ADVANCING EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME OPPORTUNITIES 

21 local elected and appointed officials participated in three, ten-week local government leadership academies with a curriculum focused on: public officials and public service, leadership skills and styles, building sustainable communities, team building, technology in local government, intergovernmental relations, ethics, communicating and working with citizens and the media, and conflict management and dispute resolution. Local leaders are better informed about how the decisions they make regarding land use and the environment can affect Lake Erie coastal communities. Self-reported pre-post test surveys indicated a 76% overall increase in knowledge gained for the course above as a result of this leadership academy training.

Conducted programming on Workforce Prep for youth at Lucas County Children Services. Working with youth who will be aging out of the foster care system, thirty-five youth learned the different types of job interviews, the twenty-first century skills for success, top jobs for the future, explored different career options, and looked at the education and skills required to achieve their career goals. 

ENHANCING AGRICULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

This year, 30 individuals were trained as Extension Master Gardener Volunteers (MGV) in Lucas County, bringing the total MGVs in the county up to 240 individuals. These dedicated volunteers completed 10,700 hours in 2011, with an estimated value of $228,552 (Source: Points of Life Foundation). MGVs served on the Extension’s Horticulture Hotline at the Extension office. They were involved with the Toledo Botanical Garden, Toledo GROWs, and the Toledo Zoo—three amazing horticultural resources in our community. As part of the MGV Speakers’ Bureau, volunteers presented educational programs throughout the county and participate at events like the Home and Garden Show, Flower Day at Farmer’s Market, and various plant sales and exchanges, as well as individual contacts. 

The combination of staff and volunteers use Extension-based information to increase awareness, and engage residents and green industry professionals on topics related to horticulture such as growing your own food, identifying invasive pests, properly planting and caring for plants in the landscape, and managing wildlife. They have relied on the television, newspaper, and magazine media to work collaboratively to spread that word, in addition to social media including Facebook. Over 400 samples from Lucas County residents have continued to increase with individual contacts exceeding 2,250 made via the telephone, e-mail, or at community events. Volunteers continue to be recognized as a community resource on county-based plant issues via the horticulture hotline and the mghotline email address. Hot topics in 2011 included: soil testing, bed bugs, emerald ash borer, oak wilt, vegetable gardening, and tree planting. 

Volunteers assisted with the Western Lake Erie Basin Grant where residents received financial assistance to have ash trees, infested and killed by emerald ash borer, taken down and disposed of. Activities included confirming tree species, painting trees needing removed, measuring, and photo documenting the ash trees.

Trees do matter! The OSU Extension’s Signature Program utilized the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service free i-Tree software to determine the ecological and economic value of trees. With the enormous loss of ash trees in Lucas County, Ohio, and North America, it is important that trees be replanted, especially to increase the diversity of our urban forest. Residents and communities can access their landscape and street trees. This year, the Extension office assisted a local condo association with a tree inventory and report illustrating the estimated yearly benefits of community trees, as well as individual residents’ trees. Related tree research projects include the plant phenology protect, emerald ash borer emergence study, the lady beetle survey, and a tree planting depth study.  

PREPARING YOUTH FOR SUCCESS  

Clubs were led by 80 advisors/activity leaders and enrolled 341 youth. Approximately 275 boys and girls from Lucas County Schools and clubs participated in our 4-H Youth Development Program Mini Garden program.

Over 600 teenagers have participated in our county’s CARTEENS program. A partnership with Lucas County Juvenile Court and the local State Highway Patrol, CARTEENS is a traffic safety education program for first-time juvenile traffic offenders. One unique aspect of the CARTEENS program is teens serve as the planners and facilitators for the CARTEENS sessions. Lucas County has six active teen leaders facilitating the program. They learn valuable leadership skills ranging from gaining public speaking skills, research skills for educational resources, and developing educational lessons from those resources. We also offer three different scholarships every year that teen leaders in our CARTEENS program can apply for. 

Approximately 50 high school students from Toledo Public Woodward High School participated in our Real Money, Real World program. They attended four 45-minute sessions on money management which included a simulation exercise where they participated in hands-on activities that included lessons on the different types of deductions that come from your paycheck, managing housing costs, balancing daycare costs, the importance of insurance (rental, car, house), and understanding the difference between wants and needs.

Thirteen youth participated in our archery program. Lucas County’s Shooting Sports Coordinator and our two archery instructors formed a partnership with Mudjaw Bowman’s Archery Club which allows Lucas County’s Broncos 4-H archery team members access to their indoor facility to practice for upcoming competitions. Youth participated in various shooting sports clinics and workshops in the community. The clinics included hands-on instructions and activities such as eye dominance (determining right-eyed or left-eyed dominance), performing proper equipment safety check, proper handling of a bow and arrow, whistle commands, proper shooting techniques, and actual target shooting. 

STRENGTHENING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES 

From Plant to Plate has been designed to introduce basic vegetable gardening techniques to the backyard, community, or container gardener. Developed by the Lucas County office of Ohio State University Extension, the program is perfect for gardeners just beginning to grow vegetables they can enjoy at the kitchen table. 

In 2011, 24 weekly articles authored by Lucas County staff appeared in the Peach Section of The Toledo Blade with the targeted audience of local vegetable gardeners. Weekly readership exceeds 300,000.  

Over 1,200 individuals participated in Sun Safety Education. The DermaScan machine was used as an educational tool to show the sun damage to their skin. They were then provided information to prevent sun damage from getting worse. 

2,500 children, young adults, and seniors participated in the Family Nutrition educational program. Participants indicated significant changes in behavior relating to healthy eating by using MyPyramid and “Nutrition Facts,” and eating more whole grains. They also reported significant behavior changes about food safety tips such as using a food thermometer to check if foods were fully cooked and washing knives and cutting surfaces with hot, soapy water after preparing meat.  

Obesity, poor nutrition, and limited physical activity are significant health concerns. The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program teaches nutrition education to limited resource families. A total of 471 families participated in a series of 7 to 12 nutrition education classes. Pre and post dietary evaluations revealed 91% had a positive change in their food practices.

Lucas County receives $268,520 in federal funding for nutrition education for low-income people, thanks to Extension’s local-state-federal partnership.