Arkansas EHC celebrates social, community impact

CELEBRATING EHC MONTH — In November 2024, the Handy Homemakers EHC Club in Hot Spring County became the first new EHC club in the county since 1983. Members of EHC throughout Arkansas are celebrating May as EHC Month. Left to right: Amber Treadway, Glorie Thornton, Katie Cloud, Kristian Miller, Amy Clements, Staci Allen, Jessica Rodriguez, Mary LaVergne, Toni Dyer and Patty Griggs. | UADA photo

By REBEKAH HALL | University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Denise Bailey, member of the Garland County Extension Homemakers Council, said when she first became interested in the organization, she thought she was “just signing up to do a craft show and wound up getting a family.”

Bailey, 64, became a member of the Garland County Crazy Quilters Extension Homemakers Council Club in 2022 after retiring from a 40-year career as a cardiac nurse. She learned of the statewide Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council, or EHC, when she and a friend submitted their handmade wares for consideration as vendors at the Hot Springs Arts & Crafts Fair, hosted annually by Garland County EHC.

“The most wonderful lady was one of the jurors, and she looked at my pieces and said, ‘Have you ever thought about joining Extension Homemakers?’” Bailey said.

Bailey said she officially joined the club after attending her second meeting, where a member led a hand quilting lesson to make lap quilts for a local nursing home.

“I’ve been a resident in Garland County for 40 years, and joining EHC has let me be more connected to my community,” Bailey said. “Prior, I was a nurse and worked 12-16-hour days. Because we do so much charitable work within the community, I’m more attached to other people. It’s been wonderful.”

Bailey is one of more than 5,000 Arkansas EHC and family and consumer sciences volunteers statewide who contributed nearly 338,000 hours of community service in 2025, an economic value of more than $11.7 million based on a national estimate of volunteer time by the Independent Sector. Community service, leadership development and a commitment to lifelong learning make up the three-pronged mission of EHC, which members are celebrating in May as Extension Homemakers Council Month in Arkansas.

“EHC has a far-reaching impact on Arkansas communities by strengthening families, responding to local needs and building grassroots leadership through volunteer service,” said Nina Roofe, extension vice president of family and consumer sciences for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. “With more than 3,000 members statewide, EHC translates research-based knowledge into practical action — improving nutrition, family relationships, financial literacy, health and quality of life — while leading local service projects that address community well-being.”

EHC is delivered through the Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach arm of the Division of Agriculture. Laura Hendrix, extension professor of personal finance and EHC adviser for the Division of Agriculture, said extension family and consumer sciences educators partner with local EHC clubs throughout the state to deliver non-formal education to members, helping them in turn to improve the quality of life in their communities.

“EHC is unique in that they have local and community service projects, and they also join forces for statewide projects,” Hendrix said. “Many EHC members state that they are active as community volunteers because of Extension Homemakers programs.”

For the past three years, EHC’s statewide service project, EHC Cares, has focused on mental health awareness. Members have offered mental health first aid training to community members, hosted mental health walks and other outreach projects. The project aims to destigmatize mental health and educate members about available mental health resources.

The organization will announce its new statewide service project at the annual EHC State Meeting, which will take place June 2-4 at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock.

History of service, friendship

The Extension Homemakers Council began in Arkansas in 1912. For more than a century, the organization has provided opportunities for members to develop new skills and create lasting friendships.

“If I didn’t have EHC, I could stay home and quilt by myself and maybe get together with friends every now and then,” said Paula Abney, 65, a member of three different clubs within Garland County EHC. “But for the bulk of my time, I would be alone. And I don’t want that; I’m a people person. Now, some of my best friends are in EHC.”

Alison Crane, Garland County Extension family and consumer sciences agent and county EHC adviser, said EHC members are “some of the most amazing people I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with.”

“If you’re looking for community, if you’re looking for your group or if you’re looking for a way to reach out and do something for someone else, EHC is one of the greatest ways to do it,” Crane said. “You’re looking at a long history of service, learning and dedication.”

