Advantage Illinois Insurance Enrollment

Just a reminder that retirees who are eligible for Medicare must act by Friday, December 13th to continue state healthcare insurance after January 31, 2014. And--as I understand it--those not yet eligible need to respond as well if you received the packet of information.

As of Monday, November 25th there is a new hotline phone number to call for assistance. It is 1-800-610-2091. On the website: www.cms.illinois.gov/thetrail there is a 40 minute video presented by Janice Bonneville, Deputy Director of benefits for the State of Illinois. This can be viewed in lieu of attending a meeting.

Don't wait. Now is a good time to get this taken care of.

Member News--Joan Blaser

Joan Blaser told us at the 2013 Summer Reunion that she began work for Extension in 1957 and retired in 1997. She has worked at a local library since she retired until this year.

She has recently become involved with the local HCE organization, and is working to assist them in developing stronger leadership via some officer changes. She also mentioned that the University is offering some good lessons from campus.

Joan has four grandchildren and several great grandchildren. She is a good example for all of us retirees that there is still a lot of need and a lot we can do in our communities.

New Leadership for Extension

A Message from the Associate Dean

Over the last three weeks, I have had the opportunity to meet with Extension staff in small groups, at team programs, and at regional meetings. I have asked what is working well, what can be improved, and what are some new opportunities to consider. It has been exciting to learn about our many successful programs and new audiences being reached. State Conference offers another opportunity to come together as an organization to learn new skills, enhance collaborations, and celebrate 100 years of Extension. I look forward to seeing you all next week.

I also want to introduce a new colleague on campus with research, teaching, and Extension responsibilities. Jonathan Coppess recently joined the faculty as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Law and Policy in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics. Previously, he served as Chief Counsel of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry for Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow. Prior to joining the Ag Committee, he was Administrator of the Farm Service Agency at USDA. Jonathan grew up on his family's corn and soybean farm in Western Ohio and practiced law in Chicago before moving to Washington to work on agriculture policy. He earned his Bachelor's from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and his Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC. Please join me in welcoming Jonathon to Extension. 


Sincerely,
George F. Czapar, Associate Dean and Director
Office of Extension and Outreach

For those who would like to access the rest of FYI number 6 for 2013, here is the link: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/fyi/

Michigan Trip--days 4 & 5 (Noel Restaurant and Headed Home)

After leaving Castle Farms we traveled to Grandville where we spent the night. Dinner was at the NOEL Restaurant, which had previously been a Baptist Church..

Everyone enjoyed the meal, and we returned to the Holiday Inn Express for a good night's rest. The next morning we began the last leg of the journey and headed for home.

                   






 





We wanted to show our appreciation for all the work Carol had done in planning a "fabulous" trip.

Lois Smith was in charge of selecting an appropriate gift. She looked long and hard to find just the right pair of earrings for Carol. As you can see, she loved them!     

Actually the earrings were a joke, and we also presented her with some extra spending money. Thanks you again, Carol, for all your work.

The bus driver didn't waste any time, and pretty soon we said goodbye to a few people in Matteson and another group in Champaign. Lunch was at  Za's in Champaign, and then we were in Effingham. The last stop was Mt. Vernon.

                                                                 

Here is the photo of the group again--in the parlor at the Grand Hotel. Everyone seemed to have a great time!  We are now looking forward to the next trip.

                                                                 

Michigan Trip--Day 4 (Leaving Mackinac Island and Castle Farms)

Before leaving the Grand Hotel we had  a delicious breakfast and were able to enjoy the view from its famous porch. This is a fountain down in front of the hotel. And, we could see the bridge leading back to Mackinaw City. Most of us did not ride back on the top of the Ferry.

Next we headed to Castle Farms near Charlevoix. The farm was built in 1918 by Albert Loeb, acting president of Sears, Roebuck, and Company. His goal was to showcase all the items Sears had to offer in their catalog. It was a model farm with prize winning livestock and the newest equipment available. The buildings were based on stone barns found in Normandy France.                                   

The stone work was very intricate and impressive. However, the farm fell on hard times through the years and was allowed to become very run down. The present owner has converted all the buildings to be used for weddings, but she has made a big effort to preserve the original architecture. The community is very thankful to her for once again bringing the farm to life.                                                                                               

There were six weddings planned for the Saturday evening that we were there!  And as you can see, Martha Winter got to pretend to be "Queen for a Day." We enjoyed lunch in their East Garden Room and headed south to Grandville.