Health and Human Sciences
It's as simple as
Food, Family, Money, & Health
The Health and Human Sciences (HHS) Educator delivers educational programs in Vigo County that are evidence and research based, to all community members. HHS Purdue Extension focuses on issues related to families and parenting through programs like our "Strengthening Families Program". HHS Extension delivers health and wellness and food and nutrition programs to help with chronic diseases, like "Dining with Diabetes" and "Be Heart Smart". Through HHS you can also learn about food safety and home food preservation. Where Does Your Money Go helps those who struggle financially get back to basics by learning budgeting.
Contact Us
Purdue Extension Vigo County
275 Ohio St.
Terre Haute, IN 47807
(812) 462-3371
GAIL WRIGHT
Examples of Programming
The Strengthening Families Program: For Parent and Youth 10-14 is an evidence-based program that can help prevent teen substance abuse and other behavior problems, strengthen parent/youth communication skills, increase academic success in youth, help teach youth skills for dealing with stress and peer pressure, prevent violence, and aggressive behavior at home and at school. Ranked as the #1 prevention program out of 6,000 analyzed by the World Health Organization, the Strengthening Families Program consists of 7, 2-hr. long classes comprising of youth, parent, and family sessions.
Session topics included:
- Love & Limits
- Dreams & Goals
- House Rules
- Appreciating Parents
- Encouraging Positive Behavior
- Dealing with Stress
- Following Rules & Using Consequences
- Peer Pressure
For more information, visit https://www.purdue.edu/hhs/extension/strengthening-families-program-for-parents-and-youth-10-14-post-editable/
Each year, about 659,000 people in the United States die from heart disease, that’s 1 of every 4 deaths (CDC)! Purdue Extension’s Be Heart Smart Program helps individuals learn information to prevent and reduce their risk of developing heart disease. Over the course of four lessons, participants will learn about the risk factors associated with heart disease, important numbers to know, heart-healthy eating, and how to make sustainable heart-healthy lifestyle changes.
Be Heart Smart cost $15 to attend. For more information, visit: https://www.purdue.edu/hhs/extension/program6/
According to Gallup, only 1 in 3 Americans use a budget and 30% have a long-term financial plan involving savings and investments for the future. Where Does Your Money Go? Program is designed to help consumers better understand how to spend their money. Taught over two, one-hour sessions, participants learn about financial management practices such as needs vs wants, writing goals, tracking expenses, identifying spending leaks, and how to develop a spending-savings plan. Furthermore, program activities help participants increase their knowledge of money management practices that promote financial stability and adoption of new habits that can lead to financial control.
For more information, visit: https://www.purdue.edu/hhs/extension/where-does-your-money-go/According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report 2020, 34.2 million Americans have diabetes and another 88 million have prediabetes (CDC). Furthermore, people who have diabetes are 2.3 more likely to have greater healthcare cost than people who don’t have diabetes.
The Dining with Diabetes Program is a designed to assist and support individuals who have diabetes as well as their families to help reduce the burden of diabetes by increasing knowledge of healthy foods, tips to prepare quick, healthy, and tasty foods, demonstrating proper cooking techniques, promoting physical activity, building confidence, and providing opportunities for participants to learn from one another.
The cost to attend Dining with Diabetes is $40 per individual or $65 per couple. To learn more about Dining with Diabetes, visit: https://www.purdue.edu/hhs/extension/programs-food-0/#dining-with-diabetes
Extension Homemakers
VIGO COUNTY EXTENSION HOMEMAKERS NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2025
COUNCIL OFFICERS’ MESSAGE
Hello everyone. Hope you’ve had a wonderful winter! I am glad that Spring is right around the corner. We have some exciting things coming up: District Meeting, election of officers for individual clubs and county, Spring Fling, and Achievement Day to name a few.
UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER
February 3 Volunteer Community Support Report Form for each club was due to the County President (me)…please email/mail the club form if you didn’t have it ready to turn in at that time…..(I need these to fill out a form for our District meeting)
March 27 **Sewing Day at Vigo County Fairgrounds, 10am - ?
