FAMILY ISSUES
STATE GOALS – 2016
Slogan: Educate families to promote individual character and community service for present and
future generations.
Objective: To help families unite and improve community life.
1. Oklahoma Family Fundamentals
A. Increasing family skills across all generations-with Character First, Take a Stand, and
Manners Matter programs
B. Helping parents and grandparents with family skills
1. Understand family relationships and/or household dynamics
C. Financial Education for limited budgets
1. Teaching children how to budget
2. Money Munchkins Increase financial planning practices across the lifecycle (curriculum
available through District Extension Office thru OHCE Advisor/FCS Educators)
3. “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate” Teach estate planning, and transfer ownership
of personal property and objects (available same as #2 above)
D. Adopting a Single Parent or Grandparents raising children
E. Helping to develop home life skills such as canning, sewing and manners
F. Preparing to Care for older adults
2. Developing Community Outreach
A. Mentoring another OHCE group in your community
B. Assist in developing Community Coalition, alliance with other community and county
organizations
C. Small community service projects: “Examples” Tooth Fairy Pillows, Cool Ties, Nursing
Home Projects, recruit DHS Foster Parents, provide school supplies for needy children,
identify & volunteer or donate to Abuse Centers, organize a book drive for local needs.
D. Neighborhood Community Social event such as: Potluck Supper, Ice Cream Social
E. Volunteer to read to, tutor or mentor community children or adults
F. Support and develop stronger alliance with youth groups such as 4-H youth, schools, Youth
and Family Services and libraries
G. Develop partnership with agencies and organizations interested n reducing hungerSuggested activity – tour food banks.
H. Encourage OHCE members to become Master FCS Volunteers and receive certification
3. Protecting Your Family
A. Family Emergency Planning & Response Training from the Office of Homeland Security
B. Neighborhood Watch Party
C. Internet Protection Safety Education
D. Identify signs of bullying
1. Protecting from bullying
2. Reporting Bullying
A. How to follow-up
E. Identify way to maintain or improve health through safe and healthy foods and physical
activity choices
Revised 8/2015
4. Military Support
A. Continue to send packages and letters to troops overseas. Save coupon to be sent to
European countries to use in their commissaries.
B. Encourage support to the spouse and children by forming support groups and including them
in group and county activities.
C. Help in forming support groups for wounded veterans, and service personnel in communities:
i.e. Wounded Warriors cancelled stamp project. Website: Stamps Wounded Warriors.
D. Become involved with Home Of The Brave quilt project, (homeofthebrave.com), Quilts of
Valor (quiltsofvalor.com). Contact Terrie DeShazo (405)794-1426 for ALL project
requirements prior before beginning quilts.
5. Life Essay
1) Each county conduct a life essay contest according to the state guidelines as listed. County
winners should be submitted to the state awards chair for judging.
2) Write about ONE EVENT OR TIME IN LIFE, for the purpose of providing future generations a
written picture of life. Spelling and punctuation are not judged, but clarity of ideas is
important
3) The goal is to compile the best stories as deemed by the family committee members into a
possible future publication as a fundraiser for OHCE.
Rules of the Life Story Essay Contest
a) Two entries per county
b) One entry per person
c) Entry must be written by an OHCE member in good standing.
d) Entries will only be judged if they are placed in a 3 brad paper folder with pockets for
8½ x 11 paper. The information needed in the following order; Life story, name of the author,
address, county, district and year written on the upper right hand corner of the label affixed
on the folder.
e) The essay must be on a typewriter or computer using Times New Roman font 12 size and
double-spaced with a 1 inch left hand margin. It should be one to three pages in length.
f) Do not include photographs, clipart, news clippings or page protectors.
g) All life essays submitted for state judging must include the signed Life Essay “Release Form”
statement by the author giving OHCE the right to read publicly and publish, electronically on
OHCE website for public viewing without further financial compensation to the author.
h) County winner essays must be submitted to the OHCE Awards Chair before February 1, 2016.
Awards:
1st, 2nd, 3rd - County Award Book: $25, $15, $10
1st, 2nd, 3rd - Local Group Award Book: $25, $15, $10
1st, 2nd, 3rd - Life Essay: $25, $15, $10
Marie Jones, NE Chairman
Linda Sader, Member NW
Dottie Gatz, Member, NW
Nancy Oglesby, Member, NE
Revised 8/2015
LIFE ESSAY RELEASE FORM
FAMILY COMMITTEE
I hereby authorize Oklahoma Home and Community Education, Inc. (OHCE) to read publicly
and publish without further financial compensation, my entry for the Life Essay Contest.
By signing this form, I agree to release all rights to the essay that I have entered.
I understand that my essay may be published in book form and sold as a fundraiser with
OHCE receiving all the profits, or published electronically on the OHCE website for public
viewing.
Story Title: ____________________________________________________________
Print OHCE Member’s name: _____________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________
City & State: __________________________________________________________
County: ______________________________________________________________
Telephone Numbers: ( )_____________________ ( )________________________
E-mail: _______________________________________________________________
OHCE Member Signature: _______________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________________________________
Revised 8/2015