Describe the Issue or Situation.

The Lee County Extension Service was asked to collaborate with the Lee County Public Library for the last session of their Summer Reading Program. Representatives of the library referred to the session we would lead as "Extension Day." That name gave us the idea of using this opportunity as a way to share with the community the services and programs we had to offer. 

Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable).

For Extension Day, we wanted to showcase all three program areas of extension; 4-H, Agriculture and Family & Consumer Sciences. to accomplish this, we structured the event to have three separate periods with each one focused on a particular program area. In each of these periods we gave information about the agent responsible for that program area as well as information on the services and programs they had to offer the community. We also had an activity planned for each program area that was reflective of it's purpose. For Agriculture, we provided the materials for each participant to plant their own cucumber seed on a small jiffy pot. Information was also provided on how they could care for their plant as it grew as well as harvest their own cucumbers. To represent Family & Consumer Sciences, we spoke briefly about nutrition and the importance of healthy snaking. Our activity for this program area had participants creating their own fruit and yogurt parfait. The 4-H program was represented by a brief discussion of birds found in Eastern Kentucky and then; each participant was given the materials to create their own bird feeder. We ended the program by giving out literature about our programs and encouraging participants to follow our social media and webpage for information on upcoming events.

Provide the Number and Description(s) of Participants/Target Audience.

Overall, their were 28 youth who participated in the event. They varied from pre-school age to high school age. The majority fell between 9 and 12 years old. There were also 20 parents and guardians who participated. Among the youth, there were 15 females and 13 males present. 

Provide a Statement of Outcomes or Program Impact. Please note that the outcomes statement must use evaluation data to describe the change(s) that occurred in individuals, groups, families, businesses, or in the community because of the program/outreach.

The goal of the event was to spread awareness of Extension programs in he community. It has yielded success already. Participation is summer events is always low due to the plethora of options for summertime activities. However, our summer programs have seen an increase in participation compared to normal expectations. A "Kids in the Kitchen" program conducted at our office yielded 10 participants. A planned STEM Camp has 13 youth signed up to participate. While those may not be huge numbers, it is great for a small rural town in the middle of the summer when we are competing with all the other activities that families have to chose from.