Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Family Nutrition Program made the trip down to Concord, NC last week for their Multi-State Conference. The conference was hosted by North Carolina’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and offered a variety of entertaining and informative sessions.

Opening Luncheon and Keynote speaker Jump with Jill, The Rockstar Nutritionist using a rock ‘n roll approach to communicating a healthy message. www.JumpWithJill.com

Haregowin Tecklu, Arlington Adult Program Assistant, claims she learned a great deal about antioxidants, diet and metabolic diseases. She states, “It’s a great idea to talk about how eating more fruits and vegetables could save your health bill in the long run. I plan on sharing this idea with my WIC and Early Head Start parents.”

Megan Mauer, Northern District Nutrition Outreach Instructor, enjoyed her first Multi- State Conference and finally having the chance to meet everybody throughout the state. What was really valuable to Megan was hearing how others approached teaching a healthy lifestyle within their programs. “I got a sense that everybody at the conference was very passionate about their work, but also appreciative and supportive of others.” Overall the conference was a success and Hareg and Megan look forward to applying their new skills to some of their local programming.