U of I Extension Clay, Effingham, Fayette, and Jasper County

09/01/2026

Teachers and librarians, we're bringing stories to life!

Our Literacy & Art program blends reading and creativity through interactive lessons and hands-on projects connected to engaging books. Students develop literacy skills while exploring art concepts, creative problem-solving, collaboration, and communication.

Whether you're looking for a library program, art class activity, or enrichment opportunity, this program offers meaningful learning that students will love.

We would provide all the books and materials needed for the program!

Reach out today to bring this program to your school!

Megan Pierson, 4-H Youth Development Educator
|[email protected] 618-662-3124|

08/25/2026

Did you know that your local extension office offers school programming?! We have staff on board and would love to connect with schools in Clay, Effingham, Fayette, or Jasper County!

🎓 Preparing students for the REAL WORLD starts now!

What happens after graduation? 💭 Careers, banking, housing, transportation, food, insurance, utilities, budgeting…there’s a lot to learn!

Welcome to the Real World is an interactive program from Illinois Extension designed to help students explore careers and practice making the kinds of financial and life decisions they’ll face as young adults.

👩‍🏫 Teachers & schools: Interested in bringing Welcome to the Real World to your students? Let’s connect!

📩 Contact Megan to learn more or schedule the program for your classroom!
| [email protected] or 618-662-3124 |

08/20/2026

A huge thank you to our amazing Fayette Master Gardeners for making Vandalia’s Little Community Garden look absolutely beautiful for our Red, White & Blue celebration honoring 250 years of America! ❤️🤍💙
Your time, talent, and hard work helped make this celebration so special. We appreciate all you do for our community!

08/20/2026

🌟 A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS! 🌟
We would like to give a special shout-out to everyone who earned Champion, Reserve Champion, and Inspire Award at the Illinois State Fair! 🏆🎉
We also want to congratulate all who exhibited and represented our counties at the state level! Congratulations to each one of you! Your hard work and commitment truly paid off, and you should all be incredibly proud of yourselves! 👏🥇🏆
Way to go, everyone! You made us proud! 🎉❤️
CLAY COUNTY
Champions: Lawnee Erwin, Katelynn Allen, Mila Zink, Carrie-Ann Gill
Reserve Champions: Shelly Pierson, Ava Fleener, Myra Dunahee
Inspire: Forrest O'Dell, Elliot Bailey
EFFINGHAM COUNTY
Champions: Jordan Perkins, Madelynn Ruholl, Whitney Dunn, Olivia Bowman, Ian Phillips, Jackie Sparling, Pearl Huber, Henry Loy, Ava Hecht, Spencer Stock
Reserve Champions: Sierra Kreke, Adriana Kirchhofer, Elena Kirchhofer, Graham Wendling, Luke Wohltman, Wyatt Ordner, Lillian Rodgers, Alainah Scholes, Kinsley Haarmann, Jake Buscher, Violet Ordner, Sawyer Herberts, Julie Larsen, Paisley Bloemer, Ava Donaldson, Miley Pontious, Leah Faber
Inspire: Nolan Deters, Silas Stock, Granger Fredlund, Kayden Chapman, Lillian Ruholl, Briley Tappendorf
FAYETTE COUNTY
Champions: Leah Miller, Shaw Copus
Reserve Champions: Harper Jacquin, Wesley Rader
Inspire: Rebecca Miller
JASPER COUNTY
Champions: Emmalin Finley, Logan Vogt, Kohlten Barthelme, Tretyn Hall, Jenna Hall, Jailyn Hall
Inspire: Cletus Zumbahlen, Lane Vogt, Emma Bergbower, Macy Helmink

08/19/2026

Celebrating Our 4-H Hall of Fame Honorees 🎉

Today, we proudly recognize and honor some truly outstanding individuals who have made a lasting impact on 4-H. Their dedication, leadership, service, and commitment to our youth and communities are an inspiration to us all.

👏 Congratulations and thank you to our 4-H Hall of Fame honorees:

⭐ Rocky & Anita Allen — Clay County
⭐ Don & Karen Grupe — Effingham County
⭐ Mona Durbin — Fayette County
⭐ Mark & Tony Hartrich — Jasper County

These remarkable individuals have given so much of their time, talent, and heart to 4-H. Their contributions have helped shape generations of young people and strengthen the 4-H program across Illinois.

Please join us in celebrating these well-deserving Hall of Fame honorees and thanking them for their years of dedication and service. We are truly grateful for all they have done for 4-H! 💚🤍

08/12/2026

What a fun opportunity to get some hands on learning with technology🍀

🚀 Discover the Exciting World of 3D Printing – FREE Community STEM Night! 🚀

Have you ever wanted to create something with a 3D printer? Now's your chance!

Join us on Wednesday, September 2, from 5:00–7:00 PM at the Innovation Center, Room 130 in the Effingham Technology Center for a FREE beginner-friendly STEM Night where you'll learn the basics of Tinkercad and Bambu 3D printing.

✨ During this hands-on workshop, you'll:
🔹 Learn to design simple 3D objects using Tinkercad
🔹 See how Bambu 3D printers bring your designs to life
🔹 Take home your own custom 3D-printed bookmark or bag tag!

This class is perfect for beginners of all ages! Participants under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

Our instructors, Cody McQueen and Matt Ogle, bring years of experience and a passion for making 3D design fun, engaging, and easy to learn.

💻 Bring a laptop and/or a flash drive if you'd like (both are optional).

📍 Location:
Innovation Center – Room 130
Effingham Technology Center
1201 Althoff Drive
Effingham, IL 62401

🎟️ Registration is FREE, but space is limited!
Register today and join us for an evening of creativity, technology, and hands-on learning!
Register at: https://learn.lakelandcollege.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=16434011&selectedProgramAreaId=1018469&selectedProgramStreamId=

08/10/2026

Now that all of our county fairs are officially wrapped up, I wanted to take a moment to share a few photos from all the different fairs! 🎡🐄✨

It was a busy, fun-filled season, and we loved getting to be part of so many great events and communities. There were plenty of smiles, memories, and special moments along the way!

Here are just a few highlights from the 2026 fair season.

07/31/2026

Our Fayette office will close at 10:30 a.m. today due to an internet outage. Our staff will continue working remotely and remain available to assist you.

If you need assistance, please call 217-347-7773, and a member of our team will be happy to help!

05/22/2026

In honor of Memorial Day, we’ll be taking a little break on Monday, May 25!
We’ll be back and ready to serve you during regular business hours on Tuesday, May 26.
Wishing everyone a fun, safe, and relaxing holiday weekend! ☀️🎉