In this report...

Volunteers are like fireworks

They light up McLean County with an enthusiasm that affects everyone around them. The immediate benefits are readily seen, and like the memory of a perfect night sky filled with light, the long-term influence of volunteers remains with us.

Volunteers light the way so the rest of us can see what needs to be done.

University of Illinois Extension - McLean County took special pride in recognizing the contributions of our volunteers during the 2005 Program Year. We hosted our very first Volunteer Celebration during the McLean County 4-H Fair, and were thrilled to welcome more than 500 of the nearly 1,300 people we invited!

In addition to all the many great volunteers of all ages from all over the county, we were pleased to have popular WGN Farm Broadcaster Orion Samuelson as our guest speaker. His warm response to our volunteers helped reinforce our gratitude for their efforts, and he reminded all of us that volunteers have been part of Extension since the very beginning.

This year, instead of just giving you program numbers and descriptions, we have made a special effort to highlight the particular roles played by our volunteers as we share our accomplishments for 2005. Some program areas rely more heavily on volunteers than others, but just as Extension touches nearly everyone in our county, we find that the influence and support of our volunteers is seen in almost every program and many of our services.

The need for our educational activities continues to grow, so we are always looking to cultivate new volunteers. If you are interested in learning about volunteer opportunities with Extension, I invite you to visit our newly revamped website at www.mcleanextension.org for a look at our various program areas. There is something for just about everyone.

Donald E. Meyer, Unit Leader
University of Illinois Extension - McLean County

Peaceful Schools Project

McLean County Community Compact launched this new program with volunteers from Unit 5 School District staff, Illinois State University staff and Illinois State psychology students. The pilot project introduced training in violence and bullying prevention to more than 400 Pre-K and kindergarten students in McLean County. Unit 5 now has 20 specially trained teachers, social workers and many volunteers who will continue the program.

Job Shadowing and Sixth Grade Business/Education Partnership

With assistance from 142 volunteers, Compact facilitated job shadowing opportunities for 250 McLean County students. Young people spent time on the job with individuals in a variety of work settings, including the Bloomington Fire Department, and learned about day-to-day realities of different careers. The Sixth Grade Business/Education Partnership gave 2,460 McLean County sixth graders an introduction to the world of work through hands-on activities and detailed descriptions of the connection between education and specific careers. More than 250 volunteers helped with this program.

Teens in Prevention

Successful team building allows students to encourage positive peer support for activities that avoid alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. More than 250 area students in eight schools were served by over 50 volunteers who worked with this Compact program throughout the year.

Young at Heart Day at the County Fair

This year's Young at Heart Day at the McLean County 4-H Fair drew 673 seniors. In addition to enjoying a day at the fair, this event offered seniors ideas to enhance their nutrition and general wellbeing. Informational and educational displays were hosted by 25 area organizations that serve senior citizens, and U of I Extension hosted a nutritious snack and recipe booth.

McLean County hosts the largest traditional 4-H program in the state of Illinois. Our 56 clubs utilize the talents and time of hundreds of volunteers each year. The involvement and support of these individuals, families, organizations and businesses all help young people prepare themselves for the future by developing leadership, citizenship and life skills.

New in 2005, 4-H After School Programs were offered at Colene Hoose, Prairieland, and Grove Elementary Schools, UNITY Community Center in Normal, Woodhill Towers and Western Avenue Community Center in Bloomington.

Volunteer 4-H Fair superintendents combine their expertise in agriculture, arts and crafts, communications, and technology with their dedication to make the 4-H Fair a positive experience every summer. Nearly 200 superintendents spend an entire week overseeing 13,000 project entries in everything from livestock to model rockets. Many of our 4-H Fair superintendents have been involved in this process since they were 4-H club members.

Annual Back to School Party

This event helped ensure students from Unit 5 and District 87 schools were prepared for the start of the new school year. More than 60 volunteers from businesses, churches, non-profit groups and school representatives were on hand to help with questions about registration, school physicals and immunizations. More than 500 students attended this year's event and received backpacks filled with school supplies, thanks to generous contributions by 33 local businesses and organizations.

Other Successes...

About 100 Rainfall Reporters volunteer to report weekly rainfall totals during the growing season (late April to early September). In addition to helping us maintain statistical records, their efforts serve to highlight the amazing differences in the amount of rain received even within a few miles. Some of these volunteers have been performing this service for years. In one instance, when a reporter decided to "retire," he passed the rain gauge duty on to his brother.

A University of Illinois report for 2005 noted that McLean County Extension's website had 297,128 "hits" representing visits by users. This was the third largest total among Extension websites in the state.

McLean County Extension offers numerous opportunities for intergenerational connections. Thirteen volunteer computer tutors, each with an interest in teaching senior citizens about using computers and accessing the wealth of information and resources available on the Internet, completed the two-day workshop CyberSeniors/CyberTeens.

A group of 23 elected officials, including township officials, county board officers and rural community mayors, participated in a series of local government education programs on such topics as "Legal Issues for Newly Elected Officials." By increasing their knowledge through these Extension programs, elected county board members may attain Certified County Official status, recognized by the Illinois Association of County Board Members and Commissioners.

