Lake County Extension 915 Michigan Ave Baldwin, MI 49304 P: 231-745-2732 F: 231-7456213 E-mail: msue.lake@county.msu.edu Web: msue.msu.edu/Lake June 2007 Nutrition education enhances life for disabled resident MSU Extension educator Kilah King has been helping a physically disabled man who was eager to learn about healthier ways of eating He also wanted to help his children understand how making better choices about food will help them to maintain good physical and mental well-being, especially when it comes to school performance During the first session, she presented MyPyramid, the United States Department of Agriculture’s food guide, which offers the basis for sound nutrition King discussed the food groups and emphasized how there were healthy choices in every food group She explained that there are many protein-rich foods that can be substituted for meat, such as eggs, nuts and dry beans The participant stated, “I didn’t know that you could eat things like almonds or pinto beans and still get the same protein as you would get from meat I thought eggs were a dairy product I am going to try some of these sometimes and eat less meat.” During the fourth session, the participant showed King how he was posting everything up on his wall to keep up with his information “This helps me to remember what I learned because I can easily look at it if I forget,” he pointed out He also showed King that he went out and purchased fresh produce to consume “Before, I really didn’t eat a lot of fruits and vegetables Now I understand why they are important.” Since the fourth visit, the participant called King to mention that he had been sharing “the good news” with his close friends and family and trying to encourage them to make healthier choices King is currently wrapping up a series with confidence that this man and his family are taking committed steps toward changing their lifestyles in ways that can provide healthy benefits for the rest of their lives Contact: Kilah King As the series continued, King discussed ways to stretch shopping dollars and the importance of understanding and reading food labels She emphasized that taking extra time to read and compare food labels was important in knowing what foods were healthy or unhealthy “It really helps for you to take the time to explain this food label stuff Before, when I looked at it, I got very confused with all the numbers and percentages,” the participant said “Plus, half the words, I can’t even understand! Now I realize what is important to look at and what all those numbers mean I will be paying closer attention to what I buy.” www.mypyramid.gov Michigan State University Extension helps people improve their lives through an educational process that applies knowledge to critical issues, needs and opportunities Offices in counties across the state link the research of the land-grant university, MSU, to challenges facing communities Citizens serving on county Extension councils regularly help select focus areas for programming MSU Extension is funded jointly by county boards of commissioners, the state through Michigan State University and federally through the US Department of Agriculture 4-H and Baldwin schools join forces to promote seatbelt safety MSU Extension educates clients and saves them money Of every 100 children who die in car crashes, at least 80 would survive if they were properly buckled in the vehicle This is the message that Lake County 4-H coordinator Karen Neiger and Baldwin Middle School teacher Doresa Walton-Mack conveyed to fifth and sixth graders to promote seatbelt safety In this era of the information super highway, satellite radio and 24-hour news stations, no one can complain of not having access to information But at what cost? And is that information reliable and unbiased? The seatbelt safety education program spanned the Baldwin school grades, as the high school’s 4-H Natural Helpers (peer support group) worked with the younger students, teaching them the activities and lessons to reinforce the importance of using a seatbelt Melissa Patten, a Ferris State University intern working in the Baldwin schools, volunteered with the high school youths on this project Students viewed videos, made seatbelt covers and worked on demonstrations showing the injuries that can occur when passengers are not buckled up Two teen leaders were given the opportunity to share their new skills with 22 elementary students One of the teens said that they wanted to be involved because they would be helping the community in a positive way and possibly help save someone’s life The seatbelt educator crew set up an educational booth at the Lake County 4-H Family Fun Day, which drew 300 parents and children to the Baldwin Elementary School in May Participants made safety belt covers and met Click-it or Ticket the Cricket, the seatbelt safety mascot Lake County DARE officer Chad Hurley brought in a seatbelt crash simulator that gave visitors the chance to feel the sensation of enduring a crash without wearing a seatbelt The results of a survey administered at the booth indicated that after taking part in the fun day activities that the adults and youths were more aware of the need to buckle-up and planned to regularly use seatbelts Contact: Karen Neiger MSU Extension has long history of providing Michigan residents with scientifically grounded, university generated information that they can use to improve their lives In Lake County, MSU Extension director Connie Theunick educates many residents about home horticulture and forestry topics While there are 12,000 year-round county residents, the population grows dramatically during the summer, when both year-round and seasonal residents seek out MSU Extension for answers to their horticulture and forestry questions The most common questions are related to insect identification, both inside and outside the home During the spring, many people want to know about how to deal with ticks in their yard or ants in their homes and in summer they ask about garden insects and/or forest caterpillars Pest control methods for animals rank second Garden and landscape inquiries and plant and tree identification questions keep the MSUE staff members busy reviewing education materials A large library of resource books have been secured and cataloged for easy reference for all subject areas, and staff members can easily connect to resources on the MSU campus if needed Each client receives appropriate and timely information to guide his/her management and control efforts The most cost-effective and environmentally friendly treatments are also discussed Cost savings can be significant Residents leave the Extension office knowing the answer to their problem and how to approach it in an economical manner This often free service is not offered by any other educational entity Contact: Connie Theunick MSU is an affirmative-action, equal opportunity employer; Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S Department of Agriculture, Thomas G Coon, Extension Director, Michigan State University, E Lansing, MI 48824