Arizona republican., 1922-01-01
HONEEXTENS|ON
WORKHASSHOWN
RAPID PROGRESS
IN THIS VALLEY
BY FLosslE D. WILLS,
Home Denomination Agent, ,Marieopa
County

Home Demonstration Agent, Marieopa
County
Shortly after the farm bureaus were
established in the county, home dem
onstration work under the supervision
and direction of the agricultural ex-
tension service of the University of
Arizona was begun in Maricopa coun-
ty Following the prescribed plan as
outlined by the extension service de-
partment of the state university, the
interest of the women in the county
in the work was obtained rapidly and
communities for the work were start
ed, each community having its center
in the school of the district.
As nearly as possible, the boun-
gdaries of each home demonstration
community are identical with those OF
the school district In which it is To-
Gated, and while not allied with the
farm bureau work of the county, the
home demonstration work in the
county is carried on in much the same
manner
Each community is a part of the
county organization, which i'm turn
is part OF the state home demon
Stration organization headed by the
agricultural extension service of the
state university. Each of the state
organizations form a Part of the ma
tional home demonstration associa-
tion which controls the work in the
United States. AS a result of the in
terlacing of the organizations, the
home demonstration work in Mari
copa county is identical with the
home demonstration work as carried
on in every community in the United
States, whether it is in New York,
Illinois, Wyoming or in an Arizona
county, and each community receives
the benefit of the plans made for the
work by the national organization.
Since the work started in Maricopa
county. IL communities of women are
doing organized home demonstration
work under the leadership OF their
local leader chosen by themselves.
This leader issues the calls for the
meetings and has general charge of
the community. She keeps in touch
with the home demonstration agent
and secures the reports of work done
elsewhere Gs well as furnishing the
agent with the reports of her COM
munity. Additional service is rem
dered by personal, calls made to each
community by the home demonstra-
tion agent.
Among the projects taken up by the
communities with great success is
that Of child care and feeding and
the establishment of hot lunches In
many of the district schools of the
county under the supervision of mem
bers Of the home demonstration club
OF that school district Clothing
projects in the communities have
proved very popular with the mem
bers and instruction has been given
in millinery, the making of organdie
flowers and in the buying and selec-
tion of materials, enabling the women.
to save considerable money through
the training given.
Through plans laid down by the
national organization, the women
were taught to make an excellent
dress form, considered by many to
be superior to the dress form manu-
factured for sale, at very low cost,
the cost of the home made form be-
ing less than one third of the price
asked for the manufactured form. In
making their own dress forms, the
members Of the II communities have
been able to save 1,040.
The outlook for the future home
demonstration work in the county is
very promising. Many projects have
been outlined by the national organ
ization which have not been tried in
this county, although they have
proven very successful where tried
An effort will be made this year to
double the number Of home demon
stration communities in the county
and to enlist a majority of the farm
women in the county in the work.
Among the projects planned for this
year Is the establishment of clothing
extension schools which will give
practical demonstrations of the cloth
ing projects already undertaken by
the women. In this school the WON
en- will be given help and instruction
in the making of dresses and cloth
ing, the altering Of commercial pat.
terms, the selection and buying o.
: fabrics, costuming designing, and the
cleaning and renovating of clothing.
A special effort will be made by
the extension service to increase The
amount Of milk in the diet of schoo
children and to improve genera
health conditions in the county. 4
budget system for the household will
be started and assistance rendered II