2022 UEAFCS Awards

Virtual Happy Hacks & Social Media Efforts During COVID-19

• Program Description: When the Covid-19 pandemic shut down traditional Extension programming, Dr. Dave pivoted in innovative ways to reach people in need through social media, videos, and virtual “Happy Hacks” presentations. These innovative efforts have reached tens of thousands of people across Utah and the world, improving lives, and boosting resilience.

Level Up! With Wellness Children and Youth Summer Program

• Program Description: The purpose of this wellness program is to give children and youth ages 5-13 the opportunity to practice and build healthy and sustainable lifestyle habits to reduce their risk for chronic disease later in life.

• Program Description: Gardening has physical and mental health benefits, but injuries are Workshops were presented to Master Gardener Volunteers to address ways to prevent or minimize injury and pain by using best practices, proper posture, and correct use of tools. Survey results show an increase in behavior adoption of these concepts.

Empowering Financial Wellness Program

• Program Description: USU Extension’s Empowering Financial Wellness program successfully addresses the critical personal financial stresses exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among women, using an innovative approach through webinars and educational

• Team Members:
  
  • Melanie Jewkes
  • Andrea Schmutz
  • Lendel Narine
  • Vincenza Vicari-Bentley
  • Alicia Nelson-Bell
  • Lisa Cox

Community Opioid Education Dinners

• Program Description: The HEART Initiatives collaborative and innovative Opioid Education programming successfully targeted key opioid overdose “hotspots” in Utah – Carbon County, Emery County, and Downtown Ogden – with a curriculum to reduce stigma against Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) treatment, increase awareness of local resources, and improve understanding of OUD Results are promising.

• Team Members:
  
  • Shane Bench
  • Sadie Wilde
  • Chapel Taylor-Olsen
  • Kandice Atisme-Bevins
  • Hailey Judd

• Program Description: The Wayne County Extension Office, in order to meet Create Better Health’s initiative to make healthier options more available and appealing, in partnership with local businesses has facilitated a buy your neighbor program to provide nutritious meal kits for the local food pantry.

• Team Members:
  
  • Kate Chappell
  • Ramona Brown
  • Royal's Market
  • Wayne County Food Pantry

Supermarket Spy Program

• Program Description: The purpose of the Supermarket Spy program is to increase awareness of the mission and goals of USU Extension and teach children and youth about the variety of food found in the grocery store and decrease the impact of child-targeted marketing in grocery stores.

• Program Description: Relationship education resources and tools aid couples in building and sustaining healthy relationships. USU Extension’s Couples and Relationships working group is a statewide network of faculty who provide expertise on a variety of research-based topics that are easily accessible to individuals, couples, and families.

• Team Members
  • Christina Pay
  • Naomi Brower
  • Shannon Cromwell
  • Ashley Butler
  • Elizabeth Davis
  • Catherine Hansen
  • Jared Hawkins
  • Tasha Howard
  • Cindy Jenkins
  • Lisa Schainker
  • Dave Schramm
  • Kari Ure
  • Maren Voss
  • Ashley Yaugher
  • April Litchford
  • Jonathan Swinton

BE EPIC: Escape the Vape Program

• Program Description: Due to significant numbers of rural Utah youth reporting e-cigarette use, the ‘Be Epic, Escape the Vape’ Marketing Campaign was created to provide evidence-based prevention and education information for teachers, parents, and youth via social media to reduce misinformation regarding e-cigarette use. Results have proven promising.

• Team Members
  • Cris Meier
  • Christina Pay
  • Catherine Hansen
  • Ashley Butler
  • Cynthia Lyman
  • Jenna Hawks
  • Aspyn Benson
  • Josie Hatch

Ag Wellness Podcast

• Program Description: Through a unique collaboration of Ag and Home and Community Faculty, the Ag Wellness podcast works to reduce negative mental health stigma by providing a safe place for producers and their families to share stories and resources surrounding mental

• Team Members
  • Jacob Hadfield
  • Josh Dallin
  • Alex Schiwal
  • Ty Aller

Well Matters Program

• Program Description: Youth mental health ranked as a top need in the Sevier County Needs Well Matters was developed and taught to youth in response to this need. The program was based on eight dimensions of wellness. The program helped youth gain awareness of and improve wellbeing.

Carbon County 4-H Cloverbuds Program

• Program Description: Using diverse methods, a community 4-H Cloverbuds program in Carbon County was With donations from the local hospital ensuring all youth are welcome to participate and with parent volunteers running the bi-monthly activities, 4-H Cloverbuds is successfully providing positive youth development programming to youth ages 5-7 in Carbon County.

BE EPIC Program

• Program Description: USU Extension faculty are collaborating with diverse, rural communities to provide evidence-based multicomponent e-cigarette prevention program targeting youth, parents, and teachers in communities with the highest need in the state. Results demonstrate significant increases in knowledge and confidence across groups.

• Team Members
  • Cris Meier
  • Christina Pay
  • Catherine Hansen
  • Ashley Butler
  • Cynthia Lyman
  • Jenna Hawks
  • Aspyn Benson
  • Josie Hatch

• Program Description: The youth of today are bombarded by a myriad of life stressors impacting their self-esteem and ability to be Youth from diverse backgrounds across the state participated in a three-day camp created around a confidence curriculum. Practical application and high adventure activities reinforced the concepts taught in the curriculum.

• Team Members
  • Andrea Schmutz
  • Melanie Dabb
  • Eva Timothy
  • Cindy Jenkins
  • Catherine Hansen
  • Lisa Schainker