ESP Pennsylvania Newsletter

As I drove into work today, the roads were a bit empty - somewhat typical for an August morning when it seems that everyone else is on vacation. And so the day began with that feel of the lull before the storm, with autumn right around the corner. With autumn the pace 'picks up' with our Annual Meeting on November 1 at The Atherton. We hope that each of you, as schedules permit, will join us in a celebration of the membership efforts that make us such a vibrant organization. Details are available further along in the newsletter.

I have gained a heightened source of pride for the Alpha Omicron Chapter during my year as your President. While there is no shortage of goals that we can continue to further, we offer significant leadership to our fellow state chapters. It is the work done 'in the trenches' by our committee chairs, members, and officers that allows us to achieve goals and move forward. I am humbled by the work of each one of you and thank you for sharing your time and talent. Special kudos to our Global Relations Committee whose professional development session, 'Extension Reaching Out to Multicultural Communities: At Home and Abroad', expanded the horizons of 225 Pennsylvania Extension professionals this past spring.

Besides what we achieve on a local level, our members help National ESP move forward. It is with great pride that our own Nancy Crago serves as the National President. We also have members coming on board to serve national roles in the coming year:

I am not sure that any other state chapter can boast such significant contribution to National ESP!

Also notable is the recognition of our membership on a regional level. Congratulations go to the recently announced Northeast ESP Award recipients:

Not only are we proud of the outstanding extension work done by each of these individuals, but we appreciate our committees that have facilitated these nominations in the process.

And that brings us to our national meeting "ESP - On the Waterfront of Professional Excellence". This is a great opportunity for each of us as this national meeting is immediately to our south in Annapolis, Maryland from November 14 to 17th. The conference will feature the keynote presentation "Ethics and Leadership, the Challenges and Responses" by Dr. Albert C. Pierce, the first director of the Center for the Study of Professional Military Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy. The conference includes informative concurrent sessions, with several presenters including our Alpha Omicron colleagues. And there will be the opportunity for helping hands in our lead role in the National Scholarship Auction at the conference. We hope you will join us for a strong Pennsylvania presence.

Take in the last bit of summer sun as we enter fall with the opportunity to reap much of what we have sown - it looks to be a great harvest for our Alpha Omicron Chapter!

2006 National ESP Auction-A Starfish of a Story; Michelle Rodgers, Past President, mrs6@psu.edu

It matters! Remember the story about the starfish that were being thrown back into the sea one by one by a caring individual? The moral of the story was that we can each individually do something that matters and when many of us join together…it matters even more. Our ESP auction is like the starfish story. When each of us contributes something it adds up to something that is very significant and equates to benefits to many individual members. ESP relies on the generosity of businesses and buyers for the $15,000 needed annually to support the scholarships and recognition programs. You can help!

We are looking for items to be donated for the auction---use your creativity. There are many options. You can make an item or request a donated item or purchase an item yourself and donate it to the auction. Auction items could be a weekend at a vacation spot, artwork, craft items, framed or unframed prints, jewelry etc. Our biggest task is to obtain the items. The value of the auction items typically range from $25 to $2500. And because ESP is a registered non-profit, any donations are tax deductible. A brochure has been developed that you can give to potential donors. Locate and print the brochure from the 2006 Auction website. Currently we are soliciting donations to include Nemacolon Woods Resort and Seven Springs Resort, and we have a Collectible Naval Academy Milk Carton, stained glass angel, and Bill Coleman Amish Prints. If you are willing to seek or donate an auction item, please let me know and I will add it to the website. With advance notice-we can print a photo or description of the item to be displayed at the auction.

Thanks in advance for helping the Alpha Omicron Chapter sponsor a successful auction in Annapolis this fall! Contact me if you have any questions or additional items.

