President’s Message

Welcome Members and Guests!

The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS), California Affiliate
is alive and well, with 7 districts and over 360 active members statewide. The Family and
Consumer Sciences profession draws from a broad range of disciplines to achieve optimal
and sustainable quality of life for individuals, families and communities. The interdisciplinary
approach is essential because the challenges of everyday life are not one dimensional. We
share knowledge, research and experience in the fields of foods and nutrition, child and human
development, fashion and interior design and consumer economics. One of the strengths of
AAFCS is to help create more integrated solutions to today’s critical social and economic
challenges.

For more than 100 years, AAFCS (formerly known as American Association of Home
Economics) members have been working to improve family life by delivering educational
programs and influencing public policy. You will see AAFCS members in all walks of life – they
are secondary, university/college, and Extension educators, administrators and managers, human
service professionals, researchers, community volunteers, business people, and consultants who
address the issues most important to our families quality of life.

This year the efforts for the professional organization will be working with programs and
initiatives to CURB CHILDHOOD OBESITY. This is an enormous problem and will require
a "Supersized" effort here in California. WE know about families. WE know about children. WE
know about cooking and nutrition. WE know about finances and shopping and WE CAN MAKE
A DIFFERENCE!! It will be necessary for us as individuals to step out of the box and begin
collaborating with community leaders, school administrators, business owners and government
programs to show them we have the expertise to help children and parents fight this epidemic.

As President of our state association, I encourage you to visit our pages to see what we are about,
such as our Contempo newsletter, our recent Self-Assessment, our Plan of Work for 2007-2012,
and our many grant and scholarship opportunities.

We will be continually adding to our website to make it more informative and interesting. If you
are a student, please be sure to check out the different ways you can be involved at the National or State level!

If you have questions or suggestions and ideas for additions, revisions, or improvements,
please contact me or any other officer on our “Contacts” page. If you’d like to be more actively
involved or take on a leadership role in our association, please let me know!

Thanks for stopping by to learn more about Family and Consumer Science in California.

Barbara Kilborn, President
California Affiliate
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences