When COVID-19 forced the KY Cooperative Extension Service to learn and adopt new ways of learning, Zoom quickly became the platform.   Extension staff began learning all the details of making virtual learning available to communities.  Ronda Rex, Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education for Campbell County was one of those agents who had to make the choice of sort of a fight or flight.  Of course, she chose flight and took on Zoom with vigor.  Ronda reached out to Jill Walch, Administrative Staff Support, for help.  Ronda and Jill learned together.  Ronda started with hosting the Staff Support weekly meetings.  After hours of training and practicing, several virtual learning efforts for Family & Consumer Sciences were successful!   

In an effort to help introduce virtual learning to audiences in Campbell County during COVID-19, Ronda Rex and Jill Walch invited homemakers, volunteers and participants to a “Zoom  101” training class, to learn and adapt to virtual learning experiences. During this session, participants were afforded the opportunity to learn how to use Zoom, in a “no pressure” environment. As for hosting, Ronda and Jill were able to become more adept at maneuvering the challenges of participants gaining access to the Zoom meeting via telephone, tablet, and computer.

During the session, it was such a delight to see the smiles of the participants as they were “seeing” their friends and “hearing” familiar voices, truly an experience of joy. And since the audience consisted of participants from the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Z, participants helped one another and shared their feelings about the experience. What a remarkable learning experience as community leaders taught Extension, Extension taught them, and all learned something new in this virtual event. The Campbell County Cooperative Extension Service was able to empower participants and strengthen the community by meeting people where they were, during this difficult time.

One of the community volunteer leaders, Julie Geiman, also a Master Gardener Volunteer and Mommy & Me…in the Garden and Kitchen graduate, offered to help co-host another training event if it was desired. What a wonderful example this is of community leadership at work. One participant shared “It has been difficult to find things to do while sheltered in place during the pandemic and this class offered a new way to learn and stimulate our brains while connecting with friends.”

Mary Lou, a Campbell County Homemaker suggested “You all should write about this. Getting us together at a time when we are all forced to stay at home to prevent sickness and death. You have given us a bright spot in our day, and we have learned something new.”  

 After the success of this training event, Ronda hosted a “Cleaning Matters” virtual learning class via Zoom with agents Kathy Byrnes, Kenton County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and Diane Mason, Boone County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent. Jill Walch was co-host for this class along with the agents to help provide technical support for the Zoom platform.  Ronda not only hosted the class but taught “Efficient Cleaning.”   (A separate Success Story is written and submitted in KERS).     

Also during COVID-19, Ronda continued with her regular T.V. segments through the collaboration with the Campbell Media Central public access television and with Sarah Stolz, Horticulture Agent, filming the existing T.V. series, Garden to Table.  Garden to Table has the viewing capacity of 12,600.  And with Campbell County having 13% of the population living in poverty, a viewing potential of 1,638 is the attempted reach for limited resource population.  Garden to Table focuses on growing your own foods and effectively using those foods in recipes.  Family & Consumer Sciences Publications focusing on accessing and preparing nutritious foods continue to be utilized and Plate It Up:  Kentucky Proud and Nutrition Education Program Recipes continue to be demonstrated as well.  COVID-19 FCS exclusives and publications were and are being utilized during this time of limited food shopping.  For example, the Stocking Your Pantry publication was used; however, Ronda adapted it to using what is in your pantry to get the most out of your pantry items.  Other topics include food dates, food safety, one dish meals using the 1,2,3 and the One Dish Meals Publications.  The UK FCS Mindful Eating publication and exclusive was also utilized as well.

Ronda Rex had to make a crucial decision with her existing Mommy & Me…in the Garden and Kitchen Program by providing a Zoom platform for the gardening and cooking/baking program.  Seven families followed Ronda to her kitchen via Zoom where they now meet monthly to garden and cook from the participants’ individual kitchens.  Collaborators include:  Terri Turner, Horticulture Technician, Julie, Monica, Melissa and Jason Geiman (Mommy & Me graduates and volunteers) and Administrative Staff Support, Jill Walch and Steve Bridewell for marketing work. Julie Geiman is also a Master Gardener Volunteer.  (A separate Success Story will be written for Mommy & Me after the program completion and will be posted in KERS for the 2020-2021 year upon the program’s graduation in July).  

Another Zoom training that took place was during a Campbell County Office Staff Support meeting.  Ronda, Affirmative Action contact for Campbell County reached out to Dr. Mia Farrell from the University of the Kentucky Office of Diversity to conduct a Zoom training for the entire staff focusing on Inclusive Programs and Councils.  Ronda also reached out to her District Director, Willie Howard, and to Sarah Stolz, Horticulture Agent, who is contact for the County Extension Council.  With a population of approximately 93,152, 94% of the residents are classified as white and the underrepresented minority (URM) is 6%.  Thirteen percent of the residents in Campbell County live in poverty.  The layout of the county, a 6% URM and cultural differences are all barriers in reaching program parity and having URM representation on councils.  The staff needed help on how to reach out to all people with their programs and council representation.  All Campbell County Extension staff participated in this vital training provided by Dr. Farrell. 

So, Zoom to replace gloom during COVID-19….we are all getting through this together and the Campbell County Extension Service is still making a difference.