MILITARY REUNION GROUP TO RECEIVE HONORS DURING MEETING

Contact: Mary Averbeck
859-512-1109 (m), 859-356-3155 (o)

MILITARY REUNION GROUP TO RECEIVE HONORS DURING MEETING

Covington, KY/February 27, 2008—The 40th anniversary of Kentucky Association of Extension 4-H Agents will be celebrated at the group's annual conference at Covington's Riverfront Radisson hotel April 15-17.

Gone are many of the agrarian activities and programs that dominated the landscape 40-50 years ago according to conference co-chair Mary Averbeck, Kenton County Extension Agent.

"Science, engineering and technology are big pushes right now. More specifically we are seeing a focus on biotechnology, electronics, GPS/GIS, rocketry/aerospace, light, heat and motion. And for the last four years, Kenton County has had a robotics club," said Averbeck.

But Averbeck is quick to add that there is still a big emphasis on what have been considered the staples of 4-H for generations, citing animal science, sewing, consumer and economic education, food and nutrition, environmental issues, leadership and communication. "Kenton County had 135 participants in our recent County Speech and Demonstration event."

Program highlights of the three-day conference include:

• Birthday Celebration, Tuesday, April 15, 7:30 p.m., Newport Syndicate (approximately 25 retired county extension agents from the Commonwealth will be saluted);
• Can We Be Friends?, Wednesday, April 16, 2:45 p.m., Covington Radisson, (educational subject matter exploring how language, music, art, dress, food and stories help define culture);
• Jump Into Food and Fitness, Tuesday, April 15, 12:00 p.m., Campbell County Extension Office (fun nutrition, physical fitness and food safety curriculum geared to 8-11-year olds);
• Bringing In the Sheaves: Educating and Developing Volunteers for Extension Programs, Tuesday, April 15, 2:45 p.m. (educating agents on how to nurture the nearly 20,000 volunteers statewide annually);
• Closing Awards Program, Thursday, April 17, 11:30 a.m., Radisson (various awards handed out including New Agent, Outstanding Program, Exemplary Professionalism and Extra Effort).

More than 15,000 youngsters combined are enrolled in 4-H in Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties. Now in its 103rd year nationally, 4-H is the largest out-of school youth program in the US, both in rural and urban areas, serving nearly seven million kids.

For more information: http://ces.ca.uky.edu/kae4ha.

The mission of the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau is that of an aggressive sales, marketing, service and informational organization whose primary responsibility is to positively impact the Northern Kentucky economy through conventions, meetings and visitor expenditures. The direct economic impact of visitors' spending in Campbell, Kenton and Boone Counties in 2006 was $263 million.