Show your support for Nebraska Extension in Douglas-Sarpy Counties by donating to #GivingTuesday402 powered by SHARE Omaha taking place on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. The global initiative provides support for people and organizations to make a difference in their communities around the world. Despite the challenges of this past year, extension here at home continues to serve a diverse audience with a multitude of educational programs and activities. Through your involvement and volunteer efforts, we continue to make a difference in the lives of individuals and families. 

Donations made possible the financial support to the following in 2020:
4-H -

• Urban Agriculture initiative.
• Learning Child – Early Childhood education.
• Gardening to provide produce for shelters.
• Leadership education.

Natural Resources & Environment –    

• The Weather Station, housed at the extension office, continues to provide horticulture weather information to the community. 
• The demonstration gardens in Douglas and Sarpy Counties; Blanchard Garden at the extension office, Veterans Home, Hospice House Garden, Walnut Creek, Health Center, Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center, the Bee Garden and the Hope Garden.

Thank you for making Omaha Gives 2020 a huge success! We are so thankful for your generosity as we work to support Nebraska Extension in Douglas and Sarpy counties.

As we move forward in these new times your support allows us to provide continued support of extension programming in the following areas:

• 4-H Youth Development and Families
• Food, Nutrition & Health
• Water, Natural Resources and the Environment

Thank you to the day’s 36 generous donors. We raised $4245. For the entire Omaha Metro community over $8.5M was raised.

The COVID-19 pandemic is touching the lives of each of us and putting a greater emphasis on the economic and social gaps affecting our neighbors and our communities.

That's why donating to the Friends of Extension Foundation is more critical than ever. Your support will help Douglas and Sarpy county youth and adults continue to make the best better in their own backyards.

In the past year, thanks to your support, we've been able to make an impact in the following ways: 

4-H:

• Urban Agriculture initiative, focused on new plant starts for educational gardening.
• Early childhood education called Learning with Nature.
• Stephen’s Center 4-H garden project.
• Leadership education for the 4-H ambassador program.

Natural Resources and the Environment:    

• Weather Station, housed at the extension office, provides up-to-date horticulture weather information to the community.
• Chuck Blanchard Demonstration Garden support, located at the extension office.
• Support for all the horticulture demonstration gardens in Douglas and Sarpy Counties including: Veterans Home, Hospice House garden, Walnut Creek, Health Center, Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center, the Bee garden and the Hope garden.
• Production of a new garden journal for the community.

Other:        

• Douglas County Fair support for Extension Educational presentations teaching food safety, using a blender bike to teach nutrition and ask the Master Gardener.
• Extension office general support.

 
May 20, 2020 marks Omaha Gives!, a 24-hour online fundraising event organized by the Omaha Community Foundation. The goal is to raise support for nonprofits in Douglas, Sarpy and Pottawattamie Counties. It is a community-wide event to show off the area’s spirit of giving, raise awareness about local nonprofits, and celebrate the collective effort it takes to make this community great. Since 2013, this community give-together has raised $49 million for more than 1,000 nonprofits
 
You can help us continue to make a difference in our community by scheduling your gift beginning May 1 or making a donation on May 20. Have more fun–give both ways!
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The Hope Garden Project is a labor of love for members of Faithful Shepherd Presbyterian Church and Douglas-Sarpy County Extension office master gardeners. Now thanks to a grant by the Friends of Extension Foundation, the project will continue to make a difference in providing food security. The garden project was among eight grants awarded by Friends of Extension Foundation totaling more than $6,600.
 
Since 2010 the Hope Garden Project has produced thousands of pounds of fresh produce benefiting Heartland Hope Mission. Last year alone the garden produced more than 8,000 pounds. Proceeds from the grant will go to purchase seeds, plants, tools and other gardening necessities to make this year equally successful. Additional horticultural recipients include the Explorer 4-H Club, which received funding to teach youth about horticulture, specifically water. In addition, Master gardener scholarships will also be funded and funds received by the group will allow for the purchase of new portable tables for educational events in Douglas and Sarpy Counties. 
Other grant recipients include:

• The Gears in Motion 4-H Club who received funding to assist in their First Lego League Robotics program and competition. The funds will assist the club with the STEM education program dealing with robots.
• The extension office will have new video recording and conference call technology. This new technology is replacing 10+ year old equipment.
• A grant was funded to provide education in food safety. The funds will be used to assist the staff who teach in the food and nutrition and food safety areas.
• The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation's "Ag in the Classroom" programming. The goal of Ag in the Classroom is to teach youth about food locally, regionally and across the country. 

The Friends of Extension Foundation has been offering grants totaling up to $2,500 since 2010. The goal is to assist Nebraska Extension in Douglas and Sarpy Counties with programming. There are two grant cycles each year: one in the spring and fall. Grant categories include; master gardener/horticulture, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), technology, food safety, and agriculture youth education. Funding for the next round of grants is due April 30, 2020.