Nebraska

Nebraska AgrAbility's featured event this month was Husker Harvest Days. There were new changes as staff had a new location at the event. They were positioned in a tent that didn't have lights, which made it a little difficult to maneuver early in the day, but they got it done - safety! Over the three days of the event, staff reached more than 1,000 people and gained four new individuals to follow up with. Several other people indicated they would reach out to Nebraska AgrAbility soon. The focus area again for this event was emergency preparedness and various health conditions. Clients visited the tent and hung out for portions of each day. Their presence seems to pull in a crowd, and they had great conversations with eventgoers. Overall, Husker Harvest Days was a success, and staff are already planning for next year.

Nebraska AgrAbility held a zoom meeting for the advisory council on September 18. The goal is for the council and team to gather throughout the year, rather than for one in-person meeting held annually in February. At the meeting, advisory council members were excited to come together and hear about updates, and they shared positive feedback about Nebraska AgrAbility. Angie Howell, vice president, Easterseals Nebraska, provided an educational summary of the plans for the former Dana Campus near Blair, Nebraska. With a lot of planning and hard work, the campus will be transformed as a camp for Easterseals and an agricultural resource location for Nebraska AgrAbility. The advisory council and Nebraska AgrAbility team are excited for the future and all the opportunities they will have to better serve clients!

At the meeting, Nebraska AgrAbility also provided an update about Husker Harvest Days and the Nebraska State Fair. At these events, team members connected with hundreds of people, spreading the great word about Nebraska AgrAbility. The team also shared that the Nebraska AgrAbility website will soon be hosted by Easterseals Nebraska. Moving the site will allow team members to take a more active role in editing and moderating the website. People will still be able to find Nebraska AgrAbility through the Nebraska Extension website. The peer support program was also discussed, and council members provided important feedback and shared their experiences with peer support programs. The Nebraska AgrAbility team looks forward to making the peer support program the best possible experience for participating clients.

Submitted by Soni Cochran