Blog Posts

Friends is excited to celebrate Omaha Gives!

5/13/2019

Please consider making a donation to Friends of Extension Foundation during Omaha Gives! Day, a 24-hour, online giving event organized annually by the Omaha Community Foundation to grow philanthropy in the metro area (Douglas, Sarpy, and Pottawattamie Counties). The minimum donation is $10 and there is no maximum. The goal is to inspire the community to come together for 24 hours to contribute as many charitable dollars as possible to support the work of local nonprofit organizations. Omaha Gives! is based on other successful giving days hosted by community foundations across the country.

Donate Now!

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Awards luncheon recap

4/5/2019

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Nearly 70 friends were on hand for the Awards Recognition luncheon presented by Midwest Laboratories, Inc. The event, now in its second year, is sponsored by Friends of Extension Foundation and took place March 22 at Happy Hollow Country Club. Honorees included local organizations, non-profits and community members who give of their time and talents in support of Extension efforts in Douglas and Sarpy counties. Foundation President Mike Pallas kicked off the luncheon and introduced the 2019 honorees. Here's some photos and information about them:

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Join us in celebrating Mother Earth!

4/5/2019

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We're joining in on Omaha's largest and longest Earth Day festivities at Elmwood Park on Saturday, April 13. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. come join us to learn more about who we are and what we do. There will be hands on activities including:

Petting rabbits and poultry and talking to 4-H Council members about taking care of these cuddly, cute critters.
Getting "unplugged" with computer science skill basics.
Making a recycled Horticulture project using water bottles and grass seed. Plus participants can enter their completed project in the Sarpy County Fair!
Learning more about 4-H and what it means to be a member.

Master Gardeners will also be on hand to answer questions about plants and vegetables. Plus we will have some information about the foundation which includes information about the Douglas County Fair taking place in July. Rain or shine! Learn more!

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2019 Spring Grant Cycle Now open!

4/4/2019

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The 2019 Spring Grant Cycle is now open, please access the RFP and submit by April 30. Click here to access the RPF.

Eligibility

The Foundation invites grant proposals from Douglas and Sarpy County Extension and 4-H Staff (both paid and volunteer) and program participants, as well as from third parties who are directly partnered with Douglas and Sarpy County Extension and 4-H programs.

Criteria

Grant proposals will be considered via the competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Grants will be awarded according to criteria that the application activity strengthens the capacity of Douglas and Sarpy Extension and 4-H to meet local community-based needs. Criteria details are listed under the section RFP Requirements, below.

Categories

Grants will be awarded in the following areas:

Environmental
Food, Nutrition & Health
Youth Development/Family
Other.

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Learn how to become a farmer, in the city!

3/29/2019

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Grow a green thumb when you learn the secrets to growing vegetables in containers and small spaces. John Porter, Urban Agriculture program coordinator with the Nebraska Extension, will share his tips and tips during The Ultimate Urban Container Workshop taking place on Saturday, April 6. The workshop takes place from 9 a.m. to noon at the Nebraska Extension Office at 8015 West Center Road. The cost to attend is a non-perishable food item or cash donation to Food Bank for the Heartland.

The seminar is sponsored by the Friends of Extension Foundation. The Master Gardeners annually host a horticulture seminar as part of their raffle efforts. Consider joining us at the extension office April 6.
Learn more.

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Friends announces fall grant recipients

12/3/2018

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Eight worthy projects benefitting Douglas/Sarpy counties will receive $9,000 in seed money through Friends of Extension Foundation fall grant cycle.

Grants are awarded based on the relationship the individual/group has with extension and that it makes an impact on the environment, food, nutrition and health, youth development/family or other.

The following is the list of recipients and the amounts awarded:
1. Learning with Nature encourages children of preschool age to be active outside through outdoor learning environments and also nature play days which encourages family involvement in outdoor activities. Amount awarded, $1,200.

2. Urban Ag – Plant Propagation Program – This project, in conjunction with the Omaha Home for Boys, creates a plant propagation to create workshops and other sites that cooperate with extension. Amount awarded, $2,500.

