Success Stories - Kentucky Extension Reporting System

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Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu

Cooperative Extension Service

Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

Impacts

Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu

Fiscal Year: 2025

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2025
2026

Jul 1, 2024 - Jun 30, 2025

Success StoriesKentucky Extension Reporting System

Big Blue Book Club Shares Personal Finance Content in a “Novel” Way (2025)

Author: Kelly May

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Relevance Finding novel ways to engage clients can be challenging. Book clubs have been used as learning tools in a variety of fields as a way to improve critical thinking, reasoning skills, empathy, and practical application of knowledge. The Big Blue Book Club began as a statewide Extension programming effort during the COVID-19 pandemic. It offered engaging, educational programming despite barriers to traditional face-to-face instruction methods. The modality was effective, and therefore

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Kentucky Saves Week 2025 Spreads Savings Message

Author: Kelly May

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Kentucky Saves Week 2025 Spreads Savings Message

Kentucky Saves is led by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service as part of the national America Saves campaign. The week of April 7-11, 2025, was officially declared Kentucky Saves Week by the state governor, and encourages individuals and families to save money and build personal wealth. The Kentucky Saves Campaign at www.kentuckysaves.org, is co-coordinated by Dr. Nichole Huff, Assistant Extension Professor, and Kelly May, Senior Extension Associate, both specializing in Fami

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Foundations of Military Family Financial Readiness

Author: Nichole Huff

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Relevance  The 2024 Military Family Readiness Academy (MFRA) was developed in response to growing financial strain within the military community, which includes over 4.4 million individuals, including spouses and dependents (DOD, 2024a). Recent surveys by the Federal Reserve (2022) and the Department of Defense (DOD, 2024b) highlight increased economic hardship and decreased financial well-being among service members. Financial instability has far-reaching impacts on retention, career

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OneOp Personal Finance Collaboration Team

Author: Nichole Huff

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Relevance Kentucky ranks eleventh in the country for active-duty service members, with approximately 44,000 total military personnel across the state, including active-duty, Reserve, and National Guard members. This number does not include military spouses or dependents, or the more than 295,000 Veterans residing across the Commonwealth.1, 2 Military families in and beyond Kentucky are supported by the Military Family Readiness System (MFRS), which is “a network of services opera

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PROFIT Year Two

Author: Nichole Huff

Major Program: Financial Education - General

The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (UK CES) conducted Statewide Community Needs Assessments in 2019 and 2023 to identify and prioritize community needs, issues, and/or opportunities that UK CES could address through targeted educational programming and engagement efforts. “Support for substance use addiction prevention/recovery” was among the top 15 priority issues reported statewide in 2019, and again in 2023. Undoubtedly Kentuckians have experienced incre

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Securing your Legacy

Author: Kate Thompson

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Discussing end-of-life wishes and plans can be uncomfortable, but vital.   According to Caring's Wills 2025 Survey, 24% of the participants said they have a will, 13% had a living trust, and 4% said they had other estate planning documents.  In addition, 52% said they did not know where their parents’ important documents were located, and 58% did not know the materials covered in those documents.  Determining your own end-of-life wishes and discussing difficult topics wi

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Stepping Stones to Stability

Author: Karen Denniston

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Stepping Stones to StabilityObjectives:- Empower families to manage financial and community resources effectivelyReduce long-term reliance on holiday assistanceProvide tools for sustainable financial planningTarget Audience:Families relying on community support for children's holiday giftsProgram Overview:In response to increasing dependency on holiday assistance, the Bourbon County School District partnered with the FCS Agent to launch Stepping Stones to Stability, a financial education pro

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Where Does Your Money Go?

Author: Stephanie Hestand

Major Program: Financial Education - General

The Monroe County Middle School Family Resource Coordinator reached out to the Monroe County Family and Consumer Science Agent requesting the agent to visit and do a financial education program for the parents/guardians of middle school students who were needing help with financing tips and budgeting ideas. With this information being shared to the parents/guardians, the Family Resource Coordinator hopes that they will pass the financial education along to their children.Upon visit, the Monroe C

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Time Well Spent: Productivity Skills for Success program.

