Author: Valerie Holland
Major Program: Securing Financial Stability (general)
Nearly 70% of consumers live paycheck to check and only a quarter of Americans feel informed about managing household finances. Families and individuals, who struggle with limited resources, need guidance to effectively manage their decreasing resources. The Community Action Partnership, an agency of the Louisville Metro government requested the Jefferson County Family & Consumer Sciences agent to partner with them in conducting a money management series for their clientele. Topics included
Author: Kelly Mackey
It is well known that one of the major contributing factors to stress is financial insecurity. Teaching youth about the importance of saving is the beginning of healthy financial habits. The Piggy Bank Contest is a creative way for youth to learn the importance of saving and reducing debt. This year the Family & Consumer Sciences Agent partnered with The Murray Bank, a locally owned bank in Calloway County, to hold a large Piggy Bank Contest. Through social media, flyers and making appe
Author: Diana Doggett
To address the issue of unemployment and underemployment, the Fayette County Cooperative Extension Service collaborated with the University of Kentucky (UK) Alumni Association and UK Human Resources to initiate the Central Kentucky Job Club in 2013. The purpose of the Job Club is to provide a positive environment for motivated job seekers to meet, connect, share and learn. Job Club partners also partner with 300+ local businesses, Lexington Chamber of Commerce, local unemployment services
Author: Brooke Hogancamp
According to Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky statistics, 73% of Carlisle County is farmland, making farming a major industry for the area. A successful farming operation in Kentucky involves much more than just the "farmer" and "farmhands". Agriculture in Kentucky is a family business, and therefore all members of the family play a role. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Services in Carlisle, Ballard, Hickman, and Ful
Author: Shonda Johnston
Research shows that planning for retirement can be a difficult and even stressful exercise. Many people lack the financial education to know where to start in order to make a significant effort to plan for retirement. The Clark County Extension Council identified financial management skills as an area that Extension Programming could benefit the community.In November of 2019, the Clark County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, in collaboration with a local attorney and certified financial plann
Author: Tiffany Bolinger
In a community needs assessment performed in 2019, it was determined that the youth of Christian County are in need of more youth life skills training (money management, life decision making, etc.) and better family skills in reducing debt, increasing savings, and financial planning. For several years the Christian County Extension Service has provided It’s Your Reality, a financial management program, to youth in Christian County. Students assume the role of the sole financial provider of
It is well known that one of the major contributing factors to stress is financial insecurity. Unfortunately, many times individuals lack the information and skills needed to make financially sound decisions and end up having to dig themselves out of debt. Often those uneducated decisions happen following high school graduation as students transition into the next phase of life. During the 2019 Kentucky Extension Community Assessment for Christian County community members identified the followin
Author: Keenan Bishop
A local thoroughbred breeding farm, training facility and riding stable that employs between 15 and 23 seasonal and full-time employees was struggling due to the pandemic. Horse racing was shut down and they were stranded at a closed track out of state.We were discussing his dilemma - his income was limited with no relief in site and he was worried about taking care of his employees. I told him about the federal Payroll Protection Plan as part of the Corona relief act. He was unaware but interes
Author: Jane Proctor
Fraud can happen to anyone. According to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging 2019 Fraud Book, it is estimated that older Americans lose at least $2.9 billion per year to financial exploitation schemes and scams. Other groups pose estimates that are even higher, and many agree that fraud is under-reported.To increase consumer knowledge on fraud and fraud prevention, the Trimble County Extension Office hosted two workshops: “A Bad Deal in Disguise: Common Scams” and “Treat
Author: Linda Brown-Price
According to a survey by Summit Hosting(https://www.summithosting.com/blog/digital-hoarders/) of 1000 Americans, a provider of managed cloud solutions, the average American has 582 saved cellphone pictures, nearly 83 bookmarked websites, 21 desktop icons, and 13 unused phone apps, plus 645 gigabytes of material on external storage. All of this takes up valuable space in the mind. This can interfere in daily life and add to anxiety, stress, sleep disorders, and depression. To
Author: Kelly May
The University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension program is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on building assets of individuals and families to address the perennial problems faced across the lifespan. CEDIK is a statewide program dedicated to building capacity around community and economic development issues. FCS and CEDIK have joined together to combat the issue of substance use disorder recovery relapse.The opioid epidemic scourging the United States is a public he
Author: Cabrina Buckman
Financial education remains vital at all ages to promote financial security. The Washington County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent partnered with the North Washington Elementary School to offer a monthly program series called Money Masters as part of the 21st Century Grant, which provides additional education during non-school hours. The participant group consisted of eight to twelve children who ranged from Kindergarten to 2nd Grade. The Family and Consumer Sciences Agent w
Author: Rebecca Miller
More kids are heading off to college and do not know how to manage their money and find themselves in debt. According to a community needs assessment done in Bell County, several community members and the Bell County Cooperative Extension Council felt financial/money management classes should be taught to high school students in our area. Using the Where Does Your Money Go and Building a Healthy, Wealthy Future curriculum, the Bell County FCS Agent teamed up with the Bell County High Schoo
Author: Linda Combs
Holidays are often an exciting time of the year. However, the holidays can also represent added stress due to holiday spending. Many individuals, families and households neglect budgeting for holiday spending. To assist individuals in understanding and responding to financial stress resulting from holiday expenses, the Knott County Extension Office hosted Semi-Homemade Holidays financial program for the county clients. Emphasis was placed on understanding how implementing holid
Author: Nanette Banks
In the event of a natural disaster, many families know to have supplies on hand for shelter-in-place and a safe exit strategy for evacuations. In addition, it may help to prepare financially. Once the emergency passes, having your identification documents, policies, bank account information, and other household records and contacts will assist in the recovery process. Building an emergency savings is also important. According to Federal Emergency Management Agency and Operation HOPE, Inc., studi
Author: Kayla Walton
Beginning in September 2019, the Menifee County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent attended Menifee County High School once per month until March 2020 to teach the Foundations in Personal Finance Curriculum. The interactive, online curriculum was taught to two business classes comprised of 30 sophomores, juniors and seniors. Important topics covered were saving, budgeting, debt, careers and consumer awareness.Students learned and practiced creating a budget based off of a randomly assigned incom
Holidays are often an exciting time of the year. However, the holidays can also represent added stress due to holiday spending. Many individuals, families and households neglect budgeting for holiday spending. To assist individuals in understanding and responding to financial stress resulting from holiday expenses, the Quicksand Area Family & Consumer Sciences Extension Agents hosted The Quicksand Area Holiday Road Show- Managing Holiday Expenses: How to Reduce Spending to
Author: Diane Mason
The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 30 to 40 percent of food in America is wasted. Wasted food wastes money and contributes to methane gas emissions from landfills.To help consumers who live alone or with one other person address the challenges of wasting food and money, a four-part, hands-on series, “Baking for One, Two or a Few,” was conducted for adults by the Boone County Cooperative Extension Service. University of Kentucky Extension “Baking for One,
