County Extension Director Marilyn Brengle has been promoted to Assistant to the Director, Extension Field Operations for University of Illinois Extension. Her office is now in Mumford Hall on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Her last day in our office was September 21.

Marilyn's 34-year Extension career began in 1973, working as a County Extension Adviser until 1992. She began serving as Edgar County Unit Leader until 1999, at which time she became the County Extension Director for Champaign County. In 2006, she also took on the role of Associate Regional Director, Fiscal, for the East Central Region. She has a Masters of Science in Human Development and Family Ecology from the University of Illinois as well as a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education from Eastern Illinois University.

Marilyn's vast knowledge of Extension and her excellent leadership within the Extension/University community, as well as her commitment to diversity will prove invaluable to the day to day operations of University of Illinois Extension. We in the Champaign County office have enjoyed her as an approachable and accessible leader, colleague, mentor, and loyal friend.

We have especially appreciated Marilyn for her personal traits of authenticity, honesty, and graciousness as we work to continuously improve and meet our goals. She is committed to excellence, genuinely cares about people, and has always expressed appreciation for our efforts to do our best. She also has a wonderful sense of humor that makes coming to work a pleasant task.

Marilyn has been a special mentor and friend to all of us in the Champaign County office. We have felt valued in her presence, even though we haven't always let her know that. We want to say publicly "Thank you!" from all of us at the Champaign County Extension office. We are already missing you, but we wish you all the best!

Marilyn's new office address and contact information: 214 Mumford Hall, 1301 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL 61801. Her phone number 217-333-5900 and e-mail address is mbrengle@uiuc.edu

The holidays are what you make them, whether they involve elaborate festivities or a quiet family get-together. In all the rush of the holiday season, remember that the best holiday traditions are those that are enjoyable for the entire family.

Traditions are important. They are a means of passing along your family heritage and stories. Research has also shown that they can assist families in building resiliency as they face the stressors of life. However, trying to incorporate all of the traditions over the years can create feelings of guilt when there is not enough time to do them.

Begin by examining your own expectations and family traditions. Do the activities have meaning and a purpose in making the season more joyful, or do you do them out of habit? Be realistic about the amount of time, energy and money you have available. Discontinue traditions that are stressful, too expensive or no longer enjoyable or try to modify them.

A joyful holiday is seldom defined by what you do during the holidays, but by how everyone enjoyed the activities. The sights, smells and activities of childhood holiday traditions make up the memories your children will share with their children. The enthusiasm of the children will take it from there.

Brighten Your Holidays Program

To learn more about enhancing family relationships, reducing holiday stress, and preparing healthy foods, register today for Brighten Your Holidays presented by University of Illinois Extension educators.

Two programs will be held on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium. The fee is $5.00 per person to cover the cost of the materials and the refreshments. Make checks payable to University of Illinois Extension and mail to Champaign County Unit, 801 North Country Fair Drive Suite D, Champaign, IL 61821. Please register by Friday, November 2 Everyone is invited to attend. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please let us know.

For more information about the holiday program, contact the us at (217)333-7672.

Jamie joined Champaign County Extension in May and is providing educational programs in Health and Wellness. Though Jamie is new to Extension she is not new to our community. Jamie grew up on a farm outside of Philo and was a member of the Philo 4-H Friends club for 11 years.

Jamie has her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Studies from Eastern Illinois University and her Masters of Public Health with a concentration in Behavior Sciences and Health Education. If you would like to get in touch with Jamie please contact her at 217.333.7672 or via email at kleissjm@uiuc.edu.

Planning the Christmas party in December used to be a relatively simple thing to do. With the increasing diversity of the workplace, however, planning the office party can turn into a dilemma. While Christmas is one of the most important celebrations for Christians, a growing percentage of our population is non-Christian. Most employers want to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all of their employees, regardless as to their religious or cultural beliefs. Therefore, more companies are rethinking the whole Christmas party. Many offices are calling it a "seasonal" or "holiday" party.

Some things to consider when planning "the party": If your office includes employees from diverse cultural and religious groups, be careful when selecting a date for the holiday party. Try to avoid dates that may conflict with important dates in other cultures and religions. Make every effort to involve a diverse group of employees on the holiday planning committee.

One approach to decorations is to keep them neutral. Symbols such as flowers, balloons, candles, and snowflakes can be enjoyed by most people. If traditional decorations are preferred by the employees in your organization, expand the traditional decorations to include a variety of symbols that represent the employees. Ask employees what symbols and decorations they would like to have included in celebration. In addition to the Christmas tree and the crèches, these might include the Hanukkah menorah, the kinara (used in Kwanzaa celebrations), and symbols from other religious groups. This approach can be complicated and risky, however, as there may be some group that is left out. A more inclusive approach would be to send out a notice to all employees inviting everyone to bring items representative of their cultures to share with the whole group. Items can be placed on display with a written description describing the tradition, or employees can be given an opportunity on the agenda to share a verbal story. Let this be an opportunity to learn about different cultures and religions and the traditions that accompany them.

Accommodate diverse palates. Some foods are not eaten by members of certain religions. For example, pork is forbidden for Jewish and Muslim people. Shellfish is prohibited for Jewish people, and beef is not eaten by Hindus. Be sure to include dishes on the menu that can be enjoyed by everyone, including vegetarians. Provide a variety of beverage choices. While coffee, tea, and caffeinated soda may seem to be an adequate choice, consider the fact that members of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and Seventh-Day Adventists are prohibited from consuming caffeine. Therefore, coffee and tea are not allowed. Juice may be an acceptable choice.

If families are invited to the holiday party, remember that "family" in some cultures means more than just the spouse and children. Be welcoming to employees who bring members of their extended family to the party. And remember that some people do not attend parties at all. Members of the Jehovah's Witness do not participate in parties or gift-giving. No one should be pressured to attend the party.

The most important thing is to use the time as an opportunity to celebrate, have fun, and enjoy one another.

Reprinted with permission from Patreese D. Ingram, Associate Professor in Diversity Education, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Ingram can be reached at pdi1@psu.edu or visit her webpage at http://diversityeducation.cas.psu.edu/.

November

3 4-H Babysitting Clinic

5 Marketing Club, 7 p.m.

7 Brighten Your Holidays, 1 p.m., repeated 7 p.m.

12 Unit Council, 7 p.m.

13 4-H Livestock Committee, 7 p.m.

14 Diabetes Preventative Diet Program, 9:30 a.m.

19 Lady Landowners - Tax Tips, 9 a.m.

26 Pesticide Applicator Training/Testing, 8 a.m.

26 Marketing Club, 7 p.m.

27 Capture the Joy of the Holidays with Children, 7 p.m.

29 Saving Energy $, 6:30 p.m.

December

4 Marketing Club, 7 p.m.

24-January 1 Office Closed

January

7 Marketing Club 7 p.m.

15 Taking the Mystery out of Botanic Language, 7 p.m.