Author: Elizabeth Maxedon

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Describe the Issue or Situation.Productivity allows us to make progress and complete necessary tasks. However, due to time constraints, competing responsibilities, stressors, and personal tendencies such as procrastination, we often are not as productive as we want to be. To enhance productivity skills within the local community and assist individuals in learning strategies to maximize their time and output, especially in the workplace, the University of Kentucky Extension Service developed the

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Money Habitudes

Author: Joan Bowling

Major Program: Financial Education - General

The financial challenges faced by older adults are well-documented, with millions of seniors living at or below the federal poverty level. According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), more than 17 million Americans aged 65 and older are living at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which equates to an income of $30,120 per year for a single person in 2024. These financial hardships are often compounded by rising housing costs, increasing healthcare expenses, a lack of transpo

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Securing Your Legacy

Author: Joan Bowling

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Securing Your Legacy

            Discussing end-of-life wishes and plans can be uncomfortable, but vital.   According to Caring's Wills 2025 Survey, 24% of the participants said they have a will, 13% had a living trust, and 4% said they had other estate planning documents.  In addition, 52% said they did not know where their parents’ important documents were located, and 58% did not know the materials covered in those documents.  Determining your own end-of-life

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Securing Your Financial Future

Author: Rachel Hance

Major Program: Financial Education - General

In Logan County we aim to engage youth through hands-on experiences in order to build life skills.  The Dollars and Sense and Reality Store curriculums focus on engaging youth in real life, age appropriate budgeting scenarios in order to teach financial education and the importance of financial security.The Dollars and Sense program is structured to allow each student a given allowance and a number of pets they have to care for financially.  In the orientation, they learn about budgeti

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Securing Your Legacy: Planning for End of Life

Author: Diane Mason

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Discussing end-of-life wishes and plans can be uncomfortable, but important. According to LegalZoom (www.legalzoom.com) only about 32 percent of Americans have created estate planning documents. Additionally, more than half (52 percent) of Americans don’t know where their parent’s important documents are located. Determining your own end-of-life wishes and discussing difficult topics with loved ones can help reduce stress and ensure final wishes are fulfilled.  The Boone, Kenton

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Transferring Cherished Possessions Series

Author: Whitney Morrow

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Estate planning allows people to control what happens to their possessions after their passing. Without a legally recognized plan in place, the government may dictate how someone’s assets are distributed. While there are numerous informal approaches to estate planning, not all are legally recognized. This may create confusion and spark conflict among families during an already challenging time.  To increase consumer knowledge on estate planning and asset distribution, the Carter

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Transferring Cherished Possessions

Author: Tiffany Bolinger

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Estate planning allows people to control what happens to their possessions after their passing. Without a legally recognized plan in place, the government may dictate how someone’s assets are distributed. While there are numerous informal approaches to estate planning, not all are legally recognized. This may create confusion and spark conflict among families during an already challenging time.  To increase consumer knowledge on estate planning and asset distribution, the Christi

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Scam Red Flags and Avoiding Fraud

Author: Jacqueline Doucet

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Fraud can happen to anyone. According to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging's 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 even higher estimates, and many agree that fraud is underreported. The best way to protect yourself from financial fraud and scams is to be aware of the tactics con artists use and learn to recognize red flags so you can avoid being tricked. To increas

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Money Habitudes

Author: Tiffany Bolinger

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Financial education programs often highlight financial literacy skills such as budgeting and managing credit card debt; however, these skills do not tap into the emotional and practical issues that cause people to react irrationally with money. Financial decisions are most often motivated by emotional need as opposed to logical knowledge. To address this concern, the Christian County Cooperative Extension Service utilized the Money Habitudes program to emphasize the importance of developing a he

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Empowering Taylor County through Personal Finances & Estate Planning: Transferring Cherished Possessions

Author: Kimberly Thomas

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Recognizing the need for a "Personal Finances & Estate Planning" program series for the Taylor County community, the Taylor County Extension Council formed an Estate Planning Committee to address these needs. The Committee consisted of four members who assisted the Taylor County Extension Agents in planning the three-part series on estate planning, identifying stakeholders to make the series successful. This program's approach ensured that participants received a well-rounded e

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Acting Associate Dean & Director — Craig Wood, Ph.D.
S107 Ag. Science Center North
Lexington, KY 40546-0091
+1 (859) 257-4302

© 2024 University of Kentucky, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment