worked with South Dakota Department of Health and received permission to modify Munch Code guidelines for use in our state.  The document is now available for you to customize for your county or state.  You can find Operation Concession Intervention materials and resources (some from University of Wyoming where I got my start in Extension) at this link.  

Demonstrating and easy grip tweezer for someone
who struggles with hand pain.

The Aging in Place with Assistive Devices class was prepared in conjunction with Dr. Sandy Bailey.  The class features a variety of devices that can make daily tasks easier for those facing changes in their abilities.  One of my personal favorites is the PenFriend, a programmable talking device for those with low vision.  A friend bought one as a gift for her mother and then programmed stickers on thermostat dials, dishwasher, washing machine/dryer settings and more, so that her mom could have the pen “read” her the instructions (from programmed stickers) on dials she can no longer see.  The weighted spoons/forks have also been popular with those who have tremors.  There are so many ways we can assist others to remain independent.  Feel free to serve and teach others with the assistive devices class resources found here. I have also included a document on “people first” language.  I encourage you to consider saying, “the person with low vision” rather than the blind man. We all strive to help others and making sure the person is first can be important.  I would be happy to review the class slides and materials with you, if you want to use them to reach audiences in your Extension coverage area.

Something I love about Extension is our willingness to share across counties, states and universities to benefit the people we serve.  I am excited to use the information I gained by attending NEAFCS to benefit the people in my county soon.  I look forward to sharing the Preserve@Home opportunity and to offering a Valentine’s special on the Five Love Languages. Just yesterday I shared information from the Happier Me! Mindfulness class.  I have also put into play some concepts from Developing a Marketing Mindset.  Since mid-September, I have reflected often on the messages from Dr. Temple Grandin with her insights on autism, livestock and animal handling and our food systems. 

MSU FCS!

You can find many of the materials I used for NEAFCS 2016 at this link. A little disclaimer, though, some of my notes may only make sense to me, but you are welcome to contact me to review or explain. As well, it may be evident that I am not letting perfectionism paralyze me.  Proofreading and improvements may be necessary before you use some of the materials, but I wanted to make the available sooner rather than later.  I trust you to use, improve and adapt materials that I have created.  If you happen to use any of the materials from my classes, please let me know at jwolery@montana.edu so that I can report the reach and impact of our cooperative efforts.  Thank you to everyone who contributed to this powerful exchange of knowledge and for the wonderful connections and camaraderie with colleagues.