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Dallas County Celebrates National Farm-City Week

This year, Dallas County joined other communities across the nation in celebrating the annual observance of Farm-City Week. For the past five decades National Farm-City Week has provided a link between our nation’s rural and urban people.

Founded by Kiwanis International, the week was established to help achieve unity among all American workers – on and off the farm. The 2008 theme, “Pathways to Progress” focused attention on how the nation’s urban and farm communities continue to work together to move the nation forward. This annual observance serves to increase understanding between two vital parts of the nation and is celebrated each year the week immediately proceeding Thanksgiving.

The highlight of Dallas County’s celebration was the Farm-City Week focus at the Chamber of Commerce Buttonhole Breakfast. This event featured Mike Gothard with the Alabama Wildlife Federation as the guest speaker. He spoke on the organizations’ effort to develop economic opportunities for the Blackbelt by focusing on Outdoors Recreation and tourism that would attract those interested in activities such as bird watching, hunting, trail rides and fishing.

Awards presented included the Alabama Century and Heritage Farm Award to the Fluker/Wall family. Their farm has been in the family for more than 100 years and is the eighth farm to be recognized in Dallas County by the Alabama Department of Ag and Industry. Proclamations were presented to the committee on behalf of Congressman Artue Davis, Representative Salaam, from the City of Selma, town of Valley Grande and Dallas County. Also, the county winners of the Farm-City Week poster and essay contests were announced.

Farm-City Week continues to educate citizens on the essential role farmers have on the economy as well as providing us with a dependable food supply. It’s no accident that the food supply is inexpensive and plentiful; the hard work of farmers across Dallas County and the nation and stunning scientific and technological advances have made food in the United States more affordable than anywhere else in the world.

“Thanks to other products farmers produce, such as timber for building our homes, fibers for clothing and fabrics and, of course, fruits, vegetables and meats, we are able to face each day with a variety of choices, from decisions about what clothes to wear to what we want for dinner,” Nelson says.

So this year when you set down for your Thanksgiving dinner or the next time you’re grabbing groceries at one of the local supermarkets, remember to be thankful for the relationship that exists between those who produce your food and fiber and those who create a system that delivers it efficiently and safely to your home.

Source: Callie Nelson, Extension Coordinator, Dallas County, (334) 874-7269.

Extension Financial Program Helps Home of Grace Residents Transition from Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation to Work

Rick Zapata, a regional Extension agent in Southwest Region III, first began working with the Home of Grace in Mobile in June 2008. Harriet Pouyadow was his contact person and she is the one who asked him to develop a financial program for the residents that would enable them to make the transition from drug and alcohol rehabilitation to work.

The Home of Grace is a private Christian, nonprofit organization that is supported by local churches and the United Way. They average around 30 to 50 ladies from all walks of life and all ages. Their basic program lasts 12 weeks, and they have an extended program that enables some to continue to live there and begin working. Some of the latter are homeless and the extended program gives them the opportunity to secure a job and look for a place to live. They have a special section for pregnant mothers who are addicted because they have special needs. Some of the ladies have never had a job other than prostitution and others did not finish high school. Still others have college degrees, but due to their addiction, they do not have references that they can use in a resume. Each week, some of the ladies graduate and leave the facility, and at the same time, others come into the home to begin their rehab.

Church is a big part of their rehabilitation and a chapel is on site with a pastor on staff. They have five to six counselors on staff and several of them are registered nurses. The director and founder is Doris W. Littleton.

Because of the uniqueness of the program, Zapata had to come up with a financial program that would be of help to all of the ladies. From the above, you can see that this was not going to be an easy task because of the diversity of the residents. The ages range from teenagers to ladies older than 60. He chose to develop a needs-based program and the curriculum would have to be based around their individual needs. He titled the program “Transition to Work.”

Last Sunday, he received a call from one of the recent graduates. She told him that based on the education he provided, she was able to secure a job at a local hospital, secure the funds to go to nursing school, secure a pardon from the State of Alabama to get a nursing license, set up a budget for the limited amount of money that she has and set up a financial plan for her future.

She is a single mother with two children, so the education that she received from Extension will not only affect her but her family for years to come. For most of the ladies, Zapata’s training is the first finance or budgeting training they have ever received.

The Transition to Work Program consists of but is not limited to the following:

• Section One: Budgeting (Reality Check, ACES Budget Calendar, “How Much is Enough” Worksheet to determine minimum income needs)

• Section Two: Career/Job Choice Development (Resume Development , Work Keys/ Career Ready Certificate, Interview Techniques, Dressing for success, Pardon Request)

• Section Three: Entrepreneurship (Small Business Development, Sewing as a Business)

• Section Four: Using Credit Wisely (Understanding Credit Report, Cleaning Up Credit Problems)

• Section Five: Computer Usage (Internet Job Search, Word Processing)

Zapata served as the liaison between the Home of Grace and Bishop State Community College. Bishop will be coming onto the campus to help the ladies with the Career Ready program and Work Keys training. The ladies will be able to get their GED training along with Work Keys at the site.

“This educational program has never been done by a Cooperative Extension System in the United States. We are really plowing new ground, but I have every reason to believe that it is successful now and will continue to help others in the future. I am so proud to be part of an organization that looks for ways to help citizens,” he said.

Because of the success of this program, Zapata has been asked to join the governor’s new CPR program, which helps former inmates transition from prison to work. He believes that this program also will be successful.

“No two classes are the same due to the rotation of the ladies in and out of the program. I can tell you this, I have never received more genuine thanks from any classes that I have taught. I could not have accomplished this without the help of the Baldwin County ACES staff, Sandra Walton, Susan Wingard and Cathy Banning. This success was truly a group effort.”