Lake County Extension Foundation, Inc.

University of Illinois Extension in Lake and McHenry counties offers practical, research-based information to improve lives and communities through learning partnerships that put knowledge to work. As a non-profit, 501 (c) 3 organization, the mission of the The Lake County Extension Foundation, Inc. is to generate resources to support the programs of the Extension and enable people to improve their lives and communities through partnerships that put knowledge to work. Please contact us with questions or to learn more about these educational or leadership opportunities.

4-H is one of the largest youth development programs in America with more than 6.5 million young people, ages 5-19, and 540,000 youth and adult volunteers. (4-H Talking Points)

The H's in 4-H is for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health 4-H has three primary program areas: science, engineering and technology; which include healthy living and citizenship. Youth learn leadership, citizenship, and life skills through more than 1,000 projects with topics as varied as rocketry, GPS mapping, computer game design, public speaking, photography, nutrition and community service. The Master Gardener program is an all-volunteer organization sanctioned by the land grant institution in each state and functions as an extension of the college or university. In Illinois, the program is sponsored by University of Illinois Extension. The Master Gardener program started in Lake County over 25 years ago. Currently, more than 90 Master Gardener volunteers share their expertise throughout our county. To maintain the Master Gardener name, volunteers must remain active in the program. The Master Gardener program started in McHenry County in the late 1970's. To date, more than 150 persons have been trained in this program with approximately 100 persons still active as Master Gardeners. Illinois Nutrition Education Programs (INEP) are funded by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) of the USDA. Working with national, state, and local partners, INEP provides basic nutrition, food safety, and food budgeting education to limited-resource audiences.