Affiliate Annual Report Form
Please return this form by January 1 of each year to your Region Director.
Person Completing Form: / Susan Routh, President / Phone: / (405) 224-2216
Accomplishments: (Please list major accomplishments for the period of January 1-December 31)
· The Oklahoma affiliate includes 81 members and 40 Life members.
· OEAFCS annually donates $500 to the Oklahoma 4-H program to provide support of the Oklahoma 4-H Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) advanced project record book scholarship. This scholarship is presented in the amount of $1,000 to the 4-H member who has the first place project record book related to FCS in the advanced area. This scholarship donation is partnered with the remaining balance of $500 which is donated by the Oklahoma Extension Association of 4-H Agents.
· The Annual OEAFCS meeting was held in April, 2012, with 70 full time registration and 105 guests attending the awards luncheon. Eleven conference partners provided sponsorship of the conference. The theme of the conference was “Walk the Talk.” Mrs. Ann Hargis, Oklahoma State University’s (OSU) “First Cowgirl” (wife of University President Burns Hargis) was the featured speaker. Her presentation featured how OEAFCS members could partner with the University to promote Health and Wellness. Mrs. Hargis promotes health and wellness among staff, employees, and students at OSU and is striving to promote OSU as the “Healthiest Campus.” Gwendolyn Downing, Coordinator of Hope and Resilience, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, presented “ACE Trauma Informed Care.”
· Oklahoma Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, Oklahoma Living Magazine, private donations, and OEAFCS members donated $1,550 to support of the annual OEAFCS awards program.
· Special ad hoc committees have been appointed to develop recommendations for consideration by the membership. One committee is exploring the possibility of obtaining 501(c) 3 status (through the Internal Revenue Service). Another committee is developing a recommendation to support 4-H Family and Consumer Sciences contests and events that occur at the district and state level. These contests include the Consumer Judging contest, 4-H Food Showdown contest, and the Fashion Revue contest. The Food Showdown and Fashion Revue state contest are held in conjunction with State 4-H Roundup in July and the Consumer Judging Contest is held during the Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City. Recommendations are to include award sponsorships and provide travel scholarship for the teams that represent Oklahoma 4-H at the National Consumer Judging Contest and the National 4-H Food Showdown.
· Nineteen members attended the NEAFCS Annual Session in Columbus Ohio which included two administrators, two retirees, and one guest. Three members served as voting delegates. One member served on the credentialing committee and one member was nominated and elected to serve on the National Nomination Committee.
· The state president attended the Joint Council of Extension Professionals meeting in San Antonio, Texas, in February. OEAFCS provide $750 support for travel expenses to this national meeting.
· Impact reports were submitted from Oklahoma. Within the NEAFCS 2012 Impact Reports, five Oklahoma FCS programs were highlighted.
Member Resources:
· A refreshment tray and OEAFCS membership applications were provided at the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service “New Employee” Training.
· Two OEAFCS members hosted the “Faithful Extension Workers” group (retired FCS Extension Educators) during their fall meeting. State OEAFCS President attended by invitation from the group and provided an update to the group.
· The OEAFCS website located at: www.oeafcs.okstate.edu is continually updated and maintained to insure communication between members and administration.
Awards & Recognition:
· Thirty-three state awards were presented to 60 members during the Annual Awards Luncheon. Nineteen award books were submitted for regional and national competition including two Distinguished Service Award nominees and one Continuing Excellence Awards.
· During the Awards Luncheon, two representatives from Oklahoma State University attend and provide photos and news release for award winners to use for local and county promotional purposes.
· During the Annual Session of NEAFCS, OEAFCS members received the following:
o Two Distinguished Service Awards
o One Continuing Excellence Award
o Three National winners which included one first place winner. Four regional winners which included two first place winners.
Public Affairs:
· Jessica Willis, Field Representative for Congressman Tom Cole (OK), and Emily Shipley, Field Representative for Senator Tom Coburn (OK) received invitation and attended the Annual Meeting of OEAFCS. They participated in the educational sessions and attended the Awards Luncheon.
