Community Engagement and Economic Development
Community Development
Mike Meyer, Benita Peoples, Jessica Barnes, Jessica Sayre
4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Business Retention and Expansion
Building Healthy Coalitions
Activities and events are being held in Harrison County, many of them free to the public, to promote the wellbeing of the residents and the community. However, attendance to events is declining.
The community will work together to offer more programs and awareness resulting in an increased overall wellbeing.
Increased communication and interaction with elected officials and underserved populations.
Create awareness and educate the community on resources available to them.
Initial Outcome: Increased attendance at community and extension events
Indicator: New and improved programs offered by extension office, Public Library, Chamber of Commerce
Method: attendance and registration statistics
Timeline: All Year
Intermediate Outcome: Increased Citizen Participation
Indicator: Farmer's Market Participation, New City Park Improvements. Volunteers continue to participate
Method: Sign-in sheets, phone calls, website hits, news articles, and visits to Extension Office. A perceived more positive attitude about community
Timeline: 4 years or longer
Long-term Outcome: Community Improvements made
Indicator: Community beautification, County and City cleanup, business networking, infrastructure improvements, park development, grants received
Method: Observation and personal testing
Timeline: 3-5 years
Audience: Community
Project or Activity: Continue to develop vision and needs for the future.
Content or Curriculum: Develop vision and needs for next 20 years.
Inputs: Agents, community members, local councils
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Community members
Project or Activity: Media
Content or Curriculum: Radio, Newspaper, Newsletter, Electronic Sign promoting Harrison County activities
Inputs: Agents, paid staff, The Democrat, WCYN radio
Date: July-June
Audience: Public
Project or Activity: Website
Content or Curriculum: Extension to develop and link to other sites related to Harrison County. Update monthly.
Inputs: Extension staff
Date: July-June
Audience: Community members and leaders
Project or Activity: Grant Writing/Resource Acquisition
Content or Curriculum: Guide leaders as they seek dollars for action plans
Inputs: Community leaders
Date: July-June
Audience: Public
Project or Activity: Sponsor Community Blood Drive
Content or Curriculum: Commitment to the Community, work with Central Kentucky Blood Center
Inputs: Central Kentucky Blood Center
Date: 3 to 4 times during the year
Audience: Community members
Project or Activity: Community Health Fairs
Content or Curriculum: Preventative Health
Inputs: Harrison Memorial Hospital, Health providers, volunteers
Date: Jan - April
Audience: 4th and 5th grade students
Project or Activity: Safety Day
Content or Curriculum: Prevention
Inputs: local businesses, emergency services, volunteers
Date: July - October
Audience: Community members
Project or Activity: Community Day (at court house) sponsored by the Harrison County Homemakers and Harrison County Beef Cattle Association.
Content or Curriculum: Create Awareness
Inputs: Harrison County Homemakers and Harrison County Beef Cattle Association
Date: Jan - May
Audience: Public
Project or Activity: 4-H Center Grounds Development
Content or Curriculum: Advise leaders as they seek funding and development.
Inputs: District Board members, Cooperative Extension Council
Date: July - June
Audience: 4-H members
Project or Activity: 4-H Teen Council
Content or Curriculum: Step Up to Leadership
Inputs: 4-H UK Specialists, neighboring 4-H agents and programs, Kentucky 4-H
Date: All Year
Author: Mike Meyer
Major Program: 4-H Leadership Core Curriculum
The Harrison County Teen Council works to establish opportunities of personal growth for middle and high school students. The club focuses on soft-skill development, including communication, motivation, creativity, accountability, and dependability. 34 youth from 6th-12th grade attend monthly meetings, annual leadership opportunities, become a counselor at environmental and summer camp, as well as complete local civic and community service responsibilities. 2021 will bring exci
Author: Jessica Hopkins
Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture
Volunteers play integral roles in 4-H programs, performing a variety of duties, functions, and tasks and possessing varied and rich knowledge, skills, and backgrounds (Radhakrishna & Ewing, 2011). The success of Extension programming is due, in part, to the dedication of a large cadre of volunteers (Smith, Dasher, & Klingborg, 2005). Although highly valued, volunteer involvement does not guarantee achievement of Extension's goals and fulfillment of learners' needs (Bolton, 1992).
Author: Jessica Barnes
Major Program: Sustainable Agriculture
Harrison County has a unique farm that was setup in a trust by Agnus McDowell to be used by young farmers in Harrison County in order to help them get started in the agriculture industry. This farm has 5 different tracts of land each containing around 180 acres for the young farmers to operate how they see fit. The trust helps with expenses and lets the farmers use their tract rent free with just a small portion of the proceeds coming back to the farm. This past fall USDA's Deputy Admi
Author: Jessica Barnes
Major Program: Sustainable Agriculture
Over the past several months Covid-19 has changed the way Extension looks to many people. With that being said, agents have had to come up with different ways to stay in contact with their clientele while staying safe and practical. Throughout this work-from-home phase the Harrison County Agriculture program has been able to increase its presence on social media to engage with more clients than it ever has, increase its email newsletter listserv, as well as show programming over Zoom and o
Author: Mike Meyer
Major Program: 4-H Leadership Core Curriculum
4-H Teen Leadership programming is designed to help youth develop soft-skills and gain experience in mulitiple leadership roles. Bailey Thompson, a 4-H member in Harrison County for the past 9 years, saw the culmination of skill development through her 4-H involvment this year. After holding multiple county officer positions, Bailey wanted to continue working on her communication, organization, and innovative skills through county, district, and state level involvement. This ye