Extension Homemakers focus on continuing education

Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Putnam County Extension Homemakers County President Geneva Dorris presents a copy of "Why Congress Matters" by Ilona Nickels to Library Director Alice Greenburg for use by Putnam County Citizens. Nickels spoke at the 2008 Home and Family Conference at Purdue about the way Congress works and why it is important to be an involved citizen. Extension Homemakers County Leadership Chair Karen Heavin will be using information from Nickels' book to encourage increased interest in citizenship throughout the year. After all, as Justice Louis Brandeis stated, "The only title in our democracy superior to that of President is the title of citizen."

GREENCASTLE -- One of the main purposes of Extension Homemaker Clubs is continuing education. One of the major vehicles of the education component is leader lessons.

Each month a lesson is presented to representatives of the individual clubs who attend the lesson and then re-teach the material to the members of their clubs. This gives members not only a chance to learn new information, but also provides an opportunity to lead and teach others.

For many years, most leader lessons were taught in the county by Purdue Educators who traveled to Putnam County to teach the lessons. That process has recently been changed to having one or two lesson conferences somewhere in the nine-county area that comprises the Terre Haute District to which Putnam County belongs.

Extension Homemakers from Putnam County now travel to the conference site to take the lessons and then re-teach them to their club or to other lesson leaders in the county. This change in the way lessons are received has been an adjustment for the organization but is a change that is being tried to save costs and to adjust the changes in the way people receive information in today's society.

Other educational programs are planned and taught by local and other resources, such as the International Program on Norway, which was presented recently by retired Extension Educator Sue Berg from Monroe County and the up-coming lesson on Bread Making, which will be offered Nov. 10 at Area 30 Career Center.

For more information about Purdue Extension or Putnam County Extension Clubs, contact the Extension Office at 653-8411.

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