February 28, 2023
Ordinary Extraordinary Folk
I came across this J.R.R. Tolkien quote last week. The literary giant once stated:
“I have found that it is the small everyday deed of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay.”
I am going to change that quote for the purposes of this article. I have found it is the small everyday deed of ordinary extraordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. I want this article to focus on our colleagues who do such extraordinary everyday deeds.
Because extension is agent and-specialist-centric, it is only natural that we often refer to them. Their work is extraordinary, but I am not referring to them today. I am referring to all those behind-the-scenes colleagues who do work to make our agents’ and specialists’ professional lives easier.
Some of these are the office professionals that excitedly greet and interact with the public whenever they walk in, email, or call in to our offices. They also ensure that our extension offices run efficiently so that our educators do not need to worry about getting their reimbursement checks, the newsletter assembled, a promotional brochure distributed, the supplies for the workshop organized, the catering arranged, or hundreds of other important tasks that keep our offices and programs running smoothly.
Then there are those people who provide us with our communications, marketing, and educational resource materials. They design our promotional materials. They maintain and upgrade our social media and webpage presence. They look over our letters -- including this Tuesday Letter article -- to make sure that everything is written correctly. They make sure that print orders are developed and distributed in a timely and professional manner. They make sure that our agents, specialists and programs look as great as the educational content is.
Our volunteer colleagues help organize and run 4-H club meetings. They assist with projects at the fair and club days. They staff call-in center hotlines, and they help with delivering senior health care and income tax assistance. Elected volunteers even help to lead our local units and our system.
We also have our extension office, fairground, and campus facilities maintenance and custodial colleagues. They make sure that we have nice looking, healthy and safe buildings and facilities to do our work.
In the weeks to come, make sure that you thank all of our colleagues who help with all of the behind-the scenes work that supports our educational activities. I am sure I forgot some, but they all deserve recognition. They are ordinary extraordinary folk who greatly help us with our extraordinary mission through their extraordinary everyday deeds.