Arkansas Extension Homemakers to honor Betty Oliver and annual meeting
By KD Reep
U of a System Division of Agriculture
May 27, 2016
Fast Facts:
- State meeting will honor Betty Oliver, Pulaski County extension staff chair
- About 450 people are expected to attend
- In 2015, AHEC recorded 615,000 volunteer hours, worth more more than $14 million
(604 words)
(Newsrooms: with art available at www.flickr.com/photos/uacescomm/25770484601 and www.flickr.com/photos/uacescomm/8962078153)
LITTLE ROCK – Betty Oliver, a woman who devoted her life’s energies to serving others, will be honored by those she inspired at this year’s Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council annual meeting June 7-9.
Oliver, former Pulaski County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, had most recently served as a volunteer coordinator for the Cooperative Extension Service. The Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council and its activities were ingrained in her heart.
Oliver was 79 when she died in early April. At the time, she was the person with the longest tenure within the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, with 58 years. An alumna of Ouachita Baptist University, Oliver was a member of OBU’s Board of Trustees.
“We will have special memorial for Betty at the opening session on June 7, and the 2016 state meeting will be dedicated to her memory,” said Lisa Washburn, assistant professor-health for the Division of Agriculture.
“For more than a century, AEHC members have served as first responders for social issues not easily addressed by other groups,” Washburn said. “For many agencies, our EHC members fill a gap by providing services that can’t be purchased or procured, and in some cases, their innovation develops solutions to problems they are approached to address.”
Washburn said that EHC “projects offer physical and emotional comfort to those in need. If not for their talent, leadership and heart for service, many organizations we depend on as a society – pre-schools, hospitals, shelters, and nursing homes – would lack materials and manpower that enable them to do their work. EHC fulfills its mission in many ways, large and small, to improve quality of life for people in this state.”
The Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council will welcome 450 attendees, celebrate the year’s achievements and honor Oliver at its 2016 Annual State Meeting at the Hot Springs Convention Center from June 7-9. This year’s theme, Stepping Up for Education, will focus on how-to, creative skills and subject matter classes as well as awards and recognitions.
Kicking off the state meeting is Red Day on Tuesday, June 7. Attendees can register for the meeting and bid on silent auction items from 8-11 a.m. The craft show will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the opening session will be from noon to 1 p.m. and recognize 50-year, 60-year, 70-year and longer members.
On Wednesday, June 8, attendees can register for the meeting starting at 8 a.m. The board of directors meeting is from 8:30-10 a.m., and the craft show is from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The awards luncheon is set for noon to 1:30 p.m., and the final silent auction will go from 2-3:15 p.m.
That evening, attendees can join their talented colleagues at the “Let You Entertain Us” talent show. This event will showcase one act from each county in Arkansas and include singing, dancing, reading poems, skits and more.
On Thursday, June 9, the state meeting will wrap with a general session from 9-11 a.m., memorial, installation of state officers, a presentation to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, door prizes and adjournment.
“AEHC empowers individuals and families to improve their lives through continuing education, leadership development and community service,” said Rosemary Rodibaugh, interim Family and Consumer Sciences unit leader for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “The organization is one of the largest nonprofit volunteer groups in the state with a membership of 4,400 and over 350 clubs. In 2015, they contributed nearly 615,000 volunteer hours to their communities at a value of more than $14 million.”
For more information on AEHC, visit http://www.uaex.uada.edu/ or contact your county extension office.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your (insert appropriate office) as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media Contact: Mary Hightower
Dir. of Communication Services
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
mhightower@uada.edu
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