Cottonwood Extension District welcomes newest agent

On this episode of the Post Podcast Cottonwood Extension District agent Monique Koerner stops by to share updates from the district.

Transcript:

EDITORS NOTE: Transcripts are provided by an automated service and are not verified for accuracy.

 

James Bell 

The Cottonwood Extension district has a new family and community wellness agent Monique Koerner stops by to tell us a little bit about herself and share some updates from the district on this episode of the Post Podcast.

 

Monique Koerner 

I'm actually from Hays. I grew up here in Hays and I graduated from his high in Fort Hays State University. And I also have a Master's in Public Health Administration from so yeah, I'm a hometown girl.

 

James Bell 

 I like to hear that. You know, it Hayes is one of those special places. I think that folks that grow up here, like to eat a lot of leave, and then come back. Yeah, but stick around. And then also people like myself that discover Hayes, you know, college years, kind of stick around as well. It's just a special place.

 

Monique Koerner 

I did leave for a little while I lived in Wyoming for about 10 or 11 years, and then moved back here in 2010, and have been here ever since. Before I worked for extension, I was with early childhood connections, I was the early headstart home visitor. And then I'm also a little late to league leader. I've been doing that for over 20 years. And I'm also an international board certified lactation consultant. And I sat for the exam in 2011. And I've been doing that ever since as well. Very cool.

 

James Bell 

So you're probably already pretty well known in the community.

 

Monique Koerner 

I hope so. A little bit anyway.

 

James Bell 

That's awesome. And I'm sure that's gonna fit in well, with the family community wellness position here at the cottonwood district. Um, you know, and we want to maybe also talk about this because I think it's a good opportunity to talk about what this position is, and kind of like what your role is going to be as you're moving in and kind of you've been there now, what, a little over a month.

 

Monique Koerner 

Yeah, I started at the end of July. So yeah, I'm still kind of learning as well. So I'm just trying to get out in the community and talk to people and kind of see what the needs are in those areas. As far as health and wellness, I am still trying to figure out some of my programming, but we'll definitely hit walk Kansas hard come spring, I'm excited for that I always participated on the other side of it. So now I get to, to kind of help spearhead that in our community. So I'm excited about that. I'm also doing a lot of training right now, as a new agent, I have a new agent class that I have to do. And then I'll get trained in some other programming as well. One of those things that we want to do is stay strong, stay healthy, which is just an extra exercise class for older adults just to help them stay strong and keep their balance and just, you know, if we stay strong and healthy and keep moving as we get older, that will just help prevent some of those things, falls and things like that, as we age. So pretty cool.

 

James Bell 

You know, I'm curious, Monique, how much of this programming, do you get to determine or is it kind of just programmatic and you who you follow and to help spread the word?

 

Monique Koerner 

Yeah, some of it, our signature programs that that K State provides. But really, it's it's up to me and then serving the community. So, you know, there's certain interests that I have that I can bring to this position. And I can tie those into some of those signature programs that que state has, but really my job is to bring to the community what our community needs. So and that can look very different, you know, with Hayes versus even Russell or lacrosse. The cottonwood district is Hayes and are Ellis County and Barton County. And so sometimes that can even look different between the counties and the districts. So

 

James Bell 

I'm sure Yeah, I mean, he's, it's not exactly a metropolitan area, but it's a little bit more. I don't know what little less rural, I think you might say, then Barton County, I'm from down around that area. And the a lot of farm ground, a lot of really small towns down that way. Of course, great bends pretty good size, but still not nearly as big as Hayes.

 

Monique Koerner 

Yeah, I think Hays Hayes has some unique qualities about it. And so we're definitely going to try to gear the programming to what the community needs. Very cool.

 

James Bell 

Very cool. And one of the things I think that kind of is coming up here pretty quickly that we want to talk about is the family pizza night. What is this?

 

Monique Koerner 

Yes, so family pizza night just kind of promotes the, the eating together as a family. Research has shown that that's really important for kids, just to have them have a sense of belonging and helps prevent some risky behaviors. So that's part of my job as family and community wellness agent is to help families be as strong as they can. And so there's actually a lot of benefits for kids to get in the kitchen and help help prepare meals. They can learn math skills, they can learn how to to follow directions they can, you know, just those social skills of being with their parents, sometimes you can get them to have a little more buy in with what they're eating if they take part in preparing it. So sometimes that can help with picky eaters. So lots of important benefits. So yeah, we're Papa Murphy's has donated some pizza crust, we got donations from the Kiwanis Club. And so parents can come down and learn about the benefits of eating together as a family, we'll have a handwashing activity. And then in the back room, parents can put together whatever kind of pizza they want. And then they can take it home and bake it and eat it with their kids.

 

James Bell 

Very cool. Very cool. How do people get to sign up for that? Or is it all just come and go?

 

Monique Koerner 

Now we need you to RSVP just so we have enough pizzas for everybody. So just call the office and Teresa will take your RSVP and then if you could stop by and pay for the pizzas, they are $3 each so pretty economical meal and just pay for that. Hopefully sometime this this week would be great. If we get all those in we've we've got a few more pizzas left, we've got a lot of people signed up.

 

James Bell 

Very cool. Like to hear that. It's gonna be I'm sure a good time. When is that again?

 

Monique Koerner 

It's Monday, September 26. From 415 to 6:15pm. Okay,

 

James Bell 

very cool. Very cool. And we also want to talk about this coming up, go truck go, this is coming back. This is a really neat event I was telling you before we got on air, my little ones especially love this event.

 

Monique Koerner 

Oh yeah, my kids always love the event, especially the little boys just getting on the big equipment and seeing the fire tracks and the ambulances and all that it's a great learning experience. And yeah, I'll have a table out there and be offering some information of things, some some things that you can do with your little ones, and also some nutrition information. And then we'll also have a story walk up. I picked that up yesterday. And so we'll have the story walk out there for the little excavator. Very cool.

 

James Bell 

You know, I know we've talked about this in the past with some of the folks down there at the district, but maybe want to remind everybody what the story walks look like.

 

Monique Koerner 

Yeah, so I've done a couple of story walks so far, in the short time I've been with the district, but it really just promotes literacy with the little ones. So we just take a book and we break it up and put it on like little signs like, like the for sale signs out in front of your house. And we just line them up and parents can walk along and read this story with their kids.

 

James Bell 

Love that. My kid that's another thing my kid loves. And you know, I like it because he's he's very energetic. He's little my little guys a boy. And he loves to run around very much a physical kind of learner. But he can get he will, you know, get so excited. And we'll hop between one set of the pages and then he'll skip the next set. And that sort of brings in and incorporates that physical activity, but then also gets that benefit of reading which he could be about.

 

Monique Koerner 

Sometimes it's a challenge to get the little ones to sit and listen. And so sometimes we think we, you know, we have to sit and we have to read a book from beginning to end. And it really doesn't have to be that way. Like you said we all learn in different ways. And so this incorporates that physical activity. Sometimes people need to move to help them learn. And so that's can be a great way to get kids interested in in books and reading