AUGUST 2012 Getting Acquainted Judy Matlick: Extension is Not Just for Farmers By Claire Stuart


But with the economic down- turn, there’s more interest in food preservation and buying locally.”


Matlick’s programs cover a


wide range of family concerns, including nutrition, financ- es, child care and even com- munication skills. Currently much attention has focused on health, and Matlick is involved in several important healthy- lifestyle programs. There is a high rate of obesity


“Most people think of farms


and 4-H when they think of Ex- tension,” says Judy Matlick, Jef- ferson County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sci- ences, “but it’s a lot more than that.” An essential mission of WVU


and other land grant colleges and universities is to “extend” their resources to the public through local programs. Con- gress created Extension to deal with agricultural and rural is- sues when much of the coun- try’s population was rural. As demographics changed, Exten- sion grew to include issues of interest to everyone. Judy Matlick joined the Ex-


tension Service in 1974 as a program assistant and has served as Extension Agent since 1978. Originally from Pend- leton County, she grew up in 4-H, graduated from Shepherd College and earned a master’s degree from West Virginia Uni- versity. “My job used to be called


Home Economics Agent, but about 20 years ago it was changed nationally to Fam- ily and Consumer Science,” she explains. “I used to do a lot of food preservation and prepara- tion classes, but interest fell off.


and diabetes in West Virginia, so Matlick cooperates with Jef- ferson County Memorial Hospi- tal in a program called Dining With Diabetes. Extension puts on a cooking school with dem- onstration recipes and provides a cookbook for participants. “There’s a relaxed atmosphere, and people are free to ask ques- tions,” says Matlick. “The pro- gram was developed in West Virginia and has been picked up by over 20 other states who have adopted or adapted it.” Another wellness program


is West Virginia On the Move. “This is a six-week walking challenge in the spring,” ex- plains Matlick. “People log in their numbers of steps or the amount of time they walk.” A Maintain, Don’t Gain pro-


gram runs each year from be- fore Thanksgiving until after New Year to help people avoid the holiday weight gain. It starts with a weigh-in, and a weekly newsletter goes out to support participants. It ends with a final weigh-in and cele- bration. Local gyms and fitness centers participate by provid- ing weigh-in centers and cou- pons for free visits to introduce people to their facilities. “Research says there is a def-


inite benefit for families spend- ing time around a table,” says


Matlick. She promotes a pro- gram called Strong Families Eat Together. It provides resources for families, including a little booklet of “conversation start- ers” to encourage mealtime in- teraction. The Pink Lunch and Purse


Auction is a popular fund-rais- er in the fight against breast cancer. “The past year brought in over $3,000 to the fund that helps women with diagnosis and treatment for the unin- sured or underinsured through the County Health Department and Free Clinic,” says Matlick. “It rains purses in here before the auction! It gets great com- munity support.” Donated purses are auctioned or set out for sale, and the wives of West Virginia’s governor and sena- tors have donated purses. The county’s Community Educational Outreach Service (CEOS) clubs (formerly Farm Women, Home Demonstration and Extension Homemakers) work to benefit the county through community service and educational programs in cooperation with Extension. The CEOS clubs do their own program planning and commu- nity service, and Extension pro- vides advice and support. Last year was particularly


busy for Matlick because the 4-H Agent left in March and Agriculture Agent Craig Yohn retired. “I was on a search com- mittee,” she says, “and a prior- ity was to get people into those positions. The new 4-H Agent could not start until after the Fair and the new Ag Agent just started in January.” The biggest change Matlick


has seen over the years has been decreased travel, thanks to computers. Jefferson County is far from the rest of the state,


with no quick way to get to the places where Extension meet- ings and conferences are held. “Some years, I spent the equivalent of a month just in travel time to Morgantown and Jackson’s Mill! It takes most of a day to go to Charleston,” she recalls. “When agents from other parts of the state were home for supper, I was still on the road driving home. And I still had to be to work the next day the same time as everyone else.”


Matlick now works on more statewide projects than when she started, but much of her time on the road has been elim- inated. A computer program called “Go to Meeting” allows everyone watching to see the documents and presentations. Matlick reports on Exten-


sion programs and activities through her newsletters. About half go out through e-mail, but there are still many people in the county who do not have In- ternet access. She encourages e-mail and says, “The e-mail version is in color!” All county residents are invit-


ed to take advantage of Exten- sion Service programs and re- sources. Their web site http://


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