OHCE –– a look back into history, Part 2

Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 in a series focusing on the local Oklahoma Home and Community Education group in recognition of OHCE Week, celebrated May 4-10 across the nation.
2003 — Preparing for the Oklahoma Centennial, county chapters and local groups were encouraged to donate engraved commemorative bricks to surround the OHCE bench at the new Oklahoma History Museum Park site. Reporting was very strong in newest state program area goals and projects. The program areas of Family Issues, Resource Management, Cultural Enrichment, and Healthy Living were applied in close cooperation with Cooperative Extension. Membership and Leadership Development Committees continue their recruitment efforts. In October, Leadership Development meetings were held training more than 400 county officers and committee chairmen.
2004 — Working with the Healthy living and Membership Committees, OHCE started a new three year state project — “Can’t Weight to Walk.” The state office purchased pedometers with the OHCE logo to help measure steps to a healthier society. Working with Cooperative Extension/4-H, OHCE helped to support the National 4-H Convention held in Oklahoma City both with finances and volunteers and helped to make this a success.
2005 – Working on the goal to help make Oklahoman’s healthier by walking and exercise groups were encouraged to work with public schools in their counties to help “Students Walk Across Oklahoma”. The state office supplied ideas in a booklet form to help get started. Still preparing for the Oklahoma Centennial each county was encouraged to work on their cemetery indexing project. Plans were made to have these books bound to present to the new Oklahoma History Center at the 2006 State Meeting. Application was made to have this as an official Oklahoma Centennial project so that the official seal could be place in the front of each book, and this was granted to OHCE.
2006 – Focus is finishing the “Can’t Weight To Walk” project by encouraging membership to join walking groups, fund-raising groups and to work with their local area to build or refurbish present walking trails. At the opening of the State Meeting in July, bound editions of all 77 counties cemetery listings were presented to the members.
Oklahoma Home and Community Education Inc. is a program of continuing education in all aspects of home and community life. The organization’s ultimate mission is to educate its members to be well-informed and able to handle change in their homes and communities. Through its relationship with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, OHCE presents research-based information to its members.
Monthly educational lessons, leadership development and community service projects provide OHCE members an opportunity to apply this research based information in their homes and communities.
The Cooperative Extension Service is based at Oklahoma State University with offices and Extension Educators serving each county. OHCE is a statewide and county based organization. County Extension Educators, Family and Consumer Sciences serve as advisors to county HCE organizations. District and State Cooperative Extension Specialists and supervisors work with County Extension Educators and the OHCE program. Working in a cooperative effort, OHCE members and Extension Educators identify local issues facing families. These issues become the basis for OHCE educational programming and efforts are made to help families solve these problems.
OHCE is in a unique position to help individual members and their families and communities develop a higher level of living through education. No other organization is better poised to develop community leaders and informed citizens through research based educational programs.
On the local level, Carter County has four active OHCE groups. Recently members have been busy constructing A-line dresses to be sent to Uganda. Look for OHCE members at Mountain View Mall on Wednesday and at Wal-Mart on Friday.
New groups can be formed with assistance from the county extension office located at 107 1st Ave. SW in Ardmore. To ask questions about the “homemaker’s groups” in Carter County, contact Sandy Lackey, Family and Consumer Sciences extension educator, at (580) 223-6570.