The Union County FCE (Family Community Education) Club, better known as the Big Ridge Homemakers Club, calculated their volunteer hours for the past year, where they gave back to the community. They will turn the hours in to the Eastern Region which they belong to thru the University of Tennessee Extension.
Each hour a member volunteers equals the value recognized by the State of Tennessee: $29.93 value per hour. Last year at the State FCE Convention in Kingsport, the Extension announced that throughout the State of Tennessee, FCE members in East, Middle and West Tennessee gave 79,500 volunteer hours, equivalent to over $7 million dollars worth of work.
This year, Union County FCE members volunteered a total of 3,900 hours, valued at $116,727, if paid. This does not include hours taking care of immediate family, but by volunteering in various ways to help others such as church, making quilts for our veterans, volunteering at the UC Historical Society, taking neighbors or friends to doctor appointments, volunteering at the local food banks, picking up trash along our roadsides, judging 4-H events and much, much more. Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State and our FCE members do their part by giving back.
The August meeting will have a speaker from the American Red Cross. The group will have a Fashion Review, which consists of a competition of wearable items made by crafting or purchased at a thrift store.
In September, the group will attend the TVA fair for FCE Day. For October’s meeting, they will travel to LaFollette for the Eastern Region Fall Conference.
The club meets the third Thursday usually of each month at the Union County Extension Office, 2721 Maynardville Hwy., behind “Guided By Grace.” Everyone brings a covered dish and we eat very delicious lunches. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call FCE agent Abbey Thomas at 865-992-8038.