GCEHC members Pat Zeller and Gail McKee work together in the EHC fair kitchen.
GCEHC members, Cindy Rossa and Merylann Black, are checking in quilt entries for the Garland County Fair.
By Alison Crane
Originally known as the Home Demonstration Clubs, the Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council (EHC) was initially established in 1912 and focused on practical skills related to home economics and food preservation. The clubs were a practical way to expand the educational reach of the Cooperative Extension Service’s home demonstration agents across the rural areas of the state. Extension agents taught and trained volunteers, who would then teach a lesson or demonstrate a better way to do something in the home to those in their club or community.
The home demonstration clubs in Garland County, Arkansas, started in the mid-1920s, and the clubs organized into a countywide council in 1930, uniting the rural and town clubs to work together. Ninety-five years later, Extension Homemakers are still working hard to continue the tradition of lifelong learning, leadership development, and community service.
Partnering with the UofA Cooperative Extension Service, Extension Homemakers are one of the largest volunteer groups in the state and provide thousands of hours of community service every year. Garland County EHC has 95 men and women participating in eight clubs with the mission of empowering individuals and families to improve their quality of living. In fiscal year 2024, these dedicated members donated 19,284 volunteer hours. According to the Independent Sector, a national organization of charitable organizations, the dollar value of their service is over $645,000.
“For me, the most meaningful aspect of being an EHC club member is that it is an excellent support group for all the members in times of sadness, happiness in goal achievement, or lending a hand to each other,” Bertha Manning, GCEHC Past President, shared. “Beyond the EHC mission of empowering members, the care and concern for each other is what I look forward to every day.”
May is recognized as Extension Homemakers Month in Arkansas, and since it is not every day that an organization reaches 95 years of age, the GCEHC is hosting an open house to celebrate that milestone and create greater community awareness. Clubs will be demonstrating projects and skills used to serve their community and showcase members’ talents and interests, and there will be special speakers and refreshments. Everyone is invited to celebrate and join in the fun.
“Come Grow with EHC” is a fitting theme for the Garland County Extension Homemakers in 2025, as they look to strengthen their community connections this year and to reach the century mark, still going strong. Join them for the GCEHC Open House on Thursday, May 22, 2025, from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Armory Building, 210 Woodbine Street, Hot Springs.
If you would like more information about Garland County EHC, please contact the Cooperative Extension office at 501-623-6841 or visit www.uaex.uada.edu/garland. Like them on Facebook: Garland County EHC to follow the latest activities and projects.
Alison Crane is a Family and Consumer Sciences Agent with the Garland County Extension Service. Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy, or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
