By ALETHEA PRICE

County extension agent

October 11 through 17 is Kentucky Extension Homemakers Week! Of course you’re probably wondering who Kentucky Extension Homemakers are and what they do.

 As the contact advisor to the Boyle County Homemakers Association I’d be happy to share more about this service organization.

When you hear the word “homemaker” you immediately think of a certain set of words. Housewife, cook, mother and maid could be used to describe a homemaker but they are much more than that. Homemakers are strong leaders, willing volunteers, skilled educators, family and friends. 

The Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association (KEHA) is a volunteer organization that works to improve the quality of life for families and communities through leadership development, volunteer service and education. Boyle County Extension Homemakers have been an active part of KEHA since before it was officially founded. 

For many years Boyle County Extension Homemakers have been actively serving this community through volunteer service work. Annually they find ways to give back such as sewing pillowcases for Hospice or lap quilts for the hospital. They also support Ovarian Cancer Research by donating $1 of each member’s dues every year. 

Extension Homemakers have also annually awarded a $500 scholarship to a college bound student seeking a degree in agriculture, family and consumer sciences, or any extension-related field. As a matter of fact, the scholarship award has increased from $500 to a solid $1,000.

Boyle County Extension Homemakers highly value family, friendship, and fun. Each year they participate in different social events such as the County Annual Meeting providing fun opportunities for fellowship. 

Even through the pandemic, Extension Homemakers found ways to meet safely through virtual platforms like Zoom and Facebook. They also attend educational programs each month that address universal topics such as food, health, money management, and family life. 

This year, those lessons have been shifted from in person to online. This month’s leader lesson is a virtual lesson on basic weaving. It will be available for viewing on October 20th at 1 p.m. on Zoom and Facebook.

Heritage skills such as knitting, sewing, and quilt making barely scratch the surface of what Extension Homemakers are capable of. They compete in annual cultural arts contests with many members winning blue ribbons at the state level. 

They also enter handmade items in the floral hall at the county fair. What a wealth of talent there is in this county. 

Want to learn about basic weaving? Don’t forget about the leader lesson on October 20th. Like us on Facebook to see this as well as previous lessons.

KEHA welcomes members no matter what their age, race, color, national origin, creed, marital status or sex. The program is of interest to all income levels. Any full or part-time home-maker, male or female, rural or urban, teenager or senior citizen and in-between, may belong to KEHA. 

The Boyle County Extension Homemakers consist of five clubs that meet each month. Any and everyone is welcome to join. If you are interested in learning more about this exciting organization please feel free to stop by the Boyle County Extension Office for a free membership kit. This kit includes all the information about Boyle County Extension Homemakers, how to join, what they do and more. If you have any questions please call (859) 236-4484 for more information.