Orange County
Extension & Community Association
is for You!
The North Carolina Extension & Community Association, formerly known as the Extension Homemakers Association, is an adult volunteer organization that works within the communities to empower families and individuals to improve their quality of life.Our mission is to strengthen families through:- Leadership Development
- Community Action
- Educational Support through research-based education from North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University
Do you know about our work in Orange County?
ECA was originally known as the Home Demonstration Clubs. These clubs were established as a way for the few Extension Agents we had, to collectively educate the community about family living, health, home sanitation, and "child training" among other things. Home Demonstration Clubs evolved into Home Economics Clubs and then into ECA which is related to our Family and Consumers Sciences program.Our first two clubs were officially established in 1935 and both are still part of Cooperative Extension and ECA, but as early as 1923, Orange County Home Demonstration Clubs began volunteering their time getting involved in community improvements. In the '40s, club members knitted sweaters and socks for service men and sponsored drives to collect what we now call recyclable materials to be used in the war.
If you ask anyone that has lived in the county for a long while, they will probably know someone that was part of these clubs. Maybe even themselves or a family member were part of what is now the Extension and Community Association.
Now a days, Orange County's Extension & Community Association members volunteer their time in various projects throughout the community such as making blankets for the children at the Ronald McDonald House® in Chapel Hill, making eye "fish" patches to be used for the schools' eye exams, and putting together care packages or gift bags for those in need among other things.
In 2023, Orange County ECA members contributed with 5,198 volunteer hours reaching about 7,670 individuals in our communities. This totaled $179,523 on in-kind contributions to Orange County.
Every month, ECA members meet to share their work and plan educational activities or projects to serve their community better.How can I Join ECA?
You can join any ECA club or make your own one along with family, friends and/or co-workers, and have the support of a well established organization in our county.
Please contact our FCS Agent for more details about Orange County's ECA:
Ivelisse Colón, FCS Agent - Phone (919) 245-2055, Email: icolond@ncsu.edu
Quick Reminders
- February 6 - Orange County ECA Scholarship applications due at the Extension office - Bonnie B. Davis Building.
