The EXCITE Newsletter

August 27th, 2025

NEW Flu Season Resources

The EXCITE team has created new resources for Flu and respiratory season. Check out the resources below!

2026 SQUAD Community Activation Awards are now open! 

These mini grants from Vaccine your Family are for community-based organizations (ranging from $1,000 to $8,000) are part of the SQUAD ^TM program’s “Engage” pillar and intended to fund innovative initiatives that help transform how communities understand, access, and champion immunization.

Additional resources on how to submit a strong application:

Comprehensive Application Guidelines: https://view.monday.com/18420156541-8eee2efa8eab6529bef2c9ac92c9dbbe?r=use1
Downloadable Application Question PDF: https://vaxcollab.org/wp-content/uploads/Application-Questions-2026-27-SQUAD-Community-Activation-Awards-Public-Sharing.pdf
User-Friendly Online Application Form: https://forms.monday.com/forms/5ca9285592aa0929efdbf3c023051764?r=use1

If you or anyone apart of the EXCITE network has an idea for how to improve vaccination access, foster healthcare confidence and trust, and/or help reignite a culture of immunization, we encourage you to apply! Feel free to also share with others in your network. The application will be open until 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, August 30, 2026.

Strength Training for Older Adults: Integrating Immunization Education

The University of Missouri Stay Strong Stay Healthy team presented their integrated vaccine education materials at an EXCITE Lunch and Learn last week. You can watch the Lunch and Learn webinar and review all of the materials now on the website! https://excite.extension.org/strength-training-for-older-adults-integrating-immunization-education/

Mark your Calendars: 2026 NFID Annual Respiratory Season Kick-Off

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) Annual Respiratory Season Kick-Off will be held on September 24, 2026, from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Eastern Time, in Washington, DC. This briefing share timely insights on respiratory disease prevention ahead of the season and will highlight key findings from NFID’s annual respiratory survey. Additional details on featured speakers and registration options for both in-person and virtual attendance will be available soon.

Thanks for your continued work on your projects, please let us know if you have any questions or how we can best serve you.

Best,

Dr. Michelle Rodgers
Extension Foundation

EXCITE Program Director
michellerodgers@extension.org

Dr. Jackie Wilkins
Extension Foundation
Associate Program Director
jackiewilkins@extension.org

Laura Downey
Lead Evaluator and Associate Program Director
Lauradowney@extension.org

Should you need any accommodations to participate in EXCITE programming, please contact us at excite@extension.org. For budget questions please contact sponsoredprograms@extension.org. We recognize needs may change, we will do our best to accommodate changes as they occur.