Health and Human Sciences

The Strengthening Families Program: For Parent and Youth 10-14 is an evidence-based program that can help prevent teen substance abuse and other behavior problems, strengthen parent/youth communication skills, increase academic success in youth, help teach youth skills for dealing with stress and peer pressure, prevent violence, and aggressive behavior at home and at school. Ranked as the #1 prevention program out of 6,000 analyzed by the World Health Organization, the Strengthening Families Program consists of 7, 2-hr. long classes comprising of youth, parent, and family sessions.

Session topics included:

• Love & Limits
• Dreams & Goals
• House Rules
• Appreciating Parents
• Encouraging Positive Behavior
• Dealing with Stress
• Following Rules & Using Consequences
• Peer Pressure

For more information, visit https://extension.purdue.edu/hhs/

Each year, about 659,000 people in the United States die from heart disease, that’s 1 of every 4 deaths (CDC)! Purdue Extension’s Be Heart Smart Program helps individuals learn information to prevent and reduce their risk of developing heart disease. Over the course of four lessons, participants will learn about the risk factors associated with heart disease, important numbers to know, heart-healthy eating, and how to make sustainable heart-healthy lifestyle changes.

Be Heart Smart cost $15 to attend. For more information, visit:  https://www.purdue.edu/hhs/extension/program6/

According to Gallup, only 1 in 3 Americans use a budget and 30% have a long-term financial plan involving savings and investments for the future. Where Does Your Money Go? Program is designed to help consumers better understand how to spend their money. Taught over two, one-hour sessions, participants learn about financial management practices such as needs vs wants, writing goals, tracking expenses, identifying spending leaks, and how to develop a spending-savings plan. Furthermore, program activities help participants increase their knowledge of money management practices that promote financial stability and adoption of new habits that can lead to financial control.

According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report 2020, 34.2 million Americans have diabetes and another 88 million have prediabetes (CDC). Furthermore, people who have diabetes are 2.3 more likely to have greater healthcare cost than people who don’t have diabetes.

The Dining with Diabetes Program is a designed to assist and support individuals who have diabetes as well as their families to help reduce the burden of diabetes by increasing knowledge of healthy foods, tips to prepare quick, healthy, and tasty foods, demonstrating proper cooking techniques, promoting physical activity, building confidence, and providing opportunities for participants to learn from one another.

The cost to attend Dining with Diabetes is $40 per individual or $65 per couple. To learn more about Dining with Diabetes, visit: https://www.purdue.edu/hhs/extension/programs-food-0/#dining-with-diabetes

 VIGO COUNTY EXTENSION HOMEMAKERS NEWSLETTER

April 2026

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dates to Remember

April 9, 2026 Spring District Meeting (Vermillion County), check the flyer in last month’s newsletter.  Hopefully you got your reservation to our County Treasurer, Ruth Ridener, by the deadline date of March 19^th.

April 13, 2026 Past Presidents Meeting; 11:00am, Greek’s Pizzeria, 5030 S. 7^th St., Terre Haute, IN  (Next to Top Gun) Dues of $2.00 are due at the April Meeting

April 27, 2026 Spring Fling, Community Building, Vigo County Fairgrounds. See information included in last month’s newsletter and this newsletter.

April 27 – May 29 Vigo County Vocal Chords 2026 Spring Show (flyer was included in last month’s newsletter).

May 4, 2026 Council Meeting (previously Meadows Elementary School—behind Wabash Avenue Rural King) 55 S. Brown Avenue, Terre Haute, IN

Executive Board, 9am; Full Council (Executive Board + Club Presidents) 10am

May 12, 2026 Sewing Day, Tuesday, 10am, Community Center, Vigo County Fairgrounds. 10am-afternoon..leave when you need

June 8, 2026 Past Presidents Meeting, time and place TBA

June 15 – 17, 2026 Home & Family State Conference; Nashville, IN

Info included in this newsletter, more coming in following months

June 22, 2026 Achievement Day; Time and place TBA

Council Meeting immediately following

November 2026 Extension Craft Day, time and place TBA

Council elected to have International Day and Extension Craft Day on alternating years.  Start making your items you want to sell.  More information this summer.

Join us on Online! 

IEHA website:  www.ieha-families.org.php      

Extension Homemakers website:  www.extension.purdue.edu/vigo

FB page:  Vigo County Extension Homemakers

Deb’s President email address:  president.home.ext.vigo.co@gmail.com

Deb’s phone/text number:  812-243-3473 (please text me in case I don’t have your number in my phone.

