Volunteer Opp's Bulletin
August 2019 || Volume 5 Issue 7
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In This Month's Edition of Vol Opp's:
- Activity Spotlights:
- Coffee County's Watermelon Day
- Jefferson County MGs
- Morgan County's Improved Location
- Misprint in Last Issue
- Volunteers Needed For The MG Helpline
- Lunch And Learn Schedule
- Upcoming Events and Announcements
- Lee Co Volunteers Needed
- GMOs 2019 Webinar Series
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COFFEE COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS AT WATERMELON DAY
Who doesn't love watermelons? Coffee County MGA members helped out at the Farmer's Market in Enterprise, June 29th. It was Watermelon Day! The whole day was all things watermelon – a seed spitting contest, a watermelon-eating contest, tasting, carving and even a fashion show. MG volunteers assisted in cutting watermelons for visitors and used the opportunity to publicize their upcoming Master Gardener Volunteer Training Course.
Photo (from left): CCMGA President Ed Speigner; Anne Williams; Brenda Evans; Ona Garwood; Barbara Oliver; Marylou Crush and President-Elect Jacque Hawkins. A Master Gardener Volunteer Training Course is scheduled to be held each Wednesday, Aug 28 thru Nov 20, 8:30 AM until 12:30 PM, in New Brocton. To sign up for this training class, to learn more about the care and maintenance of many types of plants, call 334-894-5596 or email lee0003@aces.edu.
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Jefferson County Master Gardeners at Hueytown Market
Alberta Fields and Kate Musso staffed a Jefferson County Master Gardener informational table at the Hueytown Farmers Market on June 29th. The Farmers Market is now in its third year and is already a community favorite. They answered a variety of gardening questions and gave helpful tips to visitors. Alberta offered advice on the better vegetable varieties for canning, and Kate talked about easy to grow perennial herbs. Sounds like these two had just as much fun as the Market guests!
Photo: Alberta Fields at the Hueytown Farmers Market
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Morgan County MGs have had a very busy time moving. They now have a partnership with the city of Decatur, which gave access to a new home for the greenhouse at Point Mallard Park. The greenhouse will be a boost to help with the plant sales. Vicki Morese shared this, "The revenue from our Plant Sale funds our Community Projects like:
* Provide monthly lunch and learn educational programs that are free to the public.
* Provide a grant program for local schools and assist schools in planning and developing outdoor classrooms
* Offer a college scholarship for a local student
* Assist in the design and development of community gardens, parks and exhibits.
* Assist with the Hospice of the Valley garden, and provide plants to their clients.
* Donate hundreds of plants to local projects.
* Pay the registration fee to the Alabama Master Gardeners State Conference for first time attendees to encourage better attendance at the conference.
* Provide the greenhouse operations as a learning center for interns and members of our association"
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Apologies
We want to apologize to the MGNA for a misprint in the last issue of VolOpps. Their actual plant sale revenue was $6,800, not $9,000.
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Helpline Volunteers Needed!
Do you know your stuff when it comes to gardening? Have you got a passion for helping others? Wouldn't it be fun to learn things you don't know, while helping others?
If you said yes to any of those questions, please volunteer to work the Alabama Master Gardener Helpline. Volunteers are needed in the following counties: Autauga, Elmore, Lee, Montgomery, Jefferson, Chilton, Etowah, Madison, Lauderdale, Baldwin, and Mobile
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Volunteers Needed to Mentor Harvest for Health Participants
Master Gardeners are needed to mentor in Harvest for Health, a joint program between the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Alabama Extension’s Home Grounds Team. We pair MGs with cancer survivors in order to study the health and healing benefits of gardening. Mentors are expected to visit the participant twice monthly, once for a garden visit and once in a phone call. Build new friendships and share a hobby you love with others! Contact Renee Thompson, ACES-Harvest for Health Outreach Coordinator, at 334-826-1590 or thomprw@auburn.edu.
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A message from Renee Thompson:
"We are still in need of wonderful, caring MGs to be mentors in the following counties:
Blount
Calhoun, Cherokee, Coffee, Covington, Cullman
Dale, Dekalb
Houston,
Jackson, Jefferson
Lauderdale
Madison, Marshall, Montgomery, Morgan
Shelby, St. Clair
Tuscaloosa
I leave you with a fun thought: 'One is nearer to God's heart in a garden than in anywhere else on Earth' -Dorthy Frances Gurney."
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July Lunch and Learn Schedule
(Events start at 12:00pm and participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch)
- August 1st, Autauga
- Growing in the Shade: Trinity United Methodist Church, Prattville
- August 7th, Montgomery
- Cooking Healthy: Armory Learning Center
- August 13th, Elmore
- Unique Ideas to Gardening in Small Spaces: First Presbyterian Church, Wetumpka
- August 14th, Morgan
- Raptors of North Alabama: Aquadome, Decatur
- August 20th, St. Clair
- Collecting and Saving Seed: ALFA Building/Farmers Federation Auditorium, Ashville
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GMOs And Insects! August 2, 2019
Throughout the year, Extension teams from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas partner together to offer a free webinar series - All Bugs Good and Bad. These Webinars take place on the first Friday of every month at 1:00pm Central Time. The next webinar is August 2.
Upcoming topics this fall include: The In's and Out's of Termite Treatments and the Effect on Insect Populations, Red Imported Fire Ants in the Landscape, and many more!
For more information about the topic schedule and how to tune in, visit https://articles.extension.org/pages/74786/2019-all-bugs-good-and-bad-webinar-series
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Do you have a cool story or project you'd like to share? We'd love to hear what your MG association is doing in your community. Send your stories to Kerry Smith at smithkp@auburn.edu.
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