MuskegonCounty
MuskegonCounty Extension
97 E. Apple Avenue,
Muskegon, MI49442 / P: 231-724-6361
F: 231-724-4409 / E-mail:

Mary Robb

Fall 2007

MSU Extension partners with school to help young moms learn parenting skills
MSU Extension Family and Consumer Science Extension educator Cyndi Will is sharing her positive outlook on parenting with a group of very young moms through the Even Start Program at Orchard View Schools. They are working on completing their high school education or earning their GEDs while learning about nurturing their young children.
Will works with the group three days a week and incorporates parenting lessons in this school-based literacy program. She emphasizes the importance of parent-child interaction in meeting the goals of each stage of child development. The moms are able to implement practical tips and techniques from the parenting program and apply them immediately with their children.

Recently, moms and children participated in a nature walk, encouraging their children to discover and explore using their senses. / The walk related to books they read to their children in the classroom. Through this process, moms are taught not only the importance of interacting with their children but also give their children a head start in the learning process. Research shows that reading to children gives them a much better chance of success once they begin attending school.

Muskegon MSU Extension reaches out

A retired nurse from MuskegonCounty headed on a mission trip to Mexico called MSU Extension’s nutrition program to request Spanish language nutrition materials.
She was concerned about the rising obesity rates in Mexico and wanted to teach about healthy eating habits and lifestyles.
She took a copy of a curriculum and an audiotape in Spanish and reported on her return that the nutrition lessons had been appreciated and attendance was even larger than expected.
Months later, when the pastor of the church where she had worked in Mexico visited Muskegon, he told her that a number of those who had attended the nutrition meetings were making significant changes in their eating and daily exercise habits, thanks to what they had learned from her.
/ 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 facingcommunities. Citizens serving on countyExtension councils regularly help select focus areas for programming. MSU Extension is funded jointly by county boards of commissioners,the state through MichiganStateUniversity and federally through the US Department of Agriculture. /
MuskegonCounty residents can practice safe preparation of fish
While fish from Lake Michigan and our other Great Lakes provides healthy nutrition for families, the possibility that some contaminates can be ingested by eating this fish has been identified as a local concern.
To address this need, MSU Extension agriculture and horticulture educator Coleen Boyer is offering a program on safe fish cleaning and cooking practices.
The project, funded through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has enabled Boyer to educate hundreds of local residents about the proper method for cleaning fish and eliminating the bulk of the contaminates so that they can include fish as part of a healthy diet.
Signs were posted at boat launches and marinas around the county with educational messages. In addition, more than 20 local bait and tackle shops received counter placemats with the same information.
Boyer also conducted a program called “Roots and Shoots” focused on the need to include fish as part of healthy eating and the proper preparation.
Family and Consumer Science Extension educators worked with Boyer to develop a curriculum on this topic to be used as an addition in the nutrition lessons nutrition educators and program associates share with families across the county. To date, more than 330 families have received this information as part of their nutrition education.
/ Muskegon MSU Extension works to recruit men to mentoring
In mentoring programs across Michigan, there is a great need to engage more adult men in helping guide youngsters toward brighter futures. The Muskegon County Mentoring Collaborative and the Ottawa County Mentoring Collaborative were awarded a $25,000 grant to help recruit more men in local mentoring programs.
Through a series of focus groups conducted in Muskegon and Ottawa counties, it was determined that the most effective method of recruiting male mentors was by word of mouth from other men. As a result, the grant will be used to fund an AmeriCorps member to recruit more men in mentoring.
The Men in Mentoring AmeriCorps member will work with a task force in the two counties to guide design of promotional materials, advertisements and assist with recruitment events. Other efforts for us to meet this challenge are to engage the media, higher education, the faith-based community, local businesses/corporations and government officials.

MSU Extension and AgrAbility

make a difference

Kathy Tensen, a dairy farm wife and office manager of Tensen Farms in MuskegonCounty claims that the tools that she received by participating in AgrAbility project “changed my life.”
Tensen helped with many chores on her family’s Ravenna farm before she lost most of her eyesight. Today, she operates the farm business office with equipment that includes a large keyboard, scanner/reader and Zoom computer software, which allows her to continue work in their farm business.
MSU Extension district dairy educator Bill Robb told Kathy about the Michigan AgrAbility Project, a joint effort of Easter Seals- Michigan, Michigan Farm Bureau, MSU Extension and Michigan Rehab Services.
AgrAbility helps disabled farmers make adjustments that enable them to stay in business and continue contributing to their families, communities and the state’s economy. To learn more visit.
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, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status, or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the US Department of Agriculture, Thomas G Coon, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.