Extension Connections Franklin County eNewsletter

July 2015

Dear Friend of OSU Extension,

Greetings from OSU Extension – Franklin County! We hope that this e-newsletter finds you protected from the rain and enjoying the early days of summer. In this month’s Extension Connections e-newsletter you will find information regarding several exciting advancements and programmatic activities delivered by your local OSU Extension office. From hosting Franklin County’s largest 4-H camp to date, to receiving a competitive grant award from the Ohio Department of Commerce, to publishing the 2015 Columbus Local Foods Guide, the Franklin County Extension team has been actively creating and implementing local educational opportunities and resources with you and your family in mind.

Next item on the agenda, the Franklin County Fair! We hope you will attend this fun event (July 18-25) where many of our 4-H members are invited to exhibit their 4-H projects as well as participate in a wealth of other fair activities. You might even want to grab a “healthy snack” and perhaps a not so healthy snack while you are there! You can find information regarding the dates and times of the Franklin County Fair here.

Lastly, to stay up to date with many of our day to day activities, we welcome you to follow us on Twitter @OSUEFranklin.

Until next month, be well.

Sincerely,

Laquore J. Meadows, Ph.D.

County Extension Director, Franklin County

Program Updates

4-H Youth Development

From June 14-18, Franklin County 4-H hosted its largest 4-H camp ever. Given the record attendance, OSU Extension – Franklin County now hosts one of the largest 4-H camps in the state. The five day, four night camp offered youth the opportunity to participate in a variety of camp activities that included canoeing, mountain-boarding, creeking, nature exploration, swimming, hiking, high ropes, archery, campfires, and much more. The excitement was never-ending for the youth who participated, countless memories were made, and most importantly the youth gained valuable life and leadership skills that will help them navigate their way through the rest of their lives!

Forty-five Kindergarten through second grade youth explored the dynamics of gravity at 4-H Cloverbud Day Camp held on June 12 at Blendon Woods Metro Park. Activities included glider making, a parachute drop, roller coaster dynamics, the flight of the bumblebee, and more. The event culminated in a bottle rocket launch.

This spring, over 140 individuals attended “Growing a Sense of Place,” Franklin County Extension’s third annual school garden conference. The event was held at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on the OSU campus. To further support school gardening, the Central Ohio School Garden Advisory Committee has also been established and will serve as a support system to school gardeners across the county. For additional information, contact Sue Hogan at hogan.239@osu.edu.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

The Franklin County Office of OSU Extension has just released the 2015 Columbus Local Foods Guide in both print and digital formats. The guide will help consumers in the Columbus Metro area find sources of locally produced food items. The guide lists details about 28 community farmers markets, 8 farm markets and farm stands, 11 CSA operations (CSA is Community Supported Agriculture), and numerous other markets where consumers can purchase fruits, vegetables, meats, honey, eggs, cottage foods, baked goods, and other food items directly from farmers and food producers. The guide also contains nutritional information for consumers and information on Veggie Snaps, the Central Ohio Farmer Market Incentive Program. For more information visit https://franklin.osu.edu/program-areas/agriculture-and-natural-resources/local-foods

Community Development

During the month of June, OSU Extension – Franklin County received word that it was one of three organizations selected to receive a competitive financial literacy grant award from the Ohio Department of Commerce. Trinity Debt Management and The Providence Center for Social and Economic Empowerment were also awarded funds to support their financial literacy efforts. OSU Extension will use the funds received to deliver the Bridging Fathers and Families through Financial Literacy program led by Susan Colbert, Program Director of OSU Extension – Franklin County’s Community Development program area. The goal of this initiative is to strengthen the bond between non-custodial fathers and their children by working to eliminate some of the financial barriers that may exist in their lives. For more information regarding this opportunity, please contact Susan Colbert at colbert.22@osu.edu.

Family and Consumer Sciences

Five to six times per year, Marilyn Rabe, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, partners with New Directions Career Center to educate women on the basics of good nutrition, food safety, and food resource management. New Directions Career Center provides services to women who are re-entering the workforce for a variety of reasons, including divorce, loss of a spouse, or relocation to Columbus. Those who attended the May session commented after the class that it was one of the most useful presentations that they had participated in and that it would help them eat healthier and save money when grocery shopping. For more information about the class, safe food practices, and/or better nutrition in general, please contact Marilyn Rabe at rabe.9@osu.

Upcoming Events

July 11 – Home Buyer Education (from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Godman Guild)

July 18 – Home Buyer Education (from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Godman Guild)

July 18-25 – Franklin County Fair

July 24 – 4-H Fundraiser Dinner

July 25 – Urban Fruit and Vegetable Production and Marketing Tour

July 29-August 8 – Ohio State Fair

Franklin County Extension connects with people in all stages of life, from young children to older adults. We work with families and children, farmers and business owners, community leaders and elected officials to build better lives, better businesses and better communities to make Ohio great.

How may we help you? Please contact our office.

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Our mailing address is:

The Ohio State University Extension Franklin County

2105 South Hamilton Road, Suite 100

Columbus, OH 43232