2026 KEHA Leadership Academy – KEHA members are encouraged to apply for the third KEHA Leadership Academy, March 4-6, 2026! This leadership training will benefit the individual as well as county and area programs. Applications are due to the Area President by Oct. 1, 2025. The Area will select up to two nominees and one alternate by Nov. 1, 2025. Additional information, the application form, and fliers are available online at https://bit.ly/KEHALeadershipAcademy. Share the news with the following QR code, or use the KEHA featured story!

New Merchandise/Marketing Items – KEHA has new branded merchandise available for purchase. Several new items in a range of prices are available including an apron, stainless steel tumbler, travel first aid kit, and fold-up fan. Prices of several of the older items have been reduced to clear inventory. Contact 1st Vice President Martha Colley to check availability before placing an order. View items and find the order form and contact information at https://keha.ca.uky.edu/marketing-items.

Educational Chairperson Webpages – The webpages for all eight state educational chairmen have all been updated with materials for planning the 2025-2026 KEHA program year.

Cultural Arts Updates – The KEHA Cultural Arts and Heritage programming offers multiple contests and ways to be involved. Contest rules have been clarified in the updated manual and the webpage has been revised at https://keha.ca.uky.edu/content/cultural-arts-and-heritage. Contact Cindy Moore, Cultural Arts and Heritage Chairperson, with any questions.

Last Call for Educational Chairperson Reports – County-level educational chairperson reports (and VSU reports) were due Aug. 15. We will begin compiling the data Sept. 1, so if you have not yet submitted your county educational information, please do so as soon as possible. Educational chairperson reports are submitted online, and a copy should be shared with the area educational chairperson. See https://keha.ca.uky.edu/content/impacts for details. Thank you to everyone who has submitted on time!

Area VSU Reports Due Sept. 15 – Please send area VSU reports to KEHA State Leadership Development Chairman Cyndy Humble at HumbleC@msn.com. Be sure to use forms dated 2024-2025 to cover the period from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. See https://keha.ca.uky.edu/content/impacts for details.

Reset Online Bookmarks and Reprint KEHA Manual – The all-new KEHA Manual Handbook and Appendix are now available online at https://keha.ca.uky.edu/content/keha-manual. If you currently use a print copy, the entire document should be replaced. If you have bookmarked specific documents or pages online, please reset your bookmarks. All pages have been renumbered, some forms have been updated, several contests have changed, VSUs have been clarified, Cultural Arts has been clarified, and lots more is new.

KEHA Week Materials Available Now – Now is the time to start planning for KEHA Week Oct. 12-18, 2025. Refreshed materials following the theme Stitched Together: A Plan for the Future, are available now at https://keha.ca.uky.edu/celebrate-keha-week. This theme aligns with the new KEHA presidential Program of Work. The KEHA Week online digital resource kit includes a planning worksheet, sample proclamation, milestone journal, membership gift certificate, social media graphics, and more. It is also a great time to start your county membership drive and dues collection.

President Program of Work Announced – KEHA President Henrietta Sheffel has announced the program of work for her term in office. The theme is Stitched Together: A Plan for the Future, and includes a “sewing plan” for your club, county, or area that includes three emphasis areas: purpose, planning, and product. The brochure is available in the Quick Links on the KEHA homepage at www.keha.org.  

Save the Date for 2026 State Meeting – Next year’s KEHA State Meeting will take place May 12-14, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington, Ky. Watch for details, including room reservation information, at https://keha.ca.uky.edu/content/state-meeting-information.

Dates to Remember

• Sept. 15 – Due date for area VSU reports via paper forms.
• Oct. 12-18 – KEHA Week 2025
• Oct. 15 – Deadline for submitting session proposals for the 2025 KEHA State Meeting.
• October 31 – Due date to send Area KEHA Officer Directories to the KEHA President and State Advisor (Appendix pages 12-13)