For many members, being part of EHC runs in the family. Loretta Johnston, 88, is a member of the Garland County EHC Crazy Quilters Club, and both her mother and grandmother were EHC members.

“I grew up in Oklahoma and I was a 4-H’er,” Johnston said. “My family had always been involved with extension in some way or another.”

Johnston earned her 60-year EHC membership certificate last year. She joined her first club in Daisy, Arkansas, as a member of Pike County EHC. After moving to Hot Springs in 1971, she helped organize the Lakeshore EHC Club, which was active for 25 years before it disbanded and she joined the Crazy Quilters.

“My husband was a forester and we moved a lot, and all of my family lived in Oklahoma,” Johnston said. “Every time we would make a move, I would be new to the area, but once I joined the local EHC, I got to know the ladies in the community, and that became my outlet. I feel like that was very beneficial to me.

“I’m not really a people person, but that was a great way of getting involved and getting acquainted with the community,” Johnston said. “The EHC organization was a good resource for making friends.”

Meeting modern needs

EHC clubs often meet during daytime hours, as many members are retired and have flexible schedules. But to accommodate members and prospective members who are active in their careers, some counties are pivoting to offer meetings in the evenings.

Jessica Rodriguez, Hot Spring County extension family and consumer sciences agent and county EHC adviser, said she noticed that this schedule conflict was deterring potential EHC members from joining a club.

“I realized there was a need for a group in the community that had more flexibility for younger members,” Rodriguez said. “The groups we had in Hot Spring County had been established for a long time — since 1961 and 1983 — and while those groups are an important part of our history, I felt it was time to support the development of a new club.”

After Rodriguez joined the Hot Spring County Leadership Forum, a leadership development organization in the county, she said she began discussing the benefits of EHC with the members of her cohort, including Kristian Miller, chief deputy treasurer for Hot Spring County. Together, they started looking for other members to start a new EHC club that would meet in the evenings.

In November 2024, the Hot Spring County Handy Homemakers EHC club officially became the first new club in the county since 1983. It now has 13 members. The group meets once a month at 5 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month.

Miller, 41, said she had long been familiar with EHC and had family members who were a part of it in the past.

“Women in the workplace have evolved since EHC began, so it made sense to start an evening club,” Miller said. “Several members are women I already knew, either professionally or socially, but I’ve met a lot more women in the community that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

“We all get along great, even with our different backgrounds and ages and various careers,” she said. “We’ve been learning things together, and it’s just a nice, easy, unassuming social gathering.”

Mary LaVergne, 70, said she joined the Handy Homemakers EHC club after seeing a social media announcement about a new club forming in Malvern.

“Our club has a wide variety of ages in it, and we have a lot of different interests,” LaVergne said. “I’m always learning new things, which is something I really enjoy. The opportunity to do that, and the opportunity to help the community, makes it a win-win.”

Both LaVergne and Miller said they appreciate how supportive their club members are of each other.

“I think that’s one of the reasons it’s such a great club,” LaVergne said. “Everyone is so concerned about everyone else, and so helpful, and it makes us have a really good bond.”

“Our members are quick to step up and volunteer and take charge of things when need be,” Miller said. “As president of our club, that’s been very helpful for me. Meeting everybody and having this group of cheerleaders has been wonderful.”

Something for everyone

EHC members encourage Arkansans who are interested in the organization to attend a few meetings to better understand the atmosphere of each unique club.  

“There are so many different areas of interest that you’re going to find something that compels you, as well as a few things you didn’t know you were interested in,” LaVergne said.

Hendrix said the wide age range of EHC members provides a unique benefit to participants.

“One of the things members love about being with an intergenerational group is the knowledge exchange and understanding of different perspectives,” Hendrix said. “While some members have been in EHC for decades, many of the newer members represent a younger age demographic. EHC has something for everyone.”

Visit the Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council page to learn more about the organization or contact your local county extension office to learn about clubs in your area.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station ataaes.uada.edu.