In 1921 home bureaus in 24 counties organized the Home Bureau Federation. The Menard County-Cass Home Bureau was organized in 1937. The Menard County Home Bureau organized in 1945 and the name was changed to The Menard County Homemakers Extension Association in 1962.
In in the organization’s golden anniversary program, the mission statement is listed as “to help Menard County Homemakers, families and individuals help themselves by providing educational materials and opportunities in the area of homemaking basics.” The program was run through the University of Illinois Extension Service. In 1996 the Menard County HEA disbanded. The program got a new name “Family Community Education.” Units were given the opportunity to join the Sangamon County Program or another county. In the 1997-1998 booklet the program was called the “Association for Home and Community Education.” There were multiple units by town of the organization. The groups would hold monthly meetings and provided lessons to members. The Greenview unit started in 1937. The Athens Night Unit started in 1954 and according to a note that came with the collection, disbanded in 2003.
The collection contains the Menard County Home Bureau/ Homemakers extension constitution and bylaws, history, booklets, annual meeting programs, newsletters, lesson materials, photos, and newspaper articles. It also includes attendance, account, and meeting minute notebooks of the Athens Night Unit. A history and lessons from the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service are included. Booklets from the Sangamon-Menard Cooperative Extension 1992-2003. Financial documents, correspondence and fundraising materials from the 1950s-1960s and 1930s-1950s meeting minutes of the Greenview Unit.