LEXINGTON, Ky. – Webster’s Dictionary defines a homemaker as “a person who manages the household of his or her own family, especially as a principal occupation.”

Members of the Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association (KEHA) won’t doubt that definition.

“The case can be made that anyone who lives in a home is a ‘homemaker’ if that person plays any role in ensuring the daily household activities contribute to the family’s quality of life,” said Kelly May, KEHA state advisor. “The KEHA is a volunteer organization that works to improve the quality of life for families and communities through leadership development, volunteer service and education.”

The organization was developed in cooperation with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. Across the state, county Extension agents for Family and Consumer Sciences work closely with KEHA members and clubs to provide educational programming and coordinate community activities. KEHA impacts thousands across the commonwealth, including those in the agricultural community.

While it’s easy for people to associate “Extension” with farming and “Homemakers” with women in the home, KEHA members will assure you it’s much broader than that.

“KEHA works in conjunction with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service,” May said. “It’s not specifically for farmers nor is it specifically for women. It’s for everyone. KEHA is now a volunteer organization with heart. The homemakers truly embody their mission of learning, leading and serving the families and communities in Kentucky.

“Also, homemaking is not limited to just one activity. You can work to make sure your home is welcoming, nurturing, efficiently managed and more, while doing other things such as working part- or full-time or being a stay-at-home parent. The name connects to the strong history of the organization.”

What started 90 years ago as a small effort to connect and educate women on Kentucky farms is now an extensive volunteer organization that stretches into all 120 counties in Kentucky.

The origins of the KEHA date back to the start of the 20th century. The group grew out of the UK Cooperative Extensive Service’s early attempts to connect and educate rural women through home demonstration clubs or tomato clubs. These early groups focused on canning, reading and much more, reaching out to women on farms. These early tactics led to a network of women sharing information that would make their domestic lives easier, concentrating on the areas of home economics, new technologies, goods, agricultural skills, food conservation and preservation, and domestic skills.

As early as 1912, the UK College of Agriculture utilized a demonstration train that carried a staff of lecturers with demonstration materials. Topics at that time included food preservation, clothing conservation, health and sanitation. Other topics included instructions in canning tomatoes for young girls and women.

After the federal Smith-Lever Act passed in 1914, the scope of home economics Extension increased rapidly thanks to increased funding. Thus, the number of specialists, supervisors and county home demonstration agents increased dramatically. These agents started Home Demonstration Clubs and began organizing farm women for homemakers’ work. At that time there were 24 home demonstration agents in 24 counties. Targeted areas at first were those in the rural communities, but became widespread to include urban areas as well.

“The county homemakers became a state organization in 1932 and was established to unify efforts of all Kentucky homemakers,” May said. “It helped strengthen their voice and broaden members’ horizons. The group was named the Kentucky Federation of Homemakers.”

By 1939, 59 counties were on board with this effort, and by 1958 the number of counties involved grew to 108.

By the 1950s there were four standing committees (membership, publicity, reading and citizenship). Within the next decade, 11 more were added (cultural arts, citizenship and community outreach, clothing and textiles, family life, foods and nutrition, health, housing, energy and environment, management and family economics, 4-H, public information and young homemaker).

In the 1960s, Murial Moore, of Bardstown, Ky., conceived the idea for a 5-cent postage stamp design. Kentuckians Kathleen Magyar and Norman Todhunter created the artwork and put it to graph. Four years later the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp to honor of the NEHC.

In 1968, members approved a new constitution and changed the name from Kentucky Federation of Homemakers to Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association (KEHA).

While the picture – and name – of KEHA has changed over the years, the group’s efforts is still the same: volunteering to improve the quality of life for families and communities throughout the state, not just those in the agricultural community.

For instance, KEHA’s recent Ovarian Cancer Research Fundraiser raised more than $1.5 million. Homemakers routinely participate in the screening programs, promote ovarian cancer awareness and host educational events.

In 2021, KEHA’s Coin for Change program raised $4,385. The money supports international projects through both KEHA and the Associated Country Women of the World. More than $40,000 in scholarship funds to support higher education were awarded through the organization in 2020-2021.

KEHA membership now stands at 10,879. KEHA members annually report more than 400,000 volunteer hours with a value of more than $9.4 million to the Commonwealth.

“KEHA is open to men and women, although membership is still predominantly female,” May said. “We do not have specific demographics as to rural versus urban.”

The 2022 KEHA State Meeting will be May 10-12 in Owensboro. This meeting provides the group a time for training, networking, recognition, celebration and installation of newly elected officers. To learn more about the KEHA, visit https://keha.ca.uky.edu or contact May at k.may@uky.edu.