By MONIQUE KOERNER
K-State Research and Extension
As I wrap up my fourth year as a Family Community Wellness Extension Agent with the Cottonwood District, I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect on how my work has grown, the impact our programs have had and the many partnerships that make this work possible.
It is hard to believe that I just finished up my fourth fair season. The time has flown by, and each year brings new opportunities to learn. This fair season I felt like I finally knew what was happening and what needed to be done, while also learning alongside our new 4-H Youth Development agent.
One of my favorite parts of the fair is seeing the creativity of youth and adults brought through their exhibits and watching the dedication of our young people in the livestock shows. This year, one young exhibitor had a particularly mischievous goat during one of the shows. I was so proud of him because even though the goat lived up to his reputation, the 4-Her stuck with it and got back up and finished the show.
Isn’t that what life is all about? Continuing to get ourselves back up when life happens. The fair is more than ribbons and premiums as it teaches life skills such as perseverance, responsibility, and resilience.
While my programming continues to expand, some of the original programs I started with are picking up momentum that I never imagined. I’m happy to report that Stay Strong, Stay Healthy and Walk with Ease, have experienced record participation and expanded into new communities through outstanding local partnerships. I’m excited to continue building that success and look forward to introducing new opportunities related to Stay Strong in the future.
I have also had the privilege of bringing new programming to Ellis County and to K-State Extension with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's Becoming a Mom program. We have been able to reach about 50 mothers, fathers, and support people in two years.
In addition, we have implemented a yearly Safe Sleep Community Baby Shower for the past two years and hope to continue this as an annual event to support new parents and families. This event doubled in attendance in the second year. My hope is that families are more prepared for the transition to parenthood with these programs.
None of this work would be possible without the incredible support of our community partners. Schools, hospitals, health departments, KIDS Network, Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, KidLink, libraries, rec centers, etc all play an important role in making these programs
successful. Their collaboration allows us to reach more people and better serve the communities of Ellis and Barton Counties.
Over the past four years, I have had the privilege of offering, on average, 50 programs a year in the Cottonwood District and have had the opportunity to build many relationships with community members, organizations, and volunteers. Thank you for the opportunity to serve, and I look forward to the future.
Monique Koerner is the Family and Community Wellness Agent with K-State Extension – Cottonwood District. You may reach her at: 785-628-9430 or moniquek@ksu.edu