Payne County OHCE celebrates Achievement Day with annual banquet

Jan. 29—They're known for being behind the scenes of many community events and a powerful force for good in Payne County.

The Payne County chapter of the Oklahoma Home and Community Education at Oklahoma State University's Extension was recognized Jan. 25 at the Payne County OHCE Achievement Day at the Payne County Expo Center.

The Payne County chapter has devoted nearly 9,000 volunteer hours in 2023.

"The value of the single volunteer hour is $26.88," said Mickey Wolff, a member who gave the activity report for 2023. "That translates to us dedicating $241,114 in support of our community. That's a pretty good deal."

OHCE, a statewide and county-based organization, has extension groups in Oklahoma's 77 counties.

In Payne County, the OHCE has six groups — including Cherokee, Cimarron Valley, Elm Grove, Floral Valley, Lunch Bunch and Rising Star — with 95 total members.

Each group contributed something special for Payne County and its residents, and the list is extensive.

In addition to donations for community events and nonprofits, these members served on church committees and took care of those in nursing homes and hospitals.

They cooked and served in the Stillwater Community Thanksgiving Dinner and the New Year's Eve Day Dinner, as well as at funeral dinners.

They volunteered at libraries, community gardens, the food bank and Our Daily Bread.

They sewed bibs and lap blankets for nursing homes and sent Valentine's Day cards to veterans and personalized Christmas cards for nursing homes.

They also transported neighbors to exercise, to doctors' appointments or to lunch.

"In one case, we learned of a young mother who was in desperate need of diapers and children's clothing, and we gathered together those items for her," Wolff said.

The Cimarron Valley group provided authentic pioneer rag dolls and prairie bonnets for the Cherokee Strip Museum. They also donated 140 toothbrushes and handmade tooth fairy pillows for kindergarten students in Perkins-Tryon and Ripley public schools. They organized and completed a commemorative flag display at the Perkins Territorial Plaza, in addition to honoring 22 veterans.

The Cherokee group celebrated 100 years in 2023, and celebrated by planting redbud trees at the Cottonwood Community Center. They sewed a "signature" quilt featuring 40 signatures of current members, in addition to hosting their annual ice cream social and chicken noodle supper for 230 people.

The Elm Grove group donated to 14 different organizations. They donated most of the fabric for all the groups to make lap quilts for a county-wide Senior Care Project and helped coordinate the assembling and delivery of the lap quilts.

The Floral Valley group prepared and delivered breakfast to Glencoe shut-ins every morning. They discovered there are many elderly people who have no family members, and members made calls of encouragement.

The Lunch Bunch group sponsored educational workshops to help celebrate OHCE, including jam making, sewing and pie crust making workshops. They also sponsored the Story Walk Project at the Perkins Territorial Plaza. Members served as Payne County OHCE officers and committee chairs and gave leadership to the centennial float in the Oklahoma State University Homecoming Parade.

"Many women had never been in a parade or on a float before," said Pat McNally, who finished her two-term as president of Payne County OHCE. "The smiles and laughter on their faces throughout the morning were precious beyond words, the pride they showed in being involved in OHCE was goose-bumpy."

The Rising Star group learned about vandalism damage at Mpower and members donated $200 to help with repairs. They have made donations to Mobile Meals and to an organization in Africa that needed feminine care products.

All six groups participated in the OSU Homecoming Parade float and the Senior Care Project. The Family Issues committee members worked with all local group members to provide handmade lap robes, clothing protectors, hand warmers and other items to seniors living in nine different nursing and retirement homes and facilities across the county.

"Payne County OHCE members truly care about others, and it shows when they work together with their hands and their hearts to make a difference in the lives of Payne County residents," said Dea Rash, Payne County OSU Extension Educator for Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H.

Serving with OHCE brings not only a wealth of knowledge and compassion to local needs and to many events, but also it brings a sense of community for many women.

That includes LaVerne Atkinson, who moved from Washington and joined an OHCE group when she was 19 years old and newly married. Her mother-in-law, Evelyn Atkinson, encouraged her to join.

LaVerne was recognized at the Achievement Day for 66 years of service.

Her husband, Mark Atkinson, was from Stillwater, and his family owned a ranch. OHCE was a means of socializing for LaVerne — she learned many skills that have largely been forgotten.

"I came here knowing nobody," LaVerne said. "I couldn't have gotten along without Extension."