Lawrence County Kentucky is statistically higher in the number of residents that have chronic illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and more. According to Kentucky Health Facts 42% of Lawrence County residence are in less than good health. With this knowledge in mind the Lawrence County Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education developed a program using the Faithful Families Curriculum. 

The Faithful Families group met monthly at the Louisa United Methodist church. The group learned about the various areas of nutrition, budgeting for groceries, meal planning, etc. Each class consisted of activities and a recipe that put into practice what was discussed in the lesson. 18 church members fully completed the curriculum with a total of 65 contacts being made through the course. Furthermore, a significant environmental change was implemented at the church, with the instillation of a walking trail with signage. This trail will now be a permanent part of the Lawrence County Community and is open to all residence to use. This trail was made possible through a Family and Consumer Sciences Mini Grant through the University of Kentucky College of Human Environmental Sciences. This grant covered the cost of the signs and for a FitBit for each participant to use to log their physical activity throughout the program.  

The program was also featured on the national Faithful Families Thieving Communities Website, Located at:
 https://faithfulfamilies.com/inspiring-health-in-louisa-kentucky/?fbclid=IwAR0w7qxrcjMOEfT-nfk8KzvdblIGJ04y3MERAnQ3LZelC3w0uTsiujogQJ0 

Faithful families in continuing to grow in Lawrence County with a schedule already set for the next program year, which includes a new group of participants consisting of both youth and adults.