The Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association is an extensive network of women sharing information that would make their domestic lives easier including home economics, new technologies and goods. The Cultural Arts and Heritage program area of KEHA covers a wide range of content that includes fine arts and crafts, heritage and history of Kentucky.  Members of the Mammoth Cave Area Extension Homemakers requested a Tobacco stick craft to highlight Kentucky heritage as well as offer a means of additional income or gift ideas.    The Simpson County Family and Consumer Science agent wrote a Homemaker lesson using tobacco sticks accessed from family farms.  This lesson was presented to the ten-county area in two multi-county lessons where homemakers learned to make crafts from tobacco sticks to be used either personally, as gifts, or to supplement their incomes.  58 homemakers attended the multi-county lessons and then took the craft back to present at their clubs.  

91 percent of those who participated said that they planned to make at least one of the tobacco stick crafts learned.  One participant said they “Enjoyed the lesson and making this craft for my friends and family!” Another said, “These are great ideas that are easy to make.” While another said that we need more of these programs.”

After having this lesson, members of the Sages of All Ages Homemaker Club decided to work collaboratively together and made several crafts that were taught in the lesson.  Declaring a “workday” this club met and crafted together outside of their monthly meeting to make items to be sold at the Simpson County 4-H Hometown Holiday Bazaar.  The club raised over $230.00 to be donated to the Life Choice Pregnancy Center in Franklin, KY increasing their impact upon the community.  As well, they have already made plans to continue this for next year’s bazaar.