
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, November 3, 1994                   TAG: 9412230089
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: S7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOANNE POINDEXTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

EXTENSION OFFICE IS A VALUABLE SERVICE TO THE VALLEY

They said it's not a fly-by-night operation-it is a permanent fixture in the Roanoke Valley. They also said it has done a good job of coordinating services among schools, social services, the safety council, the health department and neighborhood groups during the past year.

There are rewards in working with the Virginia Cooperative Extension Roanoke City Office, they said.

They are the volunteers, social services, community leaders and recipients who have been involved with the extension office since last October. The statistics these folks mentioned during a recent Extension Leadership Council forum were what Bill Allen, state extension director, wanted to hear.

The Roanoke office recruited and trained 588 volunteers who put in 8,959 hours. Based on an hourly rate of $12, the net worth of the volunteers to the city was $107,508.

Not only that, but the office presented 32 programs on various aspects of consumer horticulture to 764 participants and answered 6,780 phone calls on general horticulture, pest management and gardening. Also, more than 350 people were given food safety information when electricity was off during the 1994 ice storms. And information was provided to the media.

The rest of the year in review included such information as:

The 4-H Garden Project enrolled 134 city school students who grew gardens.

The DARE 4-H camp attracted 228 youths in addition to the 10 teens on the staff.

The 4-H summer camp attracted 286 youths in addition to the 25 teen counselors.

Forty-nine homemakers attended parenting classes that included simple cleaning information.

The office worked with the Roanoke City Health Department to provide information on birth control and AIDS to 47 young homemakers.

The office worked with 18 Roanoke school classes and 13 day-care centers and other groups under the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.

The office provided help in budgeting and financial management to more than 50 families.

"Most people still think of us as something in rural areas," said Martha Edwards, a member of the council. Council members and extension staff have to make a bigger effort "to spread the news around and share information" about the office's services to the community, she said. "We're the best-kept secret in the valley."

During the forum, Jessica Lutz, a mother of nine, told how an extension program had helped her "learn to do the simple things," such as using cleaning supplies composed of baking soda and vinegar-items she can buy with food stamps.

Lucy Exposita was receiving public assistance when she became involved with the extension office. Not only is she now working, but she also is an extension office volunteer.

Allen, whose office is at Virginia Tech, said the extension program, which has suffered major budget cuts and layoffs in the past, ranks high in the Tech budget.

All of the extension offices have good staffs, Allen said, but Roanoke has one of the best. Statewide, he said, Virginia Cooperative Extension provides 2 million to 3 million learning experiences a year with 56,000 volunteers, 12,000 4-H volunteers and 2,600 Master Gardeners.

by CNB