Mecklenburg County
State ESP County Performance Award

I. Staff Cooperation:
Mecklenburg County Extension emphasis in 2001 was on increasing youth involvement in the Extension program. Staff cooperation in this effort spanned program areas and utilized the broad scope of staff expertise. 4-H, residential horticulture, family and consumer education, community and rural development and support staff worked together to involve over 1,617 youth in developing life skills and learning opportunities.
Examples of these cooperative efforts for youth were renovation and reopening the Torrence-Lytle Community Center in Huntersville which provides community activities, Out-for-Lunch nutrition education for preschoolers, Color Me Healthy training for care providers to encourage physical activity and help reduce obesity, community gardens and a Junior Master Gardener Club. AmeriCorps was initiated to serve after- school youth in underserved communities throughout last year. Mecklenburg?s AmeriCorps project served five afterschool sites utilizing 4-H enrichment programs focused on helping kindergartners through eighth-graders meet the science requirement outlined by the N.C. Standard Course of Study.
The County's 4-H staff offered a menu of activities to introduce and retain youth in developmental opportunities - from summer day camp programs to community 4-H clubs to competitive presentations from the local to the state level. Three particularly unique experiences were the week-long design project for potential parks in Charlotte,
the Teens Influencing the Minds of Everyone (T.I.M.E) Program and the "Magic of Electricity" 4-H energy enrichment program.
Volunteer staff was also involved in specific program area contributions to youth programming from local clubs to the State Advisory Council of N.C. Cooperative Extension

II. Resource Utilization:
Despite the challenges of a shrinking budget, Mecklenburg County staff have tapped into a variety of university and community resources to continue outstanding opportunities for their customers. Partnerships with community agencies like Parks and Recreation, county libraries, Central Piedmont Community College, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools System, Duke Power, Mecklenburg Yard Waste Center, Southern Spring Show, Afro-American Cultural Center, Thompson Children?s Home, home schools, Second Harvest Food Bank, Environmental Health Department, Extension and Community Association, Master Gardeners, Salvation Army, Charlotte Housing Authority, Department of Social Services, Metrolina Association for the Blind, the Regional Farmer's Market, Metrolina Alliance for School-Age Professionals, Mecklenburg Individual Development Account program, Overnite Transportation company, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, Mecklenburg County Community Development Department, AT & T, the Town of Huntersville, and the Huntersville Community Development Association.
University and state resources utilized include state 4-H summer and leadership camp programs, National 4-H Council's Citizenship Washington Focus, the National Conversation on Youth Development in the 21stt Century and the Power of Youth Campaign, all levels of competitive learning experiences for 4-H youth, 4-H curricula,
Master Gardner Volunteer Training, statewide volunteer recognitions, state advisory council leadership training, N. C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, N.C. Landscape Association Certified Landscape Technician Accreditation training, the 2001 Landscape Seminar, N.C. State University specialists, Successful Gardener Program, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education (EFNEP) and Out for Lunch (OFL) programs, USDA Rural Development Loan program, N.C State's College of Design and N.C. A&T State University.

III. Program Impact:
4-H youth involvement increased dramatically with 1,617 youth involved in 2001 compared to 708 youth in 2000. This reflects a 128 percent gain in youth building life skills and expanding their learning opportunities.
Volunteer recruitment and training resulted in 12 new volunteers to lead 4-H clubs involving over 45 youth. Thirty-one Charlotte-Mecklenburg child-care and afterschool program providers received certification credit through Basic School-Age Care (BSAC) training workshops to ensure quality care for children. Outstanding volunteers were recognized statewide for their contributions to youth education in the 4-H horse program, Junior Master Gardener Program and donations to support the 4-H Energy Enrichment program which reached over 670 sixth graders.
Over 650 people in the county have commercial licenses to apply pesticides to ornamentals and turf. Extension Horticulture facilitated proper disposal for 508 pesticide containers weighing 4,295 pounds. Twenty-five landscaping industry professionals became more knowledgeable about pesticide safety, plant installation and safe, proper equipment use and six earned the Certified Landscape Technician distinction. Over 400 landscape maintenance operators, public employees and green industry vendors gained knowledge about turf management, insect and disease control and urban tree care. Three hundred and twelve commercial pesticide applicators received a total of 1,000 hours of mandatory pesticide credits.
Eighty volunteers worked more than 4,000 hours to support Extension?s horticultural programs. Over 2,000 calls requesting horticultural information were addressed and more than 90,000 people visited the horticultural information booth at the Southern Spring Show.
More than 120 participants learned how to keep their food safer with sixty-ninefoodservice professionals becoming nationally certified in food safety. Over 650 phone requests for food safety and food preservation information were addressed. Forty-nine participants in weight-loss education with each completer losing an average of nine pounds. Two hundred and five people became more aware of improving dietary habits for a healthier lifestyle. Two hundred and twenty-three limited-income adults and 187 preschool children improved their knowledge about food safety and eating healthier.
Four hundred and fifty-six participants in 15 Mecklenburg County communities worked to address community concerns. These communities benefited in improved community planning, team building, economic literacy, leadership development and conflict management resulting in improved resources such as the renovation and reopening of a community center and increased community resources.