PROVIDING PROGRAMS TO THE COMMUNITY• The Juab County Extension Office came before county commissioners to give an overview of the year's programs and services.

By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent

In 2014, there were 13,170 adults who received information from the Juab County Extension Office.
Barbara Bradford, office manager for the extension office, presented that bit of information to the Juab County Commission on Monday.
Also addressing the commission were: Jeffrey Banks, county director and Agricultural/4-H Youth Agent; Margie P. Memmott, Family and Consumer Sciences/4-H Youth Agent; Roni Mortimore, Staff Assistant; Judy Jensen, 4-H Staff Assistant; Amy Stanley, 4-H Staff Assistant; and Laurie Bates, Food Science Nutrition Assistant. Not present were: Natasha Dansie, Relationship Instructor and Susan Allred, who works with the 4-H Teen Council.
"Susan Allred will now work with the 4-H Teen Council as their advisor," said Banks. "We received a three-year grant from USU."
The grant allowed the extension service to expand services.
"We appreciate your great service to our community," said Byron Woodland, commission chairman.
Bradford said that 313 activities by the extension staff consisted of lessons, presentations, lectures, workshops, demonstrations and booths.
"The number of youth that were taught were 6,360," said Bradford.
There were 458 total volunteers and 1,474 volunteer hours and there were 487 registered 4-H youth. The youth attending 4-H activities were 739.
"Those participating in some activities do not need to be registered to participate," she said.
There were 87,592 website hits in 2014.
Rick Carlton, commissioner, said that at a state meeting he attended, the speaker mentioned that Juab County had an outstanding extension program.
In 2014, Memmott was nominated by her peers and was elected to national office. She is Vice President for Member Resources of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences for 2014-2016.
"For two years I will provide official leadership and training to NEAFCS Member Resources Affiliate VPs and their committees across the nation," said Memmott.
She was the team leader of the extension project to develop the PowerPay Debt Elimination Mobile App for iOS with Utah State University and New Mexico State University.
"Within 11 days of its launch, the new app was downloaded in 11 countries by 158 users whose projected benefits were $17,060," said Memmott.
"I co-authored the Utah 4-H and Fidelity Investments Money Mentors curriculum, which was designed to enhance students' financial literacy," Memmott said. "Money Mentors was utilized by Fidelity Investments and Utah 4-H to pilot the first peer-to-peer financial education program in Utah, using the Teens Reaching Your (TRY) team model."
Thirty adult volunteers were trained and, in turn, trained over 60 youth leaders and team coaches. The program has been implemented in 11 plus counties in Utah.
The VITA (Volunteers Income Tax Assistance) program brings to taxpayers the Earned Income Credit and Child Tax Credit. The Juab County Extension Office was a VITA satellite site in 2014. Volunteers prepared returns for 69 households which included 32 senior citizens.
The filer received a total of $155,516 in Federal and State refunds.
"This amount included $34,823 in Earned Income Credit (EIC) received by 17 filers," she said. "EIC is the key poverty fighting provision established by congress."
In addition, 10 families received $12,803 in Child Tax Credits. The VITA participants saved a projected $10,350 in tax preparation fees.
Jensen told the commission that she worked with the Afterschool program which introduced third and fourth graders to activities available through 4-H.
"We took our Afterschool program to third graders at Eureka Elementary and they look forward to its continuation each year," she said.
Activities include good nutrition, how and why to save money and how to build self-esteem.
"This year, I will be working with the Juab County Sheriff's department trying to get more information on drug prevention," she said.
Cooking and sewing camps were held during the summer.
"We made 15 cuddle monsters that were donated to Central Valley Medical Center for distribution to young children in the hospital," Jensen said. "This year we had four youth from Rocky Ridge participate."
Five sewing classes were held using the mini sewing lab purchased with a grant from USU and 40 youth and adults learned beginning sewing skills through the classes.
The teen council members range in age from fifth to twelfth grades, said Stanley.
"There were 20 members in this year's Junior and Senior Teen Council," said Stanley. "We grew a bit more this year. Many of the youth were new to 4-H."
"The youth have decided that the CLAS Ropes Course and the Haunted House service project were their favorite activities of the year," she said.
Five of the youth represented Juab County as Southwest Region Ambassadors and helped plan the Teen Retreat held at Zion Canyon.
"Our Region Ambassadors received six leadership trainings throughout the year meeting with youth from all around the state," she said.
She has also been over, and will continue to be over, the 4-H Robotics classes which provide basic and advanced levels of robotics programming and introduce careers in computer programming.
Juab County also has a robotics competition team that competed and did very well in the FLL qualifier, said Stanley.
"Our team, J-Tech, met weekly for five months developing team skills and learning how to program a robot to complete challenges in a timed setting," she said. "J-Tech took first place in a scrimmage match at BYU and placed 5th overall in the final qualifying meet at Thanksgiving Point."
Stanley also displayed the solar cars that she uses in her program.
Andrea Settle had been a big help to the program, Stanley said.
"We will have Brent Boswell, our county economic development director, call you," said Carlton.
Recently, he said, the Overstock CEO had attended a local chamber of commerce meeting as a guest speaker. Carlton said he had enjoyed listening to the presentation and he enjoyed listening to someone who had done something unique who could serve as a model for youth.
Clinton Painter, commissioner, is head of the chamber for another few months and, perhaps, he could arrange some activities involving youth that would inspire them.
Bates said that nutrition education was provided to 5,552 low income residents, including youth and school programs, in Juab County this past year.
"USU Extension and Utah Department of Workforce Services co-sponsor the Food $ense/SNAP Ed Nutrition Program established in Juab County," she said.
Food $ense Creates Curriculum is designed to get participants in the kitchen where they can learn basic cooking skills, learn to cook from scratch, and practice new habits that will help them take action with their own nutrition and health, she said.
"Other lessons teach how to stretch food dollars by menu planning and stocking cupboards, freezer and refrigerators with healthy whole foods," she said.
Painter said he heard from people in the county that they thought meal planning was of great importance.
Bates said that she had been working with the local farmer's market and with Banks and had been teaching about ways to use the produce raised in the community in meal planning.
Mortimore said that the extension website had been upgraded.
Patrons can view the site at: http://extension.usu.edu/juab/.
Along the top, there are drop down boxes. There are also pods, a calendar of events and, at the bottom, click on boxes leading to, among other, publications, news articles and newsletters.
"It has links to other important information," she said.