Deb Donaldson has worked with many young children, teens, new moms, and elderly people during her 19 years as an EFNEP instructor. She enjoys teaching nutrition and cooking skills. “I help a wide variety of people (youth, teens, new moms, elderly, etc.) learn how to eat better, cook homemade food...

Many Illinoisans enjoy adventures in the woods in search of mushrooms, typically in the spring. Participants in the recent Mushrooms of Illinois webinar, or those who watched the recording, learned from Dr. Andrew Miller that mushroom hunting can be done year-round. The University of Illinois...

Food plays a substantial role in health, and impacts whether or not people are able to lead an active, healthy life.  By working with multiple coalitions, University of Illinois Extension staff, Kaitlyn Streitmatter and Rebecca Crumrine, are making substantial improvements in the food options...

Combining classic children’s literature with engineering activities resulted in a unique learning combination for a unique situation. 4-H staff with University of Illinois Extension serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell counties created “Storybook Engineering” kits for youth to use at home...

Nicole began her career with University of Illinois Extension in 2019. “As an agriculture and natural resources educator, I help provide information about growing plants and natural resources.  Trainings, answering homeowner questions, and supporting master volunteers are all ways that I can...

While the Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) has a very specific target audience, the program is important to all Illinois residents. University of Illinois Extension staff partner with Illinois Department of Agriculture to provide education, training, and certification to pesticide...

Volunteers of University of Illinois Extension's Master Gardener program were recognized at a virtual awards ceremony October 2. The annual awards ceremony recognizes the work of the 2,700 volunteers...

Peoria County 4-H members look forward to the day they are old enough to become a Junior Superintendent at the 4-H Show. That volunteer role holds a special place of honor for a small group of teens each year. While their responsibilities looked very different for the 2020 Virtual 4-H Show, the...

With a mission to support, connect, and provide resources to those working within the emergency food system, University of Illinois Extension Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit SNAP-Education and the Tazewell County Health Department partnered to launch Food Pantry Network-HOI in March 2019. Since...

University of Illinois Extension staff from horticulture, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—Education (SNAP-Ed), and 4-H teamed up to provide training to teachers, administrators, parents, and master volunteers with the goal to help them understand how to start and maintain a school garden...

An unprecedented spring and summer, filled with COVID fears and cancellations, made it clear that the upcoming school year would be far from business as usual. The University of Illinois Extension 4-H educators Judy Schmidt and Emily Schoenfelder generally work within the sphere of non-formal...

Mari was hired to the University of Illinois Extension EFNEP team in 2016. She became the second English-Spanish bilingual team member. “I teach nutrition program to children, teens, and adults in the Peoria area. I teach them how to cook and exercise as well as encourage them to be healthy. My...

Change brings new problems and new opportunities for society. Several University of Illinois Extension educators serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell counties have joined a team of city leaders, agencies, and organizations to address the serious need of the lack of adequate access to fresh...

In 2019, Skye became an Illinois Extension SNAP-Ed instructor focused in Mason County. “I really enjoy teaching the young kids, but it doesn’t matter what age you are, nutrition is important to learn and there is always new information. I aim to educate people to help them increase their knowledge...

Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) programming in the University of Illinois Extension Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit may have looked different this summer, but one thing was still the same –kids were engaged in STEAM activities and career exploration.  4-H staff...

Broadband technologies and applications are an integral part of any economic development effort in today’s economy. Having access to broadband and enhancing people’s knowledge and application of this valuable resource is vital to the social and economic well-being of the region. University of...

Angela Jimenez, Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program Instructor ajimenez@illinois.edu “I teach nutrition to youth, teens, and adults in the Peoria area. I teach my clients  to eat and cook healthy, work with a budget, and...

One of the less mentioned benefits of being an Extension Master Gardener or Master Naturalist is the time you get to spend with other volunteers learning together and from each other. While shelter-in-place and social distancing protocols are being followed, University of Illinois Extension staff...

Local 4-Hers did not let the cancelation of the regular 4-H Shows stop them from exhibiting their 4-H projects with the same pride and skill development as they have shown in the past. Thanks to the hard work, creative thinking, and ingenuity of the University of Illinois Extension staff, 327 youth...

At the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year Julie Dantone, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—Education instructor was presented with a unique challenge as she was kicking off the Organ Wise Guys curriculum at Dirksen Primary School in Pekin. How do you teach a child to check their pulse...