GOSHEN — The Purdue Elkhart County Extension Board Annual meeting was held Nov. 10 on the 4-H Fairgrounds in Goshen. The annual meeting honors the “Friends of Extension,” recognizes retiring board members, elects new board members by the Extension Council and highlights program impact and accomplishments from the Purdue Extension Educators.

The Elkhart County Extension Council members are appointed leaders who elect five board members to the 15 member council. Elected to their first term on the council were Rebecca Cooper, Andy Gall, Mark Kritzman and Brett Whitehead. Re-elected for a second term was Margaret Weybright.
Retiring from the Extension Board after 3 years of service are Barbara Jewett, Mark Kritzman, Paul Miles and Karen Steffensen.

“All of us work hard in extension because of volunteers like you,” said Mary Ann Lienhart-Cross, county extension director. She along with educators Robert Kelly, Ag & Natural Resources- Livestock and 4-H Development, and Katie Leatherman, 4-H Youth Development, Health & Human Services spoke about the programs they oversee.

Leinhart-Cross told extension in Indiana was doing well due to funding from the federal government and Purdue University along with “strong county support.” “Michigan and Ohio (extension programs) are struggling because of not having strong local support,” she said.

Kelly highlighted a new concept for the 4-H program called 4-H Sparks Clubs. These clubs will offer youth in third through twelfth grades at taste of 4-H to spark new interest. Kelly explained these clubs are designed to capture the attention of youth with a single focus.

These projects will require a minimum of six hours, which allows flexibility for youth and volunteers. They are not geared as projects to be shown at the fair. Their purpose is to bring new youth and new adult volunteers to expand 4-H programming. Two ideas already proposed as Spark Clubs are surveying and car maintenance.

Each year the extension staff recognizes individuals or organizations that have been helpful and supportive of the extension effort. The 2015 Purdue Elkhart County Friend of Extension was presented to local attorney Michael Christofeno.

Christofeno is extremely faithful to Elkhart County and Purdue Extension. As a former 4-H’er, he completed a variety of 4-H projects as did both his children.
Christofeno is a member of the Elkhart County 4-H Fairboard, serving as that board’s attorney and is a member of the 4-H Corporation.