How does one put an economic value on the time volunteers give to an organization? It would be very difficult as the value is more than dollars and cents. Even though the current Independent Sector rate is $18.05 per volunteer hour, the total value of Extension volunteers far exceeds a monetary amount.

In this season of thanksgiving, the University of Illinois Extension Champaign County staff is very thankful for all the time and talents given by our many volunteers. Master Gardeners have given more than 4,100 volunteer hours (economic value more than $74,000) to horticulture programs this year. From Extension Council members, Master Gardeners, 4-H leaders and parents along with the many volunteers assisting with educational workshops, your willingness to share with others is appreciated.

- Marilyn Brengle

MarketMaker was developed as an online marketing resource to give Illinois farmers greater access to regional markets by linking them with processors, retailers, consumers and other food supply chain participants. It is currently one of the most extensive collections of searchable food industry related data in the country and contains over 65,000 profiles of farmers and other food related enterprises in Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. All the information can be mapped and queried by the user. The site was created by a team of University of Illinois Extension researchers with the intention of building an electronic infrastructure that would more easily connect food producing farmers with economically viable new markets and aid in the development of quality driven food supply chains. The project was funded by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, University of Illinois Extension, and the Illinois Council of Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR).

Are you aware University of Illinois Extension has an Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC)? It is a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The Center is located at 1817 S. Neil Street in Champaign and another office in Decatur.

The SBDC's goal is to help both start-up and existing businesses. A small business is generally defined as less than 100 employees and $5 million in sales. The staff offers training on starting a business, writing a business plan, bookkeeping basics, introduction to marketing, identifying your market, tax basics for small business, financial statement analysis and legal issues.

The training sessions are offered at nominal cost and individual counseling sessions are available at no cost. You may contact the Small Business Development Center at 217-378-8535.

Dozens of Illinois families will have the chance to visit face-to-face with their soldiers in Iraq on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 5 and 6, via University of Illinois Extension's videoconferencing system.

Soldiers at Camp Al Asad (Air Force) and Camp Taji/Cooke (Army) will be able to see and talk with family members in private 30-minute "See Your Soldier" sessions hosted by U of I Extension offices in 15 communities. There is no charge to participate.

The live audio/video linkages are being offered in collaboration with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) based at the U of I in Urbana. The videoconferencing equipment and satellite connection in Iraq are provided by the Freedom Calls Foundation.

When a family has registered, the military will alert the service member about the opportunity to visit with friends and family, and the time and date of the Internet transmission. If the soldier's duty schedule can accommodate the visit, family members will be assigned a time for their 30-minute session.

The program is limited to military personnel stationed at Camps Al Asad & Taji/Cooke. Locations of the December 2006 "See Your Soldier" videoconferences will be:

• Bureau County Extension Unit, Princeton
• Carbondale Extension Center, Carbondale
• DuPage County Extension Unit, Wheaton
• East Peoria Extension Center, East Peoria
• Kane County Unit, St. Charles
• Kendall County Extension Unit, Yorkville
• Knox County Extension Unit, Galesburg
• Lake County Extension Unit, Grayslake
• Macomb Extension Center, Macomb
• Madison/St. Clair Extension Unit, Edwardsville
• National Center for Supercomputing Applications,
  1205 W. Clark St., Urbana
• Northwest Regional Extension Office, East Moline
• Rockford Extension Center, Rockford
• Southern Regional Extension Office, Mt. Vernon
• Springfield Extension Center, Springfield
• Technology Research, Education and Commercialization Center, West Chicago
• Whiteside County Extension Center, Morrison

To start the process of requesting a visit, a family member must submit information through the "See Your Soldier" website at http://www.seeyoursoldier.uiuc.edu no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, November 3 to be eligible for a time slot, and reservations will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors to the website will be able to indicate their preferred location for the video visit, and must follow all instructions.

Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body's ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. Nearly 21 million children and adults in the U.S. have diabetes. It is the fifth deadliest disease in the U.S. and it has no cure.

University of Illinois Extension has a newsletter entitled Diabetes Lifelines. You may view this bimonthly newsletter at www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/diabetes/.

One of the joys of the fall and winter season is curling up in front of a warm fireplace. Proper fireplace use and maintenance, along with a commitment to safety, will keep the enjoyment from turning into tragedy.

Before building your first fire of the season, inspect the fireplace and the chimney for cracks, creosote buildup and other potential blockages. Bird or animal guards need to be in place on top of the chimney. Another option is to have a professional chimney sweep check and clean the system.

It's also important to use wood that has been sufficiently dried. Ideally, the wood should be split and allowed to dry for a year before use. Dried wood burns with less smoke and burns more evenly than green wood. Do not use painted or pressure-treated wood or particle board. To reduce sparks coming into the living area, place a screen in front of the fireplace.

Make sure the damper is open before starting a fire, and keep it open even when there are just smoldering embers left in the fireplace. Never use flammable liquids to start the fire.

Keep flammable items like rugs and curtains away from the fireplace. Also, avoid roaring fires which can start chimney fires from soot and creosote in the flue. Have a fire extinguisher, such as a class ABC extinguisher, close by. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should also be used and regularly checked.

A fireplace requires a large amount of air. In tight homes, make sure there is enough fresh air available so that a reverse draft does not set up, which could bring carbon monoxide fumes from furnaces or water heaters into the house.

Make sure all ashes are thoroughly cool before disposal. Place ashes in a metal container with a lid, on a noncombustible floor or on the ground, away from potential ignition sources, until they are cool.

November

6 Marketing Club, 7 p.m.

7 4-H Horse Committee, 7 p.m.

9 4-H Livestock Committee, 7 p.m.

13 Unit Council, 7 p.m.

14 4-H Cultural Club, 6:30 p.m.

20 Leader's Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

23-24 Thanksgiving, office closed

27 Marketing Club, 7 p.m.

27 Deadline to Enroll in Master Gardener Program

29 Basic Options Course, 6:30 p.m.

29 Advanced Options Course, 6:30 p.m.

29 PSEP training/testing, Park Inn, Urbana 8:30 a.m.

December

7 National 4-H Week

19 Farm Income 2007, Holiday Inn, Urbana

25-January 1 Office Closed

January

8 Marketing Club, 7 p.m.

22 4-H Youth Committee, 7 p.m.

23 4-H Livestock Committee, 7 p.m.

30 4-H Leaders Meeting, 6:30 p.m.