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Illinois Extension offers summer programming
Gardening webinars
If you are into gardening, the University of Illinois Extension is offering several upcoming seasonal webinars that may be of interest to you – or help you develop a “green thumb.”
One is “Companion Planting: Bountiful and Beautiful Together” on July 23, and “Foodscaping: Creating Snacks Among the Flower Beds” on Aug. 13.
Judy Hodge, program coordinator with the University of Illinois Extension Boone County, related that the state’s Extension comes up with programming that is shared with Extension units across Illinois.
Companion Planting
“Companion Planting” will show how “growing certain plants together can benefit the whole garden,” Hodge described in a news release.
“Discover plant partnerships that offer strategies to break up heavy soils, combat weeds and disease, lure pests away, attract specific beneficial insects and improve pollination,” she further narrated. “Companion planting is a way to combine thriving vegetable gardens with the beauty of flowers and herbs.”
Nicole Flowers-Kimmerle, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Horticulture) educator for Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell counties, will be leading the program.
She has a Bachelor of Science in Crop Science degree from the University of Illinois, and a Master of Science in Agronomy degree, with an emphasis in weed science, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Flowers-Kimmerle has worked at Montana State University as a research associate, has taught chemistry and other science classes and works with Extension Master Gardeners, Extension Master Naturalists and also with Conservation @Home.
Foodscaping
“Foodscaping” will touch on adding “edible plant varieties to existing beds of ornamentals,” according to Hodge. “The result is growing food that saves money and is a healthy activity that produces fruits and vegetables to enjoy all season long.”
“The main appeal of foodscapes is that they are valuable and beautiful,” she continued. “Get tips on designing and maintaining a foodscaping project by having the right plant in the right place.”
Leading this program will be Christina Lueking, Horticulture educator serving Bond, Clinton, Jefferson, Marion and Washington counties.
She has a Bachelor of Animal Science Production degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and a master’s degree in horticulture with a specialty in herb production on a green roof infrastructure.
According to her biography, she is “responsible for horticulture programming with an emphasis on the home gardener, culinary herb production, cut flower production in high tunnel and field conditions, and community garden establishment.”
Lueking is also involved in training opportunities, continuing education seasonal events and community outreach, and is involved with the Master Gardener and Master Naturalist volunteer programs.
As for the two upcoming programs, “We’re trying to get people to come back to our office,” especially after the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated conducting strictly virtual programming, Hodge noted. “We’re giving the opportunity to draw people together.”
Both webinars will be held from 1:30-2:30 p.m., at the Boone County Extension office in the Meeting Room, 205 Cadillac Court, Suite 5, Belvidere.
The sessions are free but registration is required. Call 815-544-3710 or visit go.illinois.edu/BooneFourSeasons.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, contact Hodge at [email protected] or call 815-975-7834 as early as possible.
Program on ‘social connections’
Another focus of the University of Illinois is “helping people and families live healthier lives,” says Kara Schweitzer, University of Illinois Extension Family Life educator, who serves Carroll, Lee and Whiteside counties, and other areas of Northwest Illinois.
She will be leading a workshop called “Don’t Go It Alone: Improving Your Social Connections” on July 25.
Schweitzer has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Saint Mary’s College and a master’s degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Iowa, is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist and a Certified Dementia Practitioner.
She has worked in several health care and human service settings, and has extensive experience developing and implementing educational and experimental programs for children through older adults.
Schweitzer, who is part of the state’s Extension’s Family Life Team, said the state team chose this topic because “We look at what’s going on statewide as well as locally and nationally,” then emphasized how the World Health Organization – and even the U.S. Surgeon General – has made loneliness and social isolation “a priority.”
She added that these issues have been undergoing research for some time, although the COVID-19 pandemic “exacerbated” them from a mental health standpoint.
Since the Family Life Team focuses on “general well-being,” they found that it is “a concern for everyone across the board,” although isolation and loneliness are especially concerning in older adults, Schweitzer noted.
That’s because of “the unique challenges older adults face,” she pointed out.
Schweitzer described how social isolation is more “objective,” like being physically removed from other people, whereas loneliness is more “subjective” based on one’s feelings.
Each can occur for a variety of reasons, she explained, such as physical illness, mobility issues, lack of transportation or living alone/away from family and friends, to name a few.
The workshop, Schweitzer said, will be “letting people know about the impact social isolation and loneliness can have … on overall well-being and health.”
The information will offer “ways to help support your own social connections,” she continued, and/or that of family members and friends: “An increasing awareness of your own and your community’s social connections.”
The free workshop will also be offered in the Boone County Extension Office Meeting Room, at 2 p.m. The event is free but advance registration is suggested.
Call 815-544-3710, email Hodge at [email protected] or visit go.illinois/ImprovingSocialConnections for registration information.
For a reasonable accommodation, please respond by July 18.
