By Elizabeth Kiss, personal finance extension specialist
Often serving as the front door to Kansas State University, Kansas Cooperative Extension is headquartered on the K-State campus in Manhattan and is invested with faculty and staff in four colleges (agriculture, arts and sciences, engineering and human ecology), on the Manhattan and Olathe campuses, throughout the state at five research-extension centers, and in every county. Operating collaboratively with the Kansas Agricultural Experiment State as K-State Research and Extension, faculty and staff with extension appointments provide trusted, practical education to help individuals and families, businesses and communities solve problems, develop skills and build a better future. Several years ago, through a strategic planning process with stakeholders, five grand challenges facing every Kansan were identified. They are: global food systems, health, developing tomorrow’s leaders, community vitality, and water. Efforts in research and extension focus on addressing these challenges to help better our state and beyond.
Supporting the grand challenges of health and community vitality, K-State Research and Extension’s Family Resource Management Program Focus Team encourages Kansans to take action to achieve their financial goals year-round. Each spring we support and participate in two national efforts, America Saves Week and Money Smart Week.
America Saves Week, coordinated by America Saves and the America Savings Education Council, began in 2007. Held each year during the last week of February, it is an annual opportunity for individuals to focus on savings and assess their saving status. 
In addition to activities at the community level, PFP Ph.D. candidate, Kate Mielitz, and associate professor and extension specialist, Elizabeth Kiss, created a plan and developed content to be posted to the K-State Research and Extension Facebook page as well as other social media channels throughout the month of February and recorded radio and video releases prior to #AS2017.
America Saves shared a description of our activities and links here http://americasavesweek.org/kansas-saves/ Kate is also managing the @KansasSaves Twitter account this semester; follow us!
Money Smart Week, developed and led by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, brings together organizations throughout the country that offer educational resources and activities during the last week of April to help consumers manage their personal finances. Learn more at http://www.moneysmartweek.org/ This year for the first time, Family Resource Management Extension specialists from 10 Midwestern states are collaborating on Extension projects focused on helping college students and recent grads more easily navigate the student loan process are hosting a video contest. Search #MSW2017 and #CollegeMoneySmart for details.