We Have Answers!

Consumers often need answers to food safety questions. During the past year, Extension staff answered over 400 such questions. We also fielded more than 350 inquiries about food preparation and nutrition information.

Extension collaborated with several other McLean County organizations to provide 135 Spanish-speaking residents with ongoing, interactive Family Nutrition programs with an interpreter present at each event. Monthly bilingual newsletters were also distributed to organizations serving Spanish-speaking families.

The impact of our Extension staff is exponentially increased through the efforts of volunteers in the McLean County Home Community Education Association. Participants deliver numerous programs on an "each one teach one" basis. Last year, 58 community volunteers attended Extension workshops to prepare them to teach others about "Building Bridges Across Generation Gaps," "Diets and Fad Diets," and "Who Gets the Money."

Extension face-to-face programs and newsletters provided useful information to 1,239 adults, 921 seniors and 967 youth in McLean County to demonstrate their ability to safely serve nutritious meals on a budget.

Agriculture Programs

Our Extension Unit hosted two statewide agriculture events that were held for the first time last year. The Direct Marketing Seminar on getting agricultural products from the farm to consumers drew 85 people, and 125 participants came to the University of Illinois Organic Crop Production Conference. More than 90 people attended our workshop on Wind Energy, and we welcomed 600 people from all over the nation for the American Forage & Grasslands Council conference in Bloomington.

The Barn Keepers

This group includes more than 300 volunteers with an interest in historic preservation, agriculture, local history and a sense of place. Several years ago, this non-profit organization approached us and asked for help in facilitating activities to pursue their mission to gather and document information about barns in McLean County, and encourage the preservation of barns and their history. Since Extension became affiliated with Barn Keepers, they have photographed and documented information about barns, hosted barn dances to introduce traditional social events to a new generation, and helped landowners explore options for preserving historic barns.

Master Gardeners

The number of McLean County Master Gardeners who volunteer their time and skills continues to grow. We now have an active group of 72 certified, enthusiastic Master Gardeners. Their contributions include teaching young people about gardening at a number of locations in Bloomington-Normal, and providing programs for 1,070 area residents at local libraries and Farmers' Market booths. They also provided answers and guidance to 1,172 clients via community events and our Horticulture Hotline.

Unity Community Center

Volunteers are essential to the many programs offered at UNITY Community Center in Normal. The enthusiasm just keeps building! A volunteer Advisory Board works with Extension staff and other volunteers to provide 14 innovative programs for young people aged 5 - 18.

During 2005, Extension collaborated with Unit 5 School District Title I educators for a 7-week multicultural summer camp for 35 youth ages 5-16. Participants learned about the Asian, Hispanic-Latino, and Jewish cultures within their own community.

UNITY Community Center programs are offered through the efforts of University of Illinois Extension - McLean County, the Town of Normal, Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, Unit 5 School District, the Normal Police Department, Illinois State University, and Illinois Wesleyan University.

When we began planning our first ever celebration of McLean County Extension volunteers last year, we pretty quickly tallied up a list of nearly 1,300 people who have given of their time and talents to help us reach so many people throughout the County. As volunteers, they do not receive monetary compensation for their efforts, but they certainly do ADD to the value of the services and programs we provide. In fact, we probably would not be able to even offer some of them without the assistance of our volunteers.

The 2005 estimate of the value of a volunteer hour reached $18.04 per hour, using the guidelines from the Independent Sector.*

Based on a very conservative estimate that McLean County Extension volunteers dedicated a minimum of one hour to Extension programming during FY 2005, the total would be nearly 1,000 collective hours. Based on that figure, the total dollar amount would be well over $18,040!

We know that nearly all of our volunteers are donating far more than that one hour example.

McLean County has always been blessed with fertile ground for crops, but we also produce plenty of great people with ideas and solutions. Our volunteers are the "cream of the crop," and it's clear they help us give everyone in McLean County the proverbial bigger bang for the buck!

* The Independent Sector is a nonprofit, coalition of approximately 500 national charitable groups. http://www.independentsector.org

• Pat Backsmeier
  
• Robin Bagwell
  
• Susan Bandy
  
• Sharon Becker
  
• Theresa Chambers
  
• Julie Fehrenbacher
  
• Emily Johnson
  
• Kathy Johnson
  
• Randy Lloyd
  
• Sandy McGhee Yanzy
  
• Donald E. Meyer
  
• Steve Schwoerer
  
• Tina Veal

• Alyssa Bane
  
• Dan Brady
  
• Rich Buchanan
  
• Larry Finck
  
• Faye Freeman-Smith
  
• Fred Gent
  
• Mariellen Griffith
  
• Matt Hughes
  
• Tammy Kimmel
  
• Paula Leifel
  
• Randy Mattoon
  
• Kathryn McNeely
  
• Brian Schaumburg
  
• David Shier
  
• Charlotte Talkington
  
• Dr. Kerry Tudor
  
• Pat Turner
  
• Jean Wager
  
• Katie Walters-Rader
  
• Pam Westerdahl