The Dallas County Board of Supervisors received a report Tuesday on the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach programs for Dallas County, including the 4-H and Clover Kids clubs, from Dallas County Extension Education Program Assistant Angela Ayala and Extension Educator Maddie Mardesen.
Dallas County is growing, and so is the number of young people being served by the ISU Extension programs, Madesen said. More than 2,000 K-12 youngsters participated in outreach programs in 2018, and more than 1,000 participants joined Clover Kids, which is the junior 4-H group.
Ayala said the food-and-environment programs and health-and-well-being programs reach young people in 24 communities across Dallas County.
Among the many current programs noted by Ayala and Mardesen were the Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth, which meets every Tuesday evening through Nov. 19 in Perry, and the Junior Detective Workshop titled, “The Case of the Missing Scarecrow,” which starts Oct. 26.
Every county in Iowa has an Extension Council that provides, through a unique partnership with Iowa State University and other federal and state organizations, research-based, unbiased information and education to help county citizens make better decisions. Extension Council members are elected by the voters of of the county and serve four-year terms. They oversee the planning, preparation, marketing and delivery of the extension educational programs.
The Dallas County Extension Council includes Chairperson Brent Schwenneker of Adel, Vice Chair Nicki Stajcar of Adel, Secretary Matthew Ellerman of Dallas Center, Tony Collins of Dallas Center, Beth Griffin of Woodward, Lorinda Inman of Adel, Doug Pfeiffer of Adel, Julie Russell of Clive and Josh Williams of Waukee.
For more information on Dallas County Extension programs, contact Ayala at ayala@iastate.edu or Aleta Cochran at aleta@iastate.edu.