INCOME	BUDGET 2006	Actual on 9/4/06
Dues	3,200.00	2,085.00
Extension Extended	700.00	864.00
Banquet	1,000.00	104.37
Donations	100.00	350.00
Forgivable Loan	300.00	200.00
National Endowment	0.00	0.00
JCEP Regional Meeting Reimbursement	300.00	300.00
Misc. Income	0.00	1,000.00
Reserves/Balance Checking Account	2680.00	7,799.66
TOTAL INCOME	$8,280.00	$12,703.03
CHAPTER EXPENSES
National Dues	1,920.00	2,630.00
Banquet	1,000.00	0.00
Extension Extended	575.00	599.73
President Expenses	500.00	0.00
JCEP Forgivable Loan	400.00	0.00
Alpha Omicron Forgivable Loan	500.00	0.00
Extension Relations Awards	80.00	0.00
Chapter Awards	60.00	0.00
JCEP Regional Meeting	300.00	300.00
PILD	500.00	0.00
Treasurer Expenses	20.00	0.00
Newsletter Expenses	200.00	103.20
Retirement Gifts	300.00	180.00
Membership & Initiation	200.00	0.00
Sympathy & Memorial	25.00	0.00
Professional Development	1,500.00	0.00
75th Anniversary Contributions	0.00	0.00
Ad Hoc Committees	100.00	0.00
Misc. Expense	100.00	1,365.00
TOTAL EXPENSE	$8,280.00	$5,177.93
NET (Income-Expenses)		$7,525.10

Please mark your calendars for November 1, 2006 from 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. for the Epsilon Sigma Phi Annual meeting and luncheon at The Atherton. Our meeting will be held in conjunction with the professional associations meetings. Watch for more details about the meeting - coming soon. Registration Form.

ESP to Participate in Annual Meeting Silent Auction - Fred Davis, fdavis2444@verizon.net

Prior to the Annual Meeting Awards Banquet, a silent auction will be held to benefit the various professional organizations of Extension. This is your opportunity to bring one or more auction items along. The proceeds will be designated to support the ESP Endowment Fund. This is an easy way to make a contribution to support the educational opportunities provided by ESP. Bring your auction items with you to registration. Please be sure that your items are clearly marked for the benefit of ESP. If you cannot bring along an auction item, bring your checkbook. This is a great opportunity to show your committment to our ESP organization and its ideals.

Chapter & Career Awards - An Opportunity to Recognize your ESP Colleagues and Gain Program Visibility - Patricia Powley, ppowley@psu.edu

Each year, the Pennsylvania Alpha Omicron Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi seeks nominations to recognize Extension professionals and staff for excellence and leadership in Pennsylvania. Both life and active members can be recognized. Award recipients are recognized for their program accomplishments, professional accomplishments, and colleague support.

This year's awards and their criteria are listed on the chapter awards page of the website. Review and reflect on the programs and accomplishments of your colleagues. Nominations for each award are now requested. Most of these awards are open only to members of Epsilon Sigma Phi. Individuals submitting nominations must be members of Epsilon Sigma Phi.

Global Relations - Extension Reaching Out to Multicultural Communities:
At Home and Abroad - Mary Alice Gettings, magettings@psu.edu

One-hundred and seventy-five ESP members, extension educators, specialists, and administrators as well as Nutrition Education Advisers participated in the continuing education event Extension Reaching Out to Multicultural Communities: At Home and Abroad. The sessions, which were sponsored and supported by ESP and the College of Agriculture's Extension Director's Office and the Office of International Programs, were conducted at four sites throughout the state to enhance the opportunity to participate.

Those who attended had the pleasure of learning more about how internationalizing Cooperative Extension has benefits to both us here at home and those living in other countries. Dennis Calvin, Associate Director of Cooperative Extension, and Deanna Behring, Director of International Programs, opened the sessions by providing an overview of how Cooperative Extension has participated in international opportunities in the past and the benefits to the participants and those we worked with in other countries. In addition, they laid the groundwork for the necessity of future work in Internationalizing Extension. Later in the day, Deanna provided us with U.S. and the World, an excellent resource that we can utilize with the communities we work with each and every day. This book provides us with situations and examples to guide us to intelligent conversations about international issues with our various clientele.

To make us more aware of the differences between cultures, Patreese Ingram led us in an activity and discussion. We were made more aware of the need to be cognizant of the various habits and perceptions of cultures different than ours. Due to the fact that there continues to be more cultures moving into the state of PA, we have a responsibility to seek an understanding of that culture so that we can be more effective as we work with individuals and families of these cultures.

