RealAudio One of the original land grant missions of the University of Minnesota was to bring education and its benefits to all residents of the state, whether they attended the school or not. The U of M's extension service was created to implement that mission. Originally set up to serve mainly farmers, the extension has evolved along with changes in the state's population. It now serves both rural and urban areas and reaches out to some of the newest population groups in the state.
Rainbows offer children a place to make friends and learn.
View slide show of Extension over the years. This one serves a wide range of city kids including Hispanic, Asian and African immigrants. The Extension Service's Leanne Ennenga runs the meeting. Ennenga says the Nobles 4-H Rainbows, as they're known, offer the children a place to make friends and learn. That change did not go unnoticed.