Friends of Extension Foundation

Friends of Extension Foundation in Douglas/Sarpy County supports and enhances the University of Nebraska Extension and 4-H programs in Douglas and Sarpy counties.

We support Nebraska Extension in Douglas/Sarpy Counties in the following areas:
- 4-H Youth Development
- Food, Nutrition & Health
- Water, Natural Resources and the Environment

Additionally we manage the Douglas County Fair.

Following are examples of programming that we support.

4-H Youth Development -
- Urban Agriculture initiative, focused on new plant starts for educational gardening.
- Learning with Nature 4-H program for early childhood education.
- Stephen's Center 4-H garden project.
- Leadership education for the 4-H ambassador program.
- Learning with Nature
- Growing Together Garden Project
- STEM Robotics s.
- Image Science
- Gardening projects
- STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Math for elementary students.

Natural Resources & Environment - support and maintenance of the 15 Master Gardener educational gardens in Douglas/Sarpy Counties, which include the following gardens -
- Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center Gardens and Nebraska State Arboretum Tree Arboretum Project.
- Walnut Creek Demonstration Garden
- Chuck Blanchard Demonstration Garden
- The Hope Garden - producing food for local food banks.
- The Nebraska Veterans Home.
- The Bee Garden.
- Weather Station to provide horticulture weather information to the community.
- Production of a new garden journal for the community.

Food, Nutrition & Health -
- Stephen Center Project
- Bed Bug Education
- Omaha Home for Boys 4-H Wellness program implementing gardening for youth.
- Barf Buckets to reduce Norovirus and foodborne illness outbreaks in daycare centers.
- ServSafe Education - education for restaurants and food handlers.
- Low resource family education.

Water and the Environment -
- Urban Ag - Plant Propagation Program - This project, in conjunction with the Omaha Home for Boys, creates a plant propagation to create workshops
- Enhancing the Master Gardener Program through partial scholarship funds
- Purple Martins Project to build bird houses at Eastern NE 4-H Center.
- Pesticide Safety for lawn care companies, pest control operators.
- Water Quality - including The Water Works program for 5th grade students.