Welcome to my work website for Ohio State University Extension, Lucas County. Yes, I work for OSU and I work and live in Toledo, Ohio. That is one of many things I love about working for a land-grant university – it’s for everyone in the state. My first part-time job with OSU Extension was with neighborhood community gardening. Currently, I am Extension Educator in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS). FCS developed from Home Economics, described by Ruby Green Smith as where “science and art meet life and practice.” Although this is my work website, I will also share some stories from my family experiences as I strive to “walk the talk” at work and at home.
I enjoy the continual learning and application of Ruby Green Smiths’ description of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS), “where science and art meet life and practices.” With FCS, some of my work time is dedicated to the broad topics of Local Foods, Healthy Relationships and Mindfulness. In addition to those topics, I also teach nutrition, food safety, sun safety, household budgeting, Real Money, Real World, universal design, edible gardening and other “Live Smart” topics. These topics lend well with empowering families to evaluate their daily habits and to make individual as well as family goals to practice healthy and smart living. I love spending time with my family, appreciating the four seasons of Northwest Ohio and benefitting from the abundance of my local community.
Blogs:- Live Healthy Live Well, Ohio State University Extension, Family and Consumer Sciences, posts by Powers-Barker
- Live Smart Ohio, Ohio State University Extension, Family and Consumer Sciences, posts by Powers-Barker
Email: powers-barker.1@osu.edu
Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE
The Extension Workers Creed
The creed was written by W.A. Lloyd in 1922 and adopted by ESP in 1927
I Believe in people and their hopes, their aspirations, and their faith; in their right to make their own plans and arrive at their own decisions; in their ability and power to enlarge their lives and plan for the happiness of those they love.
I Believe that education, of which Extension is an essential part, is basic in stimulating individual initiative, self-determination, and leadership; that these are the keys to democracy and that people when given facts they understand, will act not only in their self-interest, but also in the interest of society.
I Believe that education is a lifelong process and the greatest university is the home; that my success as a teacher is proportional to those qualities of mind and spirit that give me welcome entrance to the homes of the families I serve.
I Believe in intellectual freedom to search for and present the truth without bias and with courteous tolerance toward the views of others.
I Believe that Extension is a link between the people and the ever-changing discoveries in the laboratories.
I Believe in the public institutions of which I am a part.
I Believe in my own work and in the opportunity I have to make my life useful to humanity.
Because I Believe these things, I am an Extension professional.