FUND: GENERAL |
COMMUNITY SERVICES |
The Racine County UW-Extension office is a partnership between Racine County,
the University of Wisconsin - Extension (Cooperative Extension) and the US
Department of Agriculture (USDA). The mission is to plan, develop, and deliver
research-based education which enhances the quality of life for all Racine
County. Racine County provides 40 % of the faculty salaries for this department
and UW-Extension, using some USDA funding, contributes the remaining 60%. In
addition, the County provides operating expenses and support staff. Six
University faculty and staff supervise, train and support 11 additional
educators who are funded by the University and other contracts and grants.
Educational programs are also enhanced by the efforts of over 450 volunteers.
Educational efforts focus on five program areas: Agriculture, Community Resource
Development, Family Living, 4-H Youth Development, and Horticulture.
One of our goals for this year was to improve the work capacity and
effectiveness of individuals and groups in the areas of community, economic and
natural resource development. We developed a short video highlighting the
achievements of the four county Urban Initiative and an enhanced office brochure
and website to extend access to all county clients. We continued collaborating
with UW-Parkside on a grant to support a neighborhood on the south side of the
City of Racine. We participated in a Direct Marketing Seminar attended by 60
participants, at which producers examined sustainable direct marketing
techniques.
A second goal was to use community resources to reinforce positive parenting and
nutrition choices made by families. This was achieved through the coordinated
efforts of the Success by Six initiative of the United Way of Racine County,
through work done with over 125 family workers and through parenting sessions
and collaborative efforts with community agencies provided at Love, Inc. and
through three youth garden sites worked by 200 children.
A third goal was to prepare youth for productive adulthood. This was
accomplished in many ways. We distributed, county-wide, the first in a projected
series of Trends and Analysis chapters on youth issues and concerns;
successfully supported over 1,000 4-H members, including an expanded urban after
school 4-H program with a weekly attendance of 12 at the 6th Street Community
Police Station, and we supported two Youth as Resources Boards which together
awarded $25,000 in grant dollars to fund youth-led community service projects.
In addition, we conducted an Agricultural Clean Sweep in conjunction with
Kenosha County, collecting 20,000 pounds of hazardous waste from 45
participants, and we initiated a Yard and Garden Questions direct phone line
staffed by Master Gardener volunteers.
