Roscommon County MSU Extension

Roscommon County MSU Extension County Annex, P.O. Box 507 Phone: 989-275-5043 E-mail: [email protected] Roscommon, MI 48653-0507 Fax: 989-275-8864Web: www.msue.msu.edu/Roscommon

June 2006environment. Several children were arrested for truancy and several homes were robbed. MSU Extension program helps citizens experience poverty Following the simulation, a debriefing session While the population of Roscommon was held to allow participants to comment on what County may not be racially diverse, there is a they had actually experienced during the exercise. large economic diversity. According to the Many participants were angry at the way they most recent U.S. Census data, about 13 percent were poorly treated by the many those who they of the residents of county residents live below thought existed to help people in poverty. the poverty line. The participants who had children’s roles To help Roscommon County citizens learn commented that they felt neglected because their what it feels like to live in poverty, the MSU parents were never home because they were Extension office offered a poverty simulation at always working or looking for work or trying to Markey Baptist Church. make sure there was food on the table. The participants included teachers, county During the following discussion, one of the commissioners Michigan Department of Human participating teachers remarked, “With all the pre- Services and Health Department field staff occupation of parents with grown-up issues at members, representatives from community home, it’s no wonder children act up in school. foundations, the United Way and the They need someone to pay attention to them. commission on aging. Mentors are definitely needed.” During the four-hour simulation, each Many of the participants were not aware that participant took on a new identity. Roles ranged there were services around them to help. One from single mothers with children, senior department of human services employee said, citizens with disabilities, and two-parent “We, as providers of services, need to be more families with recent job losses. aware of what services are available and help the MSU Extension staff members from families we work with to get to them.” Roscommon, Crawford, Otsego and Grand Everyone who took part in the poverty Traverse counties also took on new identities. simulation acknowledged that after it was They portrayed bankers and mortgage lenders, completed that they better appreciated what low- human services agency employees, teachers, or income people go through and what challenges workers from the utility company, a local food they face. pantry, grocery story, pawn shop and quick cash Contact Shari Dickson or Helen Burgess teller. 989-275-5043 Many participants were visibly flustered about their situations. One family had been evicted due to non-payment of rent. A senior citizen couple stayed home and gave up because

they had no transportation to cash their social MSU is an affirmative-action, equal opportunity institution, Michigan State security checks and couldn’t cope with their University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Thomas G. Coon, Extension Director, Teens stir things up in Middle Chefs program “Bringing Knowledge to Life” The MSU Extension Family Nutrition Program (FNP) staff recently completed a program with alternative education students in Citizens provide input to guide Roscommon County. The program was called MSU Extension programming “Second Chance Academy Middle Chefs.” The Second Chance Academy offers help MSU Extension brings the university’s for high-risk middle school-aged children. resources to meet needs in every Michigan county. Ninety percent of them come from families To ensure that future educational efforts in living at or below the poverty level and the Roscommon County meet local needs, a group of parents often work long hours at several jobs. citizens came together to discuss and prioritize As a result, the children are often on their own key issues affecting Roscommon County. at meal times. The effort was part of a statewide effort that The Middle Chefs attended weekly sessions included citizens in every county providing with FNP program associate Shari Dickson. She feedback on how they believed that their county taught them about nutrition based on the MSU Extension offices and the Michigan USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid, the importance Agricultural Experiment Station could meet local of physical activity, food safety and eating fruits needs. and vegetables every day. The Roscommon group identified about 20 Each week the students planned a menu, topics that were related to such areas as economic determined the portions of food they’d need to development, natural resource protection and provide enough for the entire class and then stewardship education, community development cooked the meal. They learned to cook such and youth development. dishes as homemade macaroni and cheese, chili Group members believed that issues arise and oven fried chicken. They also tried new when key needs are not met within a family or an foods like canned salmon, asparagus and individual’s life. These key needs revolve around quesadillas. access to employment opportunities, affordable By the end of the series the students health care, affordable housing and dependable increased the amount of vegetables they transportation. It is very difficult for residents to consumed, drank more milk, and took recipes succeed in life when these basic needs go unmet home to cook for their families. for long periods. They made comments like: The issues were prioritized and three emerged  “I learned about food groups” as highest priorities among the citizen group:  “I learned that my favorite food, a double cheeseburger, is not really good for your economic and workforce development heart” improved promotion and awareness of  “I learned that working in a group can get services and programs available to county a lot done in a short period of time” residents  “I learned how to measure stuff and I adult mentoring program for at-risk youths. learned how to get along with you and other The Roscommon MSU Extension staff will people.” begin work to address these needs through current or new program initiatives as they continue The Roscommon County MSUE Family serving the citizens of Roscommon County. Nutrition Program will continue to work with Contact Russell P. Kidd, 989-275-5043 the Second Chance Academy Middle School students again next year. Roscommon MSU Extension Contact Shari Dickson, 989-275-5043 Russell P. Kidd County Extension Director and District Forestry Educator Helen A. Burgess 4-H Educator/Recreation Director

Shari J. Dickson FNP Program Associate

Linda Cronk Family and Consumer Science Educator

Susan Seaford Secretary