The state Extension Homemakers Club meeting held at the Hot Springs Convention Center June 2-4 held special significance for Montgomery County. Local County Council President Darlene Holliday was installed as the Ouachita District EHC Director at the meeting.
This is not the first honor bestowed upon Holliday who was the 2011 Woman of the Year here in Montgomery County.
Holliday’s involvement with EHC began in February of 2007 after retiring from a business management career with Walmart and Fred’s. A quick start, Holliday accepted an office in her local EHC club as the Vice-President only to take over as President a few months later when the office was vacated. She held that position for four years before being elected as County Council President. She has been reelected to that position three times. The past two years, Holliday has served EHC as an Associate District Director.
Montgomery County EHC has an extensive community service program logging more than 9,000 volunteer hours last year. Darlene is heavily involved in these projects, furnishing school supplies for local children, supervising the arts and crafts exhibits at the County Fair, working the Quartz, Quiltz, and Craftz Festival in the fall, and providing low income families with Christmas gifts for children through Operation Santa Claus. She has also volunteered at the Montgomery County Food Pantry for the past eight years and as a member of the Executive Board for the Single Parent Scholarship Fund.
Darlene and her husband of 54 years, Carlton, reside near Mount Ida and have three living children, seven grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. She loves everything about EHC, especially helping the people of Montgomery County.
