Paris, Ill. – Nine and a half years ago Kim Trine found herself teaching positive messages about health and nutrition in the classrooms of schools all across Edgar County.
“I am a teacher, and my best work is done in a classroom or in front of an audience,” says Trine.
With degrees in both education and counseling, Trine may be best known locally as the owner of The Cross Walk bookstore on West Court Street from 1984-2001. She also taught at Kansas High School and held a few other jobs, usually in an educator role.
Trine knew she wasn’t finished guiding young minds, so in 2012 she began working for Illinois Extension as a Community Worker in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education. SNAP-Ed is a program of the Department of Agriculture that assists eligible recipients with nutrition and health education. In this role, she built partnerships with community organizations, classroom teachers and students, and those receiving SNAP benefits. She enjoyed this position for 5 and a half years.
Wanting to pull back from full-time work, Trine transitioned into a part-time role for Extension as the Program Coordinator for Ag and Natural Resources in 2017. She and her husband Steven have a passion for gardening and nature, so this was an easy switch.
“I am proud to have started an evening Master Gardener group for Clark, Crawford, and Edgar counties,” says Trine. “Having an evening meeting option allows anyone to become a horticulture expert and serve their communities.”
While Trine will be officially retired at the end of this month, she knows her natural gift as a teacher will afford her many opportunities to do public speaking and minister to various groups in the future.
“Maybe in our online society, Steven and I can even be involved in mission work in another part of the world,” says Trine. “I also want to compile a cookbook from my mom’s family recipes and perhaps help start a Junior Master Gardener program in our community.”
Trine also says she will miss the people, coworkers, and many volunteers she has had the privilege of working with this past decade.
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