Johnson County HCE awards scholarships
By Dixie Terry
The Johnson County Home and Community Education (HCE) Board of the University of Illinois Extension has selected two high school seniors to receive a $500 scholarship for 2025.
The students are: Paige Groner of Vienna High School and Riley Reid of Goreville High School. The scholarships will be awarded at a special luncheon on April 3, at the Community of Christ Church on Tunnel Hill Road.
The Annual HCE Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 22, at 6:30pm at the Extension Building in Vienna. A potluck dinner will be enjoyed prior to the business meeting and program. The speaker will be Jane Chapman, Past President of the Illinois HCE, who will present a program on “Bees as Pollinators”. The installation of board members will be conducted by Carol Harms, District IV Director. All HCE members and their guests are urged to attend.
The Annual Mothers’ Day Luncheon will be held on Saturday, May 3, beginning at 11am, when the silent auction will open. Lunch will be served at 11:30am with a delicious menu. A program will follow, along with the announcement of silent auction top bidders. Tickets, at $12 each, are available from HCE members or at the Extension office. All area ladies and their guests are welcome. This event will serve as a fundraiser for the scholarship program.
The HCE travel coordinator, Faye Mize, has planned three outstanding coach trips for 2025: New York City on June 26-July 2; Boston, on July 22-30; and Mackinac Island, on September 8-13. Call Faye ar 618-771-0066 for details and to make reservations. Trip brochures are also available at the Extension office. Everyone is welcome to participate in these trips.
Unit meetings of HCE are as follows: Ozark Unit–April 15 at 9am at the Extension Building. Longview Unit–April 21 at 11am at the Extension Building. Tunnel Hill Unit–April 28 at 7pm at the Community of Christ Church. New members are welcome!
The April lesson for alll units will be “The Top Five Financial Scams Targeting Older Adults.”
All units and their guests will participate in the “Fall Wreath Making Class” on Thursday, Sept. 25. Sheila Harper of The Secret Garden will conduct the workshop and each participant will take home a fall wreath.Registration for the workshop will begin at the Annual HCE Meeting. The workshop will begin at 9am at the Extension Building. Lunch will be included in the $25 charge that will also include materials. Due to space restrictions, the class will be limited to fifteen attendants. A waiting list will be maintained. Register at the Annual Meeting or later, at the Extension office during business hours.
The International Night will be held on October 14, at 6:30pm at the Extension Building, beginning with a potluck dinner. The featured country will be South Africa, with a program by Bryan Throgmorton, who lived there for several years, and by Faye Mize and Rosemary Rouse, who have traveled there.
All Johnson County women are invited to join the activities of HCE by joining one of the three units. Call board president, Natalie Dougherty ,for information at 314-803-4881.