3. Douglas/Sarpy 4-H Ambassador Teen Program enhances the current program and provide a more solid structure for teens. Amount awarded, $750.

4. Nebraska Extension Marketing Efforts provides for updated collateral promoting the rich resources and efforts Nebraska Extension in Douglas/Sarpy counties. Amount awarded, $1,500.

5. Enhancing the Master Gardener Program through partial scholarship funds for new master gardeners, helping to offset initiation costs. Amount awarded, $1,000.

6. MyPI – My Preparedness Initiative Nebraska - assists in the creation of backpack filled with emergency supplies for Bellevue East and West High School students. Amount awarded, $500.

7. 4-H Horse Bowl Team supports the 4-H Horse Bowl team and its four members going to competition in January 2019. Amount awarded, $1,000.

8. Stephen Center Project supports food growth and education about the importance of gardening. Amount awarded, $500.

Please visit grant funding guidelines for more information on the grant process, deadlines and to submit an application.

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Henry named 4-h volunteer of the year

11/28/2018

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Lorraine Henry has been named the 2018 4-H Volunteer of the Year. For 29 years, Lorraine has poured her time and energy into "making the best better." The award is given to recognize the continued devotion of the individual's time and talents to the Douglas-Sarpy 4-H Program by helping deliver and advance 4-H educational programming.

Lorraine is a well-known and well-loved member of the 4-H volunteer community. If you have spent any time in the livestock barn during the Sarpy County Fair, you have benefited from her service. While many folks are busy watching the show, or youth are busy preparing to enter the ring, Lorraine steadily works to make sure the shows happen! She spends work vacations creating show programming and entering names of winners and ribbon placements into data management system. She shows up on entry day and works for hours alongside staff to enter the hundreds upon hundreds of entries that show up that day. She does so all with a gracious smile and loving spirit. In addition, she serves as a 4-H club leader. Her club now contains the children of club alums that she proudly calls “legacies."

She has served as a Friends of Extension Foundation board member for 12 years including serving as president and as treasurer for the past six years. Beginning in 2019 she will serve as the organization's finance committee chair and transition the new treasurer as well as maintain transparency's commitment.

Congratulations, Lorraine Henry.

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VERNON WALDREN Inducted into NATIONAL 4-H HALL OF FAME

10/23/2018

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Vernon Waldren was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame on Oct. 19, 2018 for his lifetime achievements and contributions to 4-H.

Honored by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA), Waldren was one of 15 people inducted during the ceremony at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

The National 4-H Hall of Fame honorees are nominated by their home states, National 4-H Council; the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA); or 4-H National Headquarters/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) based upon their exceptional leadership at the local, state, national and international levels.

Honorees were presented with a National 4-H Hall of Fame medallion, plaque and memory book during the ceremony. The National 4-H Hall of Fame was established in 2002 as part of the Centennial Project of the NAE4-HA in partnership with National 4-H Council and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

“We are proud to recognize the 2018 National 4-H Hall of Fame honorees for the passion, dedication, vision and leadership they have shown toward young people during their many years of service to 4-H,” says Jeannette Rea Keywood, National 4-H Hall of Fame Committee Chair.

Vernon Waldren, a Kansas 4-H alumnus, devoted 37-years developing, teaching and facilitating youth and adult volunteers to become leaders. Starting his Extension career in Sarpy County with a split appointment of agriculture and 4-H, Vernon moved to Douglas County with a split appointment and finished his career as the unit leader of the combined Douglas/Sarpy Counties. As a co-coordinator of Nebraska’s largest 4-H program, Douglas/Sarpy 4-H reached 30,000 youth annually through its varied delivery methods under Vernon’s supervision from 1976 through 2013.

Vernon’s areas of focus included leadership, Science, Engineering, Technology and Math (STEM), and citizenship education. His philosophy concerning youth was that young people are resources for 4-H and not just for teaching. Vernon’s goal was to include youth in leadership roles, and he did so by having youth serve on planning committees and Extension governing boards, mentoring more than 500 youth on these boards. He also gave leadership to the Aksarben 4-H Livestock Show, the “largest 4-H youth livestock show in the world”, school outreach program, reaching over 2,000 4th grade youth annually.