 Volunteer Community Support Reporting Form

If you did not turn in your volunteer activities to your club president, please send me your information.  I will add your hours and donation dollars to my report before I send it to our District Representative.  You can text it to me at: 812-243-3473 or email president.home.ext.vigo.co@gmail.com  

 Flower Cards

The Council voted last fall to sell flower cards this spring for our money making project.  Maggie & Moe’s Florist Shop on Poplar Street in Terre Haute has graciously agreed to work with us on this project.  The cards sell for $40.00 each; we keep $20.00 of each sell to go into the county council treasury.  Check with your club president to get your card(s) to sell.  Each member should give the money collected to their club treasurer; in turn, the treasurer will write a check to the Vigo County Council and mail it to our Treasurer, Ruth Ridener.  Ruth will write a check to Maggie & Moe’s for their part of the money.  The “year” starts this April…you may pick up flowers during each month (except on the dates listed on the back of the card).

 Club Information

If you have not sent your information about your club officers for 2026-2027 to the Extension Office, please do so asap.  Also copy to me so I can list your Club President in the new County Extension Homemakers Club book that will be distributed in June.

 Sewing Day 

We have added another sewing day to our spring schedule.  We need to work on more baby receiving blankets and burp cloths.  It will be on May 12th at 10am.  I want to thank all our members who have come to the last four sewing days.  We need cutters, pinners, sewers, and pressers.   Thank you to all who have helped with our Union Health projects.

 Spring District Meeting

Please check last month’s newsletter for Vermillion County’s flyer.  It will be held on Thursday, April 9, 2026 at Vermillion County Fairgrounds 4-H Building, Fairgrounds Road, Cayuga (off Highway 63).  Registration at 9am – 10am.Business meeting 10am.  The official flyer was in last month’s newsletter.

 State Presidents Project

Hopefully you included the items you donated to the “Sharing Some Bloom(er)s” on your Community Support Form.  If not, please text/email me how many ITEMS you donated to programs in need (ex. A package of socks, 12 pairs of socks in the package…I would list 12 items in my report).

 Union Hospital:

Donations of sleepers (with feet) to Union Hospital are still needed.  Please let Ruth Ridener or me know how many you donate.

Spring Fling:

This event, Brunch with a Quilt, will take place at the Community Building at the Vigo County Fairgrounds with registration starting at 11am.  The meeting starts at 11:30am. Lunch is $4.00 if you don’t bring a quilt.  If you bring a quilt for show and tell, you get a lunch free!  The money goes to our County Treasury.  Sandwiches, salads, desserts, and drinks will be served.  Our Vocal Chords will be entertaining us with several songs.  Please call Mary Lou Voll at 812-466-2928 or Sandy Kelly at 812-243-5449 for reservations.  Please let them know by April 15.  You can pay for lunch that day.  I hope to see you there!

 IEHA HOME AND FAMILY CONFERENCE

June 15-17, 2026

The Seasons Lodge and Conference Center

560-IN 46, Nashville, IN  47448

(812) 988-2248

Room rates are $109.00 - $129.00 per night plus tax.

 The cutoff date to make reservations in the block is May 1st at 11:59pm.  Please check March’s newsletter for specific information, or check the IEHA website:

www.ieha-families.org.php

Conference registration opens on April 1st.  Mailable registration forms will be shared at our Spring District Meeting.  There will be a 4% fee for online registration.

 This year’s Special Project is a homemade children’s toy or book.  See guidelines on the website.  If you make one, have your club vote on the one to represent them, then have your club president bring it to the Council Meeting in May so the Council Board can see all and select one to represent Vigo County at the State Conference.

 Please go the IEHA website to refresh your memory of what is going to happen during the three-day event.

 MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

I did not receive any death notices this past four weeks.  Please keep me informed so we may honor these members at our Achievement Day in June.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. During this month, we want to take time to recognize the importance of families. Families of all types - 2 parent, 1 parent, adopted parent(s), grandparent(s), foster parent(s), and more need support. Today’s youth need their families and communities working together to succeed, maintain their safety, and prevent maltreatment.

This year Indiana is focused on keeping our “Eyes on the Child Campaign”. This initiative will focus not only on those children living in abuse but also on protecting our children in all environments—including online and water safety.

That said, it was shared that In 2024, the Indiana Department of Child Services investigated 276 child deaths where abuse or neglect was suspected. New data also showed Indiana’s entries into the state’s foster care system increased by 30%, from just over 6,000 children to nearly 7,900 children, between 2023 and 2024 even as the national average fell from 2%.  There are an average of 23 deaths a year of children from drowning in Indiana. It is the  leading cause of injury-related death for children aged 1-4, with many incidents involving residential pools and some even when there was adult supervision present. The pains of online abuse is touted on the evening news and we recently saw legislative proceedings regarding the risk of social media to our youth.

In the face of all of this — what can we do: 

• Continue to provide support to Ryves Hall and 14th and Chestnut
• Provide support to foster families in your community by giving a night off to foster parents. and caring for the children or delivering a meal to the family.
• Supervise children in the pool and make sure there is an adult present at all times.
• Encourage online safety education of parents, grandparents, and children.
• Wear blue on Friday, April 10 to show your support.
• If you suspect abuse, call and report it to the  Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

If you would like to have some of the information printed and mailed to you, contact Gail at (812) 462-3371 or wrigh509@purdue.edu.