Lake County Extension Council

LAKE COUNTY EXTENSION COUNCIL University of Illinois, Lake County Extension 100 S. Hwy 45, Grayslake, Illinois 60030

Minutes of November 27, 2007

1. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Laurel Dahl at 6:00 pm.

Attending: Usha Agarwal, Cynthia Alexander, Stephen Carlson, Marie Caviness, Nancy Clifton, Laurel Dahl, Gayle Florian, Molli Larson, Martha Padilla-Ramos, Todd Price, Annette Schafer, John Snow, Mary Spiewak, Jeanne Trampe.

Staff Attending: Vickie Brown, Kay Doll, Sharon Yiesla.

Absent: Kevin Buesco, Kruti Patel, Merleanne Rampale, Jim Ross, Michele Vaughn, Nicole Wimberly.

2. GROUP PICTURE 2007 was taken at 6:45 pm.

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 25, 2007: A motion to approve the minutes as written was made by Cynthia Alexander and seconded by Molli Larson. The motion passed.

4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Laurel Dahl welcomed two guests to the meeting. Adriane Fosberg and Carmine Tirone are both considering giving their volunteer time to Extension Council.

Laurel thanked Margaret for providing a wonderful dinner to the council.

5. COUNCIL MEMBERS SHARING: Several council members described programs they have been involved with since the last meeting. a. Jeanne Trampe described the Foot and Ankle Health outreach programs that she is affiliated with through her job. Medical students from Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science are providing foot analysis for the public. Jeanne asked to be contacted if anyone knew of any groups of people that may benefit from this free service. Kay Doll suggested a possible tie-in with the Dining with Diabetics programs. Kay will connect Jeanne with the proper contact person. Annette Schafer suggested Jeanne tap into the various local senior groups. Annette will provide Jeanne with a list of senior center office managers. Stephen Carlson said he could give a contact for the Manor House. b. Marie Caviness discussed several ideas regarding financial planning needs of the communities. In addition, she asked if we could have some sort of program with “going green” such as educating in the use of energy efficient light bulbs, recyclable grocery bags etc. Martha Padilla-Ramos offered her “Welcome Center” facility for use if we wanted to offer training to teachers at the end of April to early May. If we offer CPU credits, a charge of $25.00 per attendee would be achieved. Todd Price described a program put on by The Grove through the Glenview Park District which gives children an assessment sheet for them to use at home to determine how “green” their homes are.

c. Cynthia Alexander stated that council member Nicole Wimberly was absent tonight due to her attendance at a religious retreat. She also indicated that Nicole was accepted into Wilberforce University, which was her school of choice.

6. COUNCIL MEMBERS AND POD CASTING: a. Laurel Dahl, Nancy Johannsen and John Snow were involved with a pod cast last July. The interviews focused on the programs offered by Extension. To listen to the podcast, go to www.waukegan.org and click on Joan Hammel. Scroll down to the Univ. of Illinois logo and listen to the 30 minute interview. Kay Doll indicated it was our 3rd partnering with this Waukegan based organization and it’s a great way to get our offerings out to the public. Marie Caviness asked if there is a canned response that council members can use when asked about what Extension offers. Kay will work with Annette Schafer to help write something up.

7. COMMITTEE REPORTS: a. Extension Foundation. Jeanne Tramp and Kay Doll reported. Compost bins are available for $40 each. Kay stated that the Foundation is continuing in the process of developing a strategic plan. With the pending change of the fair location, the Foundation is working hard to identify new sources of revenue. Nancy Clifton asked about tapping into U of I Alumni in Lake Co. Vicky Brown suggested hosting some sort of event for the alumni at the extension office to increase awareness of our location and offerings. b. Volunteer Committee. No report at this time. c. Marketing and Public Relations. Nancy Clifton said the committee met 11- 27-07. They will be working with Lake Co. TV to create a video about Extension. In addition, the committee is looking for an activity to hold at the office before May 2008. Cynthia Alexander stated that Extension has the reputation for being fair and unbiased and asked if the committee would consider hosting a political forum (perhaps for the democratic primary race in the 60th district) off-site. Vicky Brown suggested the topic of the PACE reductions and the impact on Lake Co. residents. John Snow stated the committee will discuss these ideas. Martha Padilla- Ramos suggested offering something for people to buy when they come to Extension. d. 4-H Expansion and Review. Vickie Brown reported that the North Chicago/Waukegan after school clubs are occurring and the next target area is Zion. 8. FISCAL UPDATES-BUDGET AND YOUTH POSITIONS: Kay Doll summarized that spending is within budget year to date. Kay offered to spend time with anyone wanting to discuss the budget details.

9. COUNCIL RESIGNATION: Laurel Dahl stated a letter of resignation was received from Michelle Vaughn. Laurel stated she regretfully accepted the resignation and gave appreciation to Michelle’s service.

10. OLD BUSINESS: a. Edible Harvest Festival-Sept. 30, 2007. Kay circulated copies of the collage that was created to thank the people promoting the local farmers at the 2007 festival. Mark your calendars for next year October 5, 2008. b. Window Display Judging Results. Vickie reported that 8 clubs participated the 1st week of October. The theme was S.E.T. Science Engineering and Technology. Vicky provided certificates of thanks to the council members that served as judges. c. ROE Recognition of Excellence. Vickie reported that this event was held on 11-16-07. It is held as an end of year recognition to the youth and the leaders. The Record Books had been judged and awards were given at the event. In addition, the club leaders were recognized for their years of service. d. Sharon Yiesla announced that the Master Gardener recognition event was held Nov. 1, 2007. Master Gardener and Extension Council Member Mary Spiewak was awarded 2007 Master Gardener of the Year.

11. NEW BUSINESS: a. Kay Doll announced that the recognition dinner for extension volunteers will not be held this year. The format of the event will be changing and is in process of being revamped. b. See Your Soldier January 8 – 9, 2007. Kay asked Council Members to spread the word about this event. Various members suggested ways to get the word out to the public including advertising through libraries, the Commissary, VFW, Recruiting Offices, the Armory, and Comcast Public Access announcements. c. International Night, February 22, 2008. Vickie explained International Night will be held at the fairgrounds and is open to the public. d. Embryology Training March 11 – 12, 2008. Trainers for beginners will be held on March 11 and for intermediates (teachers that have already taken the beginning class) on March 12th. e. Master Gardener Training. Sharon stated she will be training 21 people to become master gardeners from January 11 to April 4, 2008. Class is held on every Friday, all day. f. Master Gardener Plant Sale May 16, 2008. Sharon announced the date for the 4th annual perennial plant sale. g. Lake County Fair will be held July 22 – 27, 2008. Laurel stated the fair will be at the current site. h. HCE Holiday Cookie sale will be held Dec. 8, 2007 from 9am to noon. Laurel indicated the cookies sell out quickly. 12. EXECUTIVE SESSION. No executive session.

11. ADJOURNMENT There was no further business. Laurel Dahl thanked everyone for their attendance. At 8:08 pm, a motion to adjourn was made by Jeanne Trampe and seconded by Annette Schafer.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Spiewak Extension Council Member Secretary