The session on understanding legal issues of new populations was very well received. Those who attended this breakout session enhanced their understanding of the issues and red tape faced by those who would like to enter our country to work and/or become a citizen. This was very timely in that there was national and local news coverage dealing with immigration issues for those working in the U.S.

Participants commented on the benefits of the two panel discussions Exploring Cultural Perspectives of Families and Planning Your International Travel. Those who served on the panels represented various backgrounds and regions in the state. Panelists provided their insight, successes, and challenges they have experienced when working with various cultures at the county level. For those having an interest in traveling abroad for professional and/or personal opportunities, panelists provided important information that will help to make your trip a success and to avoid running into problems.

The evaluation is currently being reviewed with results to be revealed in a future ESP newsletter. For more information, contact any Global Relations Committee Member, all of whom were integral in the success of the four sessions. These members include Roxanne Price, co-chair, Deanna Behring, Nancy Crago, Nancy Kadwill, Leon Ressler, Robin Rex, and Fay Strickler.

The "Extension Memories Committee" History will still accept stories from the past through this fall. We presently have over 150 in the following catagories - Philosophy, Contributions to Society, Effective Programs, History,Humor and Achievement. One area that is missing that older agents can think about relates to the "senior Extension Program". I believe nearly every county had such a program years ago. One or two still do! Additional areas with no stories are Extension's work with helping communities develop telephone, electric systems, cooperatives which was a great effort thru the 30's - 40's, food canning training sessions - some home economist must have stories about near exploding pressure cookers, and/or their checking the pressure gauges for homemakers. Also some had training sessions on freezing food for families who used locker freezers before home freezers were readily available.

Membership - Financial Incentives for Early Membership Renewals !!! - Cathy Bowen, cbowen@psu.edu

It feels like a blink of the eyes and another year has almost passed. That also means it is time to renew your membership in ESP for 2007. Renewals received by Monday, October 30, 2006 (up to the first 30 renewals or first time members) will receive a surprise gift valued at $20! Winners will be announced at the annual banquet and you do not need to be present to be a winner. Please use the attached form to renew your membership today and then tell your co-workers about the incentive!

Epsilon Sigma Phi’s mission is to foster standards of excellence in the Extension System and to develop the Extension profession and professional. ESP also honors its’ members and outstanding friends with recognition and scholarships. More importantly, ESP exists because of committed Extension professionals like you who understand the value and importance of participating in professional organizations. Don’t delay. Renew your membership today.

(Finally, the renewal incentive is being financed by the membership chair, not from ESP resources.) Membership renewal deadline is January 5, 2007.

Note - Members who retire from Extension may obtain lifetime membership in the Chapter and National Organization by paying a one-time amount equal to five (5) times the National individual annual membership dues in effect at the time application is made.

Over 30 educators participated in the Health and Wellness session sponsored by ESP last October. Cassandra Kitko, Coordinator for Penn State's Health Matters program presented a workshop on Park, Walk, Walk, and Walk.

The whole idea of fitness is walking and Penn State's Health Matters program allows you to sign up and participate in a walking program-NO MATTER where you live. You simply go on-line to Penn State Benefits site and select Health Matters; http://www.ohr.psu.edu/health/home.htm. You can gain credit toward other health and wellness programs by completing programs. The first 30 participants received pedometers to track the steps. Question for you-Are you still walking and are you still recording your steps for better health.

ESP would like to sponsor another health related program next year-if the opportunity presents itself. What would you like to learn about for better health and well-being? Send me an email-mjdepp@psu.edu.

If you have retired since last November 1st or are planning on retiring by this October 31st, please contact Dennis Murphy (djm13@psu.edu) so that appropriate recognition can be given to you at our annual banquet. Retirees have an option of receiving an engraved statue of the Nittany Lion or, if 2006 dues are paid, an equivalent contribution toward the cost of Life Membership in Epsilon Sigma Phi. Life membership is $150. Please inform Dennis as soon as possible about retirement decisions, but no later than October 1. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact Dennis.