Enjoy this episode of The Extension Hour featuring Montgomery County’s finest: Liz Lok, Master Wellness Volunteer, and Amy Ressler, County Extension Agent – Family & Community Health.

Newly minted Master Wellness Volunteer Kit Darling has a starring role in the #PetTalk article featured below.

#PetTalk: The Unconditional Love of Pets
Kit Darling, #TAMU #CVM #VMTH‘s infection control coordinator, has spent years studying the human-animal bond. “Pets are non-judgmental and provide unconditional love, meaning, and joy to our lives.” Read more at https://t.co/M3rG8ph8eA pic.twitter.com/aCFKI9CW3e

— Texas A&M Vet Med (@tamuvetmed) February 19, 2019

Master Wellness volunteer training kicks off statewide in January https://t.co/z5SkS2QkXn

— AgriLife Today (@AgriLifeTODAY) December 20, 2018

Do you have a passion for health and wellness? Share it with others via worksite wellness programs, community events and more! Register now for the Master Wellness Volunteer training program: https://t.co/jVdTnl5dY5 pic.twitter.com/g8hsCY7t2b

— AgriLife Extension (@txextension) December 20, 2018

In the United States, 86% of all health spending is related to chronic conditions – things like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and many others. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these costs can be managed and potentially reduced through education and lifestyle modification.

In January 2018, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will convene a statewide training for Master Wellness Volunteers…and you don’t even have to leave your county. Master Wellness Volunteers (MWV) undergo 40 hours of training on health, nutrition and food safety and are then empowered to provide outreach and education, helping reduce the burden of chronic conditions in Texans and Texas’ communities.

Not a health professional? Not a problem! We welcome participation from anyone interested in promoting health and wellness: college students, employees, retirees – anyone! Opportunities to serve are wide-ranging: giving presentations for local community groups, assisting with healthy cooking demonstrations, participating in health fairs and much more. Because each community is different, MWVs work with the County Extension Agent and other stakeholders to identify needs and opportunities to help make a local difference.

For more information regarding the MWV program and/or the statewide training, send an email to mwv@ag.tamu.edu with your contact information and the county in which you live. We’ll connect you with the County Extension Agent in your county to provide more details about the training and opportunities to give back.

See you in January!

This post courtesy of Paula Butler, Regional Program Leader – East & All-Around Nifty Person

With the anticipation of spring and warmer weather also comes the excitement of local Farmer’s Markets.  To prepare Master Wellness Volunteers to provide food and recipe demonstrations in this setting, AgriLife Extension held a Cooking with Confidence training at the Dallas Research and Extension Center earlier this month.

Fourteen volunteers were provided food safety education by Rebecca Dittmar, Extension Food Safety Specialist, and Courtney Davis, Denton County Extension Agent,which included special considerations for outdoor venues, what to do and what not to do. In addition Jennifer Reeves, Llano County Extension Agent, led an overview of Cooking with Confidence, a program she developed and has delivered at several locations across the state. Brittany Martin, Dallas County Extension Agent, provided specifics on lesson plans, talking points and recipes applicable for Farmer’s Market delivery which was followed with volunteer hands on practice and small group food demonstrations.

As a result of the training, the Master Wellness Volunteers are well prepared for the variety of upcoming opportunities in Dallas, Denton, and Collin Counties during the spring, summer, and fall Farmer’s Market season.

Where does time go? With all the great work done at all levels of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, but especially by the Master Wellness Volunteers, 2016 flew by and lives were changed in the process.

In 2016, 139 Master Wellness Volunteers in 20 counties provided 1,440 events reaching more than 36,000 Texans through 5,962 hours of service.

How about a round of applause!!!

And now the work continues. 2017 is shaping up to be the best year ever for the Master Wellness Volunteer Program: new counties, new partners, new trainings and new educational opportunities.

It’s a great time to be a Master Wellness Volunteer. And a great time to recruit a friend or some friends to join you in helping Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service achieve its vision: “Help Texans Better Their Lives.”