AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — The Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s human sciences team was a big winner at the 89^th annual session of the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) in Providence, Rhode Island. The team’s motto — Healthy People, Strong Families, Elevated Communities — was on full display, as Alabama Extension walked away with several awards.

Laura Downey, Alabama Extension’s assistant director for human sciences programming, said she is proud of the high-impact work that the team does across the state.

“It is great that the team’s work has been recognized by their peers in the Southern Region and the nation,” Downey said. “These regional and national awards are evidence of individual and collective dedication to delivering programs that help Alabamians make informed decisions and positive changes.”

National Awards

The “FAFSA Awareness: Ready, Set, Go” curriculum won the first place Educational Curriculum Package Award.

At the NEAFCS session, Alabama Extension won two national team awards and two current employees won individual recognitions.

The news article, “Alabama FAST: Extension Helping Students Survive FAFSA,” received second place in the Communications Written Media Award category. This article announced the launch of the Alabama FAST: FAFSA Application Survival Toolkit. This toolkit helps high-school students, parents, school counselors, career coaches and administrators make informed decisions about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Team members include Portia Johnson, an Extension human sciences specialist, and Glenda Freeman, Janet Guynn and Justin Miller, members of the Alabama Extension communications and marketing team.

Alabama FAST also received first place in the Educational Curriculum Package Award category for the “FAFSA Awareness: Ready, Set, Go” curriculum. This workshop complements the resources in the Alabama FAST toolkit and is conducted by Alabama Extension regional agents across the state. Team members include Johnson; Regional Extension Agents Marilyn Agee-Carroll, Synithia Flowers, Helen Jones, Theresa Jones, Patricia Smith, Reneé Vines and Cynthia White; and County Extension Coordinators Sharlean Briggs, Karen Crow, Robin Paul and Katherine Shepard.

In addition to the team awards, two Alabama Extension professionals were honored with individual national awards. Johnson was awarded the Past Presidents’ New Professional Award. Sharon Haynes, an assistant director of field operations, represented Alabama as the state’s Distinguished Service Award winner.

Southern Region Awards

In addition to the national honors, Alabama Extension won several NEAFCS Southern Region awards. Those awards, projects and team members include the following:

• First Place — Educational Curriculum Package
  • Project: FAFSA Awareness: Ready, Set, Go
  • Team: Portia Johnson, Marilyn Agee-Carroll, Synithia Flowers, Helen Jones, Theresa Jones, Patricia Smith, Reneé Vines, Cynthia White, Sharlean Briggs, Karen Crow, Robin Paul and Katherine Shepard
• Second Place — Communications Written Media Award
  • Project: Alabama FAST: Extension Helping Students Survive FAFSA
  • Team: Portia Johnson, Glenda Freeman, Janet Guynn and Justin Miller
• Second Place — Communications Educational Publication Award
  • Project: Alabama FAST: FAFSA Application Survival Toolkit
  • Team: Portia Johnson, Glenda Freeman, Janet Guynn and Justin Miller
• Second Place — Community Partnership Award
  • Project: Breastfeeding Friendly Certification Program
  • Team: Helen Jones, Marilyn Agee-Carroll, Synithia Flowers, Tera Glenn and Elaine Softley
• Third Place — Innovative Youth Development Programming Award
  • Project: Alabama FAST: FAFSA Application Survival Toolkit
  • Team: Portia Johnson, Synithia Flowers, Theresa Jones, Patricia Smith, Reneé Vines, Cynthia White and Sharlean Briggs
• Past Presidents’ New Professional Award
  • Portia Johnson

More Information

NEAFCS is the professional organization for Extension family and consumer sciences programs across the country. Their mission is to recognize those that make an impact on the quality of life for individuals, families and communities.

The Alabama Extension human sciences team provides practical, research-based knowledge and skills that allow residents to make sounder choices. To learn more about the team’s programming, visit the Home & Family section of www.aces.edu.