From 1981 until 1999, Vernon directed the local unit’s Citizenship Washington Focus. This program was set-up on a three-year rotation that focused the youth learning on the differing levels of government – county, state and federal. It was during the third year, the youth traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the Citizenship Washington Focus program conducted by National 4-H Council. Participating in the three-year preparation program, the youth demonstrated knowledge of writing and presenting ideas for policy changes. Throughout these 16 years, 600 youth reported they understood how government and nonprofits operated; plus their individual civic involvement increased throughout the community.

In 1977, Vernon began his long-term commitment with the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) attending his first conference in Columbus, Ohio, and has participated in 35 conferences, acquiring and contributing valuable leadership to NAE4-HA and its members. An early adopter of technology, Vernon assisted with the first NAE4-HA web page reaching the 3,500 members and co-created a VHS video to provide a consistent message for members attending the four regional Joint Council of Extension Professionals meetings. As Chair of Programs Committee, Vernon successfully introduced program task force teams to the current system.

As a member of NAE4-HA’s executive team, Vernon served as the NAE4-HA Treasurer in 1994 and was responsible for $250,000 in assets. Elected president-elect in 1999, Vernon served on a 12-member board to re-evaluate the Board’s structure. Vernon’s presidency launched the new Board structure; however, not without a challenge. Vernon stood firm to the ten-year restructuring plan and won over the membership. The outcome has been renewed professional development opportunities, expanded professional advocacy and increased membership of nearly 1,000 Extension Professionals.

Vernon’s tenure strengthened partnerships with National 4-H Council and 4-H Headquarters. He was a catalyst for National 4-H Council to extend NAE4-HA the 501(c) 3 foundation to further the NAE4-HA’s opportunities for financial gifts. Meanwhile, he served on USDA 4-H Headquarter’s 4-H Name and Emblem Working Group to maintain integrity of the 4-H Clover for millions across the nation. Plus, gave leadership as JCEP Liaison for the Galaxy Conference that brought together Extension Professionals from differing associations in 2003.

In 2011, Vernon served as a tri-chair for the NAE4-HA Conference in Omaha. Retirement has not found Vernon resting as he is serving as the executive director for the Douglas/Sarpy Friends of Extension & 4-H Foundation, he created in 2003, where current assets exceed $375,000. He co-developed Board Boot Camp/Board Masters curriculum, teaching “Boardsmanhip” to non-profit groups in Nebraska including USDA Rural Development Committees and NACEB Officials. Vernon contributes expertise to other groups but his heart belongs to 4-H, an active NAE4-HA retiree, Vernon finds value in mentoring the next generation of professionals while encourages all professionals to continue making the best better!

A NAE4-HA colleague stated, “Vernon was and is a tremendous leader, whose utmost integrity and passion for the 4-H youth profession, unequivocally sets the bar at the highest level for NAE4HA."

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Thanks for making the fair a success!

8/29/2018

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On behalf of the 2018 Douglas County Fair, we thank you. Your participation, whether you entered items, exhibited, took part in a educational event/display, listened to a concert or came to the parade, we appreciate your support.

Check out the infographic below of the fair highlights and check out the photos/videos on Facebook.

Also, mark your calendars for the 2019 Douglas County Fair taking place July 11-14.

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New theme, venue for the Douglas County Fair

7/12/2018

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With the theme "Where urban and rural meet" Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and other county dignitaries helped kick off the 2018 Douglas County Fair with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Village Pointe amphitheater. The fair, now in its 139th year, took place July 12-15, 2018.

In May, fair officials announced Village Pointe shopping center would be the new venue for exhibits on topics including food preservation, quilting and cake decorating in open storefronts. In addition, there would be a parade, educational activities and live bands. Livestock shows and farm equipment would take place at nearby Chance Ridge in Elkhorn. Vernon Waldren serves as the executive director of Douglas County Fair and also Friends of Extension, who said in late May, Douglas County Board voted to dissolve the Douglas County Fair Board. The Friends of Extension & 4-H Douglas/Sarpy County Foundation has taken over running the fair.

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