Hullo! Travel with me to the Land Down Under!
In March
2019, I will travel to Australia as the Illinois Association of Home and Community
Education’s (IAHCE) outbound International Homemakers Exchange representative.
The Country
Women’s Association of Western Australia (CWA of WA) will be my host for the first
few weeks. IAHCE and CWA of WA are affiliated with the Associated Country Women
of the World (ACWW). I will be learning about the Western Australian way of
life and will be visiting local sites in these locations: Perth, Geraldton,
Badgingarra, Koorunga, Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Albany, Denmark, Nannup, and
Dunsborough. I will then be meeting up with the IAHCE delegation to attend the
Triennial Conference of the ACWW in Melbourne. My trip will end with a few days
in Tasmania.
My hope with
this blog is to take IAHCE members, friends, and family along on my trip (since
I can’t get you all in my suitcase). Let’s learn together! If possible, I will
write something at each location, but since I can’t predict how much free time
I will have or if I will have internet access, this may not be possible. There
may be gaps in communication.
What is the Illinois
Association of Home and Community Education (IAHCE)?
IAHCE is a
statewide organization with about 7000 members. You might remember Home Bureau or
Home Extension Association (HEA) from your mother’s or grandmother’s day? Well,
those are previous names for the same organization. The group was started about
a 100 years ago as a home improvement organization for farm women but has
evolved over the years to stay relevant to the times and changing demographics.
Our mission
statement:
The Illinois
Association for Home and Community Education enhances the lives of individuals
and families through quality educational programs and experiences encouraging
responsible leadership and service to the community.
Illinois is
divided into 7 IAHCE districts. Each county that belongs to the organization has
individual units. Lessons are given within each unit or at a countywide level.
These might be on home security, elder care, or nutrition. There are always lessons on cooking. Because of
HCE, I am a better cook!
In addition,
IAHCE members are very altruistic. Around the state, members can be found
supporting youth programs, veterans, or local schools. Sewing skills are put to
use to sew fidget mats for Alzheimer’s patients, weighted blankets for autistic
kids, or quilts. Cooking skills are put to good use serving community groups or
to fundraise to help better others’ lives.
I belong to
the Fulton County Home and Education Association (HEA) in West Central Illinois.
I first joined my mother’s unit in the 80s, when I was raising my children. My
mother belonged to the group for over 50 years! I rejoined after I retired from
teaching and am now the county International chairman.
What do I
get out of HCE/HEA? Continuing education, friendship, and an opportunity to
better my community.
Want to learn more about HCE? Visit the state website at http://www.iahce.org/.
What is the International Homemakers
Exchange program?
The IAHCE
International Homemakers exchange program’s goal is “to promote a better
understanding of cultural diversity among women’s organization worldwide,” “to
compare and contrast family life,” and “to study women’s organizations
worldwide.” The IAHCE is affiliated with women’s organizations around the world
such as the Country Women’s Council USA, Country Women’s Association of Western
Australia, and the Country Women’s Association of Australia. They are all
affiliated with the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), an
organization that tries to better the lives of women around the world.
The IAHCE’s
exchange program has two parts: inbound and outbound exchanges. Every few
years, units around the state host someone from an international affiliated
group. (In March 2018, we welcomed Sara Kenny from the Country Women’s Association
of Western Australia, who will now be the coordinator for this trip.) In
exchange, IAHCE sends one or two outbound representatives. For example, in 2017
two of our members visited the Balkan states. What a wonderful way to learn
about each other!
While in
Australia, I will not only be learning about the country, I will be teaching my
new friends all about HCE activities around the state, about Illinois (Happy
200th!), and about my life in rural Illinois.
Who am I?
My name is
Deon Lock Maas. I am a retired art teacher who was raised on a farm in Central
Illinois. Since childhood, I have been interested in other countries.
When I was
17, I was a foreign exchange student with the Youth for Understanding program.
I was very lucky to have been send to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for two months.
It was a life changing experience for a shy teenager. In 2014, I was reunited
with my Brazilian family; we have visited each other several times since.
In 2008, I visited
Japan thanks to the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund program for teachers. I spent
three weeks in Tokyo and in Saga Prefecture, learning about the Japanese culture
and educational system. When I returned, I incorporated what I’d learned into
my art curriculum. The blog I wrote during this trip is still online at deontojapan.blogspot.com.
I received
my bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University and my master’s from St.
Ambrose University; I am a National Board Certified Teacher. I taught for a
total of 22 years in the Hartsburg/Emden, Farmington, Yates City, Spoon River
Valley, Avon, and Abingdon/Avon school systems.
I have
written several articles for Sew News
and Threads and sometimes give
programs for my local sewing guild. Also, I have self-publish one book, The Beagle and the Brain Tumor, about
the role of our dog when my husband was terminally ill. I have also edited and
self-published my late husband’s childhood memories, Trouble Met Me Halfway.
My favorite
hobby is sewing. I enjoy the creativity and problem-solving. No longer do I
worry about whether I have a place to wear my creations; I make what my
creative spirit wants to make!
I am a
breast cancer survivor. In 2006, I had a mastectomy, and during my recovery I
made a pillow for myself that suited my needs. It had a strap that held the
pillow in place under my arm and it was very soft to gently nest the painful
areas. Since then, the Anti-Ouch Pouch has been a nationwide community service
project. It was featured on the PBS show Sewing
with Nancy. Thousands of women (and men!) have used the pillow during their
chest surgery recovery or shoulder surgery recovery. My local HCE group, as
well as some HCE groups around the state make and donate these pillows to local
mastectomy patients. Directions and an instructional video can be found online.