April 1 ***Spring District Meeting, see form included in this newsletter
April 14 *Past Presidents Meeting
April 15 Club Insurance Forms to the County Treasurer (Ruth Ridener)
April 15 Officers Form for next year due to Extension Office
April 28 Spring Fling, see information included in this newsletter
May 5 Council Meeting
May 23 New Members information, Perfect Attendance members,
Model Club &/or Honor Club are due to the Extension Office
June 2 – 4 Home & Family Conference
June 9 Past Presidents Meeting
June 23 Achievement Day…information coming in next Newsletter. Council Meeting to follow Achievement Day
AND A COUPLE NOTES
*Past Presidents Meeting: The April meeting will be at Cackleberries Restaurant at 303 S. 7th Street, 11am.
Hostesses: Darlene Lowe, Jo Cochran, and Barb Mericle
Thank you to our February Hostesses: Sue Merritt, Sharon Stultz, and Sandy Kelly. We had 11 members present.
**Sewing Day at the Fairgrounds. This is a county wide Extension Project to cut, pin, and sew baby blankets and burp cloths. This is an extremely worthwhile project for us to do. We meet at 10am in the Floriculture Building. Feel free to bring yourself a drink and sack lunch. We usually are done around 1 or so….
***Spring District Meeting: The Club form and monies needs to be mailed to Ruth Ridener, County Treasurer, by March 13th. She needs this time to get all Vigo County forms and monies together and meet the District deadline of March 20th
OCTOPI ANYONE?
Ruth Ridener has yarn for members to crochet octopi for Union Hospital preemies. Please give her a call at 812-870-2642 to make arrangements to get the yarn from her.
Union Hospital is in need of sleepers for babies, especially preemies. New or gently used items will be accepted. Please designate one person to collect these items from their members and then take them to the front desk at Union Hospital and let them know you’re from the Vigo County Extension Homemakers.
The Hospital is also in need of coloring books and crayons for children
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
The “special project” for Home & Family Conference 2025 will be a single placemat. Guidelines: up to 14 x 20 is the maximum, however, you can make it smaller. It can be rectangle, oval, round just as long as it is not over the 14x20. You can use any medium you like: plastic canvas, crochet, knit, quilting, whatever you desire. There is so much talent out there! The committee hopes to see a lot of creativity!! Your club president needs to bring it to the May Council Meeting.
Julia Reed is the temporary director of the Vocal Chords due to Marilyn Fisher having health issues.
Some Clubs are still “Scattering Hearts” around the area and I think that’s wonderful. This was a project of our Past State President. Our current State President is asking us to make “Boxes of Care.” Items to put in the box could be band-aids, compressed wash cloths, .6 oz toothpaste, thumb toothbrush, safety pins/buttons, needle & thread. These could be put in a recycled Altoid tin or plastic case. Be sure to keep track of the number of the items you all make and disperse. The other categories for the 2025 Home & Family Conference are the same: Quilts, Needlework, Knitting/Crocheting, Crafts/miscellaneous.
RECENT OBITUARIES
Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of Joann Hays who passed away on Feburary 7, 2025. She was 60+ year member of Vigo County Extension Homemakers and was in Town & Country Club.
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EDUCATOR SPOTLIGHT
March is Living Well Month
Ever thought of practicing kindness to improve your health and well-being. Practice some of these character strengths and improve your health!
Mindfulness Monday
Mindfulness means paying attention to the moment and pausing before reacting. Mindfulness is not a strength but a strategy to help us focus. Take a minute to focus on your strengths today and how energizing it feels to use those.
Top Strengths Tuesday
Remember your top strengths are ones that feel energizing, effortless, and easy to use. What are your top strengths? Choose a top strength and use it to make a difference in someone else's life today. Use creativity for a picture, love with a phone call, kindness with a gesture. Think outside the box!
What do You See Wednesday
You might not be out and about, but we bet you'll be checking some people out on your screens! Practice spotting strengths in your favorite Facebook post.
Think About it Thursday
We ALL have ALL 24 strengths! Our top strengths bring us the most joy when we use them while other strengths take more effort. But what if one of the strengths didn’t exist? Talk with a family member about what your life might be like if you did NOT have one of your top or lesser strengths.
Family & Friends Friday
Where do strengths come from? Pull out a photo album or pictures on a phone and look back at your memories. Curl up next to a friend or family member to talk about the strengths used during those moments. Did someone show perseverance to graduate? Did you use your curiosity to try a new food? Talk about which strengths you share and how your unique top strengths enrich the lives of others.
Gail Wright
Health and Human Sciences Educator