Jan Harlow takes office as president of IEHA
On Friday, Jan Harlow of Tippecanoe County will take office as the president of the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association. She is the first state president from Tippecanoe County since 1985. Harlow and her family are known in Tippecanoe County for their devotion to 4-H and the annual county fair. She grew up on a dairy farm in Parke County. "It was a tough life," she said. Now she lives on Owl Creek Farm, a family hog and cattle operation in northeast Tippecanoe County. The mother of four children and grandmother of six, she is well-versed in the art of homemaking. "Sewing is my therapy," she said.
As president-elect of the state homemakers group, Harlow will lead numerous meetings in counties that have Extension Homemakers Association members. She also will preside at the annual state conference and conduct the board meetings for the state group.
Question:The Indiana Extension Homemakers association will be 100 years old in 2013. What is its mission?
Answer:It is all about continuing education, leadership development and volunteer community support.
Q:How does that translate into everyday life?
A:We have education workshops where we invite people to come in and update us on things of interest to us and to them. We have a three-part course called "Indiana Leadership, Education and Development." You can find out about it through our website.
Q:Your group is celebrating 10 years of support for the First Books for Kids program. What is the program?
A:Volunteers purchase age-appropriate books for 2- to 5-year-old children in Head Start classes. In some homes, those are the only books they have. An Extension Homemaker will take the books to Head Start and read to a class and sometimes have the class participate in an activity related to the book. A copy of the book is then given to the student to take home. To date, we have donated and distributed almost 1 million books.
Q:What other community activities do Extension Homemakers support?
A:We continue to support Riley Hospital and Riley Cheer Guild with our donations. Last year, we donated 40,000 items and volunteered 200,000 hours. We also gave over ,000 in scholarships to high school students throughout the state.
We are funding an endowment for the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research of ,000. We have raised ,000 of that commitment. We are sponsoring a golf scramble July 9 at the Wildcat Creek Golf Course in Kokomo. Our special guest will be Mike Otto, a former Purdue football player now playing for the Tennessee Titans. People may contact me for information. We would like to see a lot of Purdue supporters participate.
Q:The Tippecanoe County Extension Homemakers are part of the state group. How many Indiana counties have Extension Homemakers?
A:Our participation is 65 out of 92 counties.
Q:Youths are a focal point for your group. What is an example of a local youth project conducted by the Tippecanoe County Extension Homemakers?
A:We held a "Spring Fling" party at First Baptist Church for the girls in the Boys & Girls Club. It was a mothers and daughters night out. The Extension Homemakers stepped in if their moms couldn't make it. Some girls wrote that it was the best night of their lives.
MEET JAN HARLOW
Position: President-elect of the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association.
Hometown: Grew up near Tangier in Parke County; now lives on a farm in northeastern Tippecanoe County.
Family: Married to husband, Richard, for 54 years; four children and six grandchildren.
Education: 1955 Tangier High School graduate; attended Purdue University.
Hobbies: Music, reading, sewing.
For more information about Purdue Extension Tippecanoe County, call (765) 474-0793, visit the office at 3150 Sagamore Parkway South or email murrayk@purdue.edu. Visit the website at www.ieha-families.org
Source: Journal and Courier, www.jconline.com
