How to Start a New EHC Club

by Nancy Hightower - October 28, 2022

There are many ways to go about starting a new EHC Club in your county. However, if you’re stuck and need an idea, Dr. Laura Hendrix shares a method that might work for you and your county!

Starting an EHC Club

Plan a fun, interesting class or workshop series.

Choose a fun class or workshop series to host for the public. If you aren’t sure what to hold a class on, ask your community and/or get feedback from those around you. You can ask your friends, family, and current club members what classes they would be interested in. You can also reach out to your community via Facebook community pages to ask what others are interested in or get feedback on the ideas you have.

Advertise far and wide.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure to advertise it! You can do this on Facebook also using community pages and your personal account, you can hang flyers in community places that will let you like libraries and churches, and you can advertise in your newspaper.

The more places you advertise, the more people will see your event. Recruit others to help you advertise so you cover a lot of ground.

Promote EHC at your event.

At the event, start off by explaining what EHC is and what EHC does to those attending. Prepare a short explanation beforehand and try to make it fun and exciting. This is called an “Elevator Pitch.” Have some materials handy to give attendees as well. The EHC Promotional Coloring Page flyer and EHC bookmarks are great materials to use for this purpose. You can also create a list of current clubs and activities your EHC county members participate in to show your attendees current options available to them.

Host an organizational meeting for those interested.

Once you have a group showing interest in starting a club, host a meeting to discuss moving forward. Briefly discuss officer positions, meeting organization, and other relevant club details. Plan and schedule upcoming meetings.

Plan to assist with and attend at least the first three meetings of the new club.

Meeting 1 – Get acquainted with each other, EHC educational programs, and activities

Meeting 2 – Learn more about officer roles, educational programs, activities, and discuss what your club is going to do.

Meeting 3 – Elect officers and plan future meetings educational programs, and activities. Name your club.

Fill out and submit paperwork to become a club.

You can find this paperwork online or ask your county agent for assistance.

This is not the only way to go about starting a new EHC club. However, it is an easy method to follow. If you need any other help, suggestions, or support starting a new club, your agent, state officers, and Extension State Office contacts are always happy to help!

“The time for new beginnings is now.” -Unknown