· OEAFCS coordinated a Legislative Tour in partnership with the Oklahoma Association of 4-H Agents and the Oklahoma Extension Association of Agriculture Agents. Field Representatives for Senator Tom Coburn (OK), Congressman Tom Cole (OK), and Congressman Dan Boren (OK) were invited to spend a day with Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. They and OCES county Extension Educators and District Extension Specialists and Directors boarded a touring bus which traveled to several counties in Southeast Oklahoma. The participants observed agriculture test plots and projects in Johnston County and FCS highlights were shared from this county. They also had the opportunity to observe the Southeast District’s “Food Showdown” contest during this tour. They visited Pontotoc County where they observed a nutrition class presented by a Nutrition Education Assistant and information about the Community Nutrition Education Program was given. In Murray County, participants toured a 4-H gardening project and Rural Development projects. Plans are to continue this annual event in which one of the four districts in the state will be highlighted.
· The state president attended PILD and visited with six representatives of Oklahoma Congressmen. An impact report from Oklahoma FCS was included in a packet shared with each representative. OCES Administration provides travel expense support.
· Two editions of the eEnterprise have been distributed this year to membership and retirees.
· Three changes to the OEAFCS by-laws were proposed to correspond with the membership status changes adopted by NEAFCS in 2011. They include: Member in Transition, Active Member, and Student Member. These by-law changes will be voted upon during a regular business meeting in January, 2013.
Other Special Projects: (Anything you would like to brag about):
· Donated $600 to the Dr. Robert and Linda Whitson Honorary Scholarship, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Dr. Whitson was retiring as Dean and Director of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. The donation served as a gift from OEAFCS to honor Dr. Whitson and fulfill his request upon his retirement.
· Prior to the Living Well mini-grants, the Oklahoma affiliate was in the top 10 affiliates for the number of sales, tied with Georgia.
· To preserve OEAFCS history, documents, pictures, and artifacts have been stored with the Edmon Low Library, Oklahoma State University in the “Special Collections” section. The papers will be put into acid free boxes and folders. Photos have been protected with the same system. The archived material will be available to OEAFCS as needed.
Concerns from your State: (Concerns for the NEAFCS Board)
· The Oklahoma affiliate has been investigating and researching the possibility of 501(c) 3 status (IRS) for approximately two years. By obtaining this status with IRS, the Oklahoma affiliate would provide donors with tax incentives for donations and be eligible for grants to sustain programming, professional development, and awards. Discussion was included in the affiliate Treasurers meeting during the NEAFCS Annual Session in September. Is either the NEAFCS Endowment or Award Fund a 501(c) 3? If so, we respectfully ask that the Board review this topic and address the possibility of affiliates being allowed to be considered a part of the 501(c) 3 status that is now being used by NEAFCS. Was this consideration previously discussed by a NEAFCS Board and recorded in historical minutes? If so, could these minutes please be shared with us for documentation? We certainly appreciate the Board’s consideration of this request.
The state of CES in your state:
· Funding at the state and county level continues to be a challenge in the present economic conditions. Counties were asked to increase their budget allowances for the county extension office by seven percent. Anticipation is that the counties will once again face this request for 2013. Good news – The energy business (including oil and wind) which sustains the state budget has increased in the last two years with more growth anticipated in 2013.
· The College of Human Sciences at Oklahoma State University reinstated the Family and Consumer Sciences Education degree plan in 2011. In 2012, a clinical faculty member was selected who will be responsible for overseeing Teacher Interns as they complete their time in local schools prior to graduation. In addition, an OEAFCS member has gifted the College of Human Sciences with two $500 scholarships, which were matched by a faculty member, creating $2,000 in new scholarships for student in this new degree program.
Submit this form to your Regional Director and the
NEAFCS National Office, 20423 State Road 7, Suite F6-491, Boca Raton, Florida 33498
Fax: (561) 477-8100, Email: