Master Wellness Volunteer Program
Master Wellness Volunteer Program“Improving Lives, Improving Texas”

Making a Difference in Collin County – Amy Stamps

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Amy started teaching Back to the Basics at Frisco Family Services in early 2014. Frisco Family Services has had Master Wellness Volunteers to teach BLT curricula since 2007, so they are a big supporter of BLT. Amy became a MWV in 2013, with the goal of teaching nutrition education. She has a background in dietetics so this was a natural fit for her. She really wanted to reach the BLT targeted audience so when this opportunity became available, she readily accepted.

Amy enjoys interacting with her audience. She is a natural teacher who engages her audience with activities as well as with discussion. All of the evaluations mention how much participants enjoy the class and look forward to her next class.

Making a Difference in Ellis County – Arlene Hamilton

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As a Master Wellness Volunteer (MWV), I worked with the staff at Presbyterian Children’s Home and Services. I created and lead a Single Parent Nutrition Program for the moms living on campus with their children. We meet twice monthly for a healthy meal and discussion using the “Choose MyPlate—10 Tips to a Great Plate” curriculum. Generally we plan the meal around “Dinner Tonight Cooking School” and the ladies participate in the food preparation.

I also planned and led two programs at the Waxahachie Downtown Farmers Market where the MWV provided healthy eating information and a “Meal in a Jar” demonstration. In August, we offered healthy snacks ideas and back to school food safety. I participated in a program for students in the Ennis School District “Give a Kid a Chance”, handing out nutrition information to adults and children. The Ennis School District has a BLT audience of 80%.

As a long time Texas Master Gardener, I became interested in moving beyond growing food and herbs to offering healthy meals and information. This has been a very rewarding extension of my interests in working with local farmers, growers and low income families. My goals are to promote healthy eating and create community gardens on the campus of Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services and hopefully on the grounds of the local food pantry, Waxahachie CARE.

Welcome

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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is expanding the reach of its health and nutrition programs through Master Wellness Volunteers. Master Wellness Volunteers.  Master Wellness Volunteers receive 40 hours of education related to health, nutrition, food safety, healthy food preparation, public speaking and much more. The training is conducted by County Extension Agents and health professionals who have access to the latest research based information in the area of health and wellness. In return, volunteers are asked to give 40 hours of volunteer service to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

The volunteer opportunities are diverse-giving presentations for local community groups, assisting with healthy cooking demonstrations, distributing information at health fairs, working with schools and after school programs and data entry. Previous health or wellness training is not required but an interest in living healthfully and helping others do the same is.