New Extension Reorganization Went into Effect July 1

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Shelby County U of I Extension Unit Manager Jim Looft will now be the County Director of the combined multiunit area offices. That area office will now include the counties of Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Moultrie, as well as Shelby. Looft will operate out of the Coles County office.

July 11, 2011

FRANK MULHOLLAND - Daily Union Managing Editor Daily Union The Shelbyville Daily Union Mon Jul 11, 2011, 03:16 PM CDT

SHELBYVILLE, IL. — Now that the budget cuts and unit consolidation is completed the newly reorganized University of Illinois Extension Offices are leaner and stronger than ever. The new consolidated area offices went into effect on July 1, 2011.

The Shelby County Extension unit is part of a five county area office made of Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Moultrie and Shelby counties. Our area office is one of 27 such combined area units. Prior to the reorganization, there were 76 extension offices throughout the state.

At the Shelby County unit there will be some familiar faces and some new faces. One very familiar face is Jim Looft who has served as county director for Shelby County since February 2002. Looft will now head up the multi-unit extension district. The main office in our area will be the Coles County Extension Office located at 707 Windsor Road, Charleston. Looft will operate out of that office.

“My job has become pretty much strictly administrative,” Looft said. “The new fiscal burden is five times greater and there are that many more boards, commissions, councils, stakeholders, and support groups that I have to work with.”

Plus Looft will still have program oversight with the responsibility of seeing that the educators are working in the areas of local needs.

Another familiar face in the Shelby County Unit is Karen Thilker who serves as office support associate and Mary Beth Massey who will continue to serve as a community worker in the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ) here in Shelby county and also in Coles County.

Looft said one slight change will be the office hours here in Shelby County. That office will be open Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Friday 8 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.

“Aside from the educators working through this office as well as Karen and Mary Beth, Yolanda Nation has been hired to do 4-H,” said Looft. “The staff that were in this office previously were offered positions.”

All three Shelby County staff are considered part-time due to the reduction in office hours.

Nation is an old hand at 4-H and was born and raised in the Assumption area.

“I was a 10 year 4-H member and a 20 year 4-H leader,” said Nation.

Nation still serves as club leader for the Silver Spurs 4-H Club out of Tower Hill.

“We have 26 members this year.”

The educators who will work out of the Shelby County office include: Cheri Burcham as Family Life Educator housed in Arthur, Dana Homann 4-H Development housed in Charleston, Lynnette Mensah as Nutrition and Wellness educator housed in Decatur, and David Shiley as Local Food Systems and Small Farms educator housed out of Arthur.

Looft points out that these educators although not in the Shelby County office will still be able to implement and run programs here in our county.

“I think we will now operate a lot more efficiently,” continued Looft.

Looft said by forming these area offices and operating more efficiently the Extension Service is a stronger organization.

“The way we were structured a year ago was not sustainable with the funding we were given. If we get (funds) that are on the books today and are slated for us, we can sustain what we are doing.”

Looft said for all of this reorganization to work the Extension is going to need more volunteer support than before.

“Volunteers have stepped up,” Looft said. “Let us get through this year and please be patient with us.”

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