Now more than ever it is important for Extension Agents across the state to showcase the great work they are doing in each community across the state. As a result of marketing the success of Agents across the state, more people across the commonwealth learn about and become involved in Extension Programs. It also demonstrates to local and state stakeholders the importance of Extension and that Kentucky tax dollars are being spent wisely. As Vice President of Public Affairs for the Kentucky Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (KEAFCS), my role is to gather data and successes on a state level from Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Agents and submit them to the National Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) for the National Annual Report. Once they are submitted, a committee that I also chair will write National Impact Statements that will be used in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill during the Public Issues Leadership Conference. 

To successfully achieve these multiple approaches were taken to collect data across Kentucky. The first approach was creating a Qualtrics Survey and a short instruction page with a QR code for agents to scan to enter data. This information was shared with all agents via email, Teams Page, and social media. The second approach to collecting data was hosting a How-to Session at the KEAFCS State meeting during a general session. During the session, Agents were given examples of how to write Impact Statements using their programs with their evaluation results. Additionally, agents were challenged to work together as regional groups to develop and submit an Impact Statement with the online Qualtrics form. 

With the results collected from the training and additional submissions, State Impact Statements were compiled focusing on the following areas: Disaster Preparedness, Community Health and Wellness, Diabetes Prevention and Management, Family Stability and Vitality, FCS and STEM, Financial Management, Healthy Homes and the Environment, Childhood Obesity Prevention, Food and Nutrition and Food Safety. The Impact Statements were submitted to the National Association of Family and Consumer Sciences to be compiled into National Impact Statements. 

As chair of the Public Affairs Education Committee, my role on the National Level is to recruit volunteers to compile all the different states' data into National Impact Statements. Once they are complied infographics and full reports are created and shared on the NEAFCS Website. All information is completed before the Public Issues Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. As the Vice President of Public Affairs for Kentucky one of my roles is to attend this conference and make Capital Hill visits with other Agents across the state to share the State and National Family and Consumer Sciences Data. During the visits in Washington, D.C. with elected officials from Kentucky, I was able to share the success Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agents have accomplished over the past year. 

With the collective efforts of Kentucky FCS Agents in submitting data and impacts made across the state I was able to share the following data: 480,236 Kentuckians participated in community health and wellness programs, 11,853,110 Kentuckians received educational information related to food and health, and 18,191,572 Kentuckians were reached through podcast, videos, and social media. More data is available in the 2024 FCS Annual Reports.