2007 Program Highlights Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County ccetompkins.org 2007 Board of Directors & Program Advisory Committ ees Association Of•• cers Richard Coogan, Christine Barksdale, Mimi Thuesen, Association Cris Donovan, At-Large Board Members Josephine Allen Kirsten Gabriel Shawn Martel-Moore Patrick McMahon Duane Randall, Greg Stevenson, Agriculture & Environment Chaw Chang, John Fleming, Christine Ashdown Sharon Garland Barry Goodrich Chris Grant Shuly Gross Carol John Jeanine Kirby Howard London Wendy Schultz Consumer & Financial Education Don Funke, Theresa Olaf-Bennett, Marian Deats Chris Crosby Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (center) poses with Reality Check youth David Dier René Funke members and Coordinator Gayraud Townsend (left). The group travelled to Barbara Nellenback Kevin Nickerson Washington to educate Congressional representatives about the impact on Patrick Woods youth of smoking in films. See full article, page 16. Nutrition, Health & Safety Bonita Davis, Ronald Benson Srijana Bajracharya Jean Bowering Alison Buell Cindy Easton Soledad Exantus Ardyth Gillespie Julia Lapp 4-H Youth Development Our Mission: To strengthen youth, George Trutt, Jr., Tilly Garnett, Susan Durnford Cris Donovan adults, families and communities Joann Gruttadaurio Matthew Leftwich through learning partnerships Pamela Markham Madhavi Reddy that put knowledge to work. Family & Community Development Susan Hatch, Christine Barksdale Beth Jenkins Richard Lansdowne Kathy Lind Susan Monagan Wanda Vrede Elizabeth Wolff Arlene Woolley COVER: CCE-Tompkins’ “Dragoneers” team in the 2007 Ithaca Dragon Boat Race (photo by George Gull); planting seeds at Ithaca Children’s Garden (photo by Leigh MacDonald-Rizzo), pumpkin painting at the Kid’s Harvest Festival and other scenes of Tompkins County (photos by Sandy Repp). 2 1 Message from the Executive Director Dear Friends, Another calendar year has ended, and I am pleased to report to you on the good work that Cooperative Extension has accomplished for the residents of Tompkins County in 2007. In this publication, we’ve profi led some exciting projects undertaken recently by our staff in agriculture, family and community development, nutrition, and 4-H youth development. Each in some way illustrates the central theme of our mission to “strengthen youth, adults, families and communities through learning partnerships that put knowledge to work.” And, like all that we do here at Cooperative Extension, each originates in the priorities of the communities we serve and is “grassroots” driven in the truest sense of the word. As part of the statewide Cooperative Extension system, one of our inherent “learning partnerships” is with Cornell University. Our proximity makes it particularly easy for us to tap into the vast and diverse talents of its faculty, staff and students, to engage them in tackling their community’s needs and concerns by providing meaningful avenues for direct local involvement. These learning partnerships with our campus colleagues help to bring cutting-edge ideas into our homes and communities, making “ Tompkins County a better place for all of us to live, while yielding research that responds to real life issues. Collaborations Collaborations are central to our work at CCE, and I hope that as you read the following pages, you’ll notice -- as are central I did -- the extent to which our programs create and build upon “learning partnerships” – both across our own program issue areas (as in the “Healthy Food for All” program profi led on page 12) and more broadly across the many sectors that to our work make up our community. We work together with a population that is both forward-looking and eager to develop creative local solutions to the economic and social challenges that our county shares with others in upstate New York. Working collaboratively not only ensures that the widest possible range of local voices will be refl ected in our programs, but it makes at CCE... economic sense, too. Partnering with others helps build local capacity, create synergy, increase effi ciency, and generate greater value for Tompkins County residents from the tax, grant, and contract dollars that provide our support. You, the reader, Some of the measures that we believe illustrate CCE’s economic value include: dollars local government saves through the contracted services CCE provides; grants and contracts CCE brings into the county from outside funding are one of our sources; and the local jobs that are created through those programs. Again this year, these numbers are signifi cant, as the pie charts on the back cover show. County tax dollars make up just under 18% of our budget, and enable us to most important attract or “leverage” an additional $3104,206 so that each tax dollar invested in CCE effectively results in a return of $5.70 to the people in our county. When volunteer time and in-kind contributions are added in, CCE is able potential to create an 11-fold return in educational resources for each Tompkins County tax dollar received. You, the reader, are one of our most important potential collaborators. CCE continues to be an organization collaborators.” where people can bring their ideas on ways to address priority issues, to connect with community resources, and to get help in making their ideas more far-reaching. I hope that in the future, when you identify an issue that is important to you or to your community, you will consider whether that issue fi ts with Cooperative Extension’s mission, and if so, would also consider coming to talk with us. Our resources include: a corps of over 1600 dedicated volunteers who devote an average of 45 hours each per year on issues they care about; a staff that offers programs in every town in the county, reaching about half of our population each year; and linkages to over 350 different partner businesses and organizations throughout the county. The accomplishments profi led here would not have been possible without the time and talents of many volunteers, and a supportive community. We are grateful for the confi dence and support of the people of Tompkins County, and of our County Legislature. Without all of you, we could not provide the programs and services we do. Helping to create a strong and vibrant Tompkins County is our goal and, as you read through the following pages, I hope you will conclude that our programs are delivering on the annual promise we make to the residents of Tompkins County. With sincere thanks and good wishes, Ken Schlather Executive Director ccetompkins.org 3 Culinary Passport & Farm Trail Promote Local Foods in August the Tompkins County Visitors awareness of the many channels Bureau partnered to develop a through which local can be pur- Culinary Passport that would chased,” she added. encourage the public to patronize The Culinary Passport and area restaurants featuring local the Buy Local Campaign were foods during August 2007. featured on three local television Fifteen restaurants agreed shows, one radio program, to join the promotion by creating and in three newsprint articles. at least one dish featuring Restaurants increased the local products for the month of visibility of locally produced foods August. Each was listed in the on their menus and chalkboards passport with their address, phone number, website, an If everyone in example of a representative entrée, and a pricing key. Tompkins County The Tompkins County SUPPORT LOCAL FARMS & RESTAURANTS spent 10% of their Visitors Bureau paid for design and printing of the passports, grocery dollars AUGUST 1-31, 2007 which were free and available on local foods, it at locations throughout the county. Diners who ordered a would generate ITHACA AREA dish featuring local products 16 million dollars at a participating restaurant received a stamp in their of economic value passport. Those with 5 or for our region. more stamps at the end of August could enter a drawing – educating the public about its for one of seven different availability. Before the promotion, Since the prize packages donated by many residents were unaware of Campaign began in 2005 with participating restaurants and the availability of locally produced support from CCE-Tompkins, Finger Lakes wineries. foods at participating restaurants. the month of August has Restaurants in the promotion “Those who support local farms been promoted as a time for were: ABC Café, Carriage House are likely to dine out at restaurants businesses and individuals to Café, GreenStar Cooperative that serve local foods if they know feature and enjoy local foods. Market Deli, Ithaca Bakery, Juna’s of this feature,” Gerhart added. Two new efforts sponsored Café, Le Petit Café at La Tourelle Forty-fi ve people completed uying B by CCE-Tompkins and its Resort and Spa, Moosewood and returned their passports local foods community partners during this Restaurant, Olivia, Smart Monkey for the prize drawing, however year’s 3rd annual Café, Taste of Thai Express, restaurants reported that many helped to increase Taverna Banfi at Cornell’s Statler patrons carried the passports and keeps money awareness among consumers Hotel, Watercress, and Willow asked for stamps. Conversations of different avenues for buying in Ithaca; Hazelnut Kitchen in with restaurateurs and requests circulating locally, while also reconnecting Trumansburg; and Rogue’s for additional passports at some them on a personal level with the Harbor in Lansing. locations showed that many more in our farms that grow their food. “Building and solidifying people used the passports than Many people who purchase relationships between restau- were refl ected by the number of community. local farm products through rants and farms is important contest entries. CSA programs or at farmers’ to strengthening our local food The program will be repeated markets do not realize that system,” says Lael Gerhart, again in August 2008, but the they also can “Buy Local” former Community Foods Edu- number of stamps required to by dining at restaurants that cator at CCE-Tompkins.