- Author: Melissa G. Womack
The beauty of gardening lies not only in the blossoming flowers and thriving plants, but also in the nurturing hands and compassionate hearts of those who dedicate their time and expertise to cultivating community connections. Today, we celebrate the tireless work of three UC Master Gardener volunteers recognized as Gardeners with Heart for their outstanding contributions as community connection leaders: Donna Halker, Lesley Harvell, and Pat Decker.
Donna Halker
Donna Halker has been a driving force behind the development and growth of the youth garden program in the Los Alamitos Unified School District located in Orange County. Donna has been a mentor to fellow UC Master Gardeners interested in working in schools and has significantly impacted the lives of students in the area. "For me the most rewarding part of volunteering at a school garden is hearing students start cheering when they come to the garden. My favorite activity is watching kindergartners throw kisses to their freshly planted seeds to let them know we love them and want them to grow. We are button-popping proud of our young gardeners … and I believe they are proud of their garden too," says Donna. Her enthusiasm and expertise have led to successful school and youth gardens at Lee Elementary, Rossmoor Elementary, and Shipley Nature Center, where she is also an active volunteer and public speaker.
Lesley Harvell
Pat Decker
Pat Decker's passion for youth educational outreach in Sonoma County is truly inspirational. Her commitment to shaping consistent youth educational outreach guidelines and her involvement in the rehabilitation of a Children's Home garden that burned in wildfires in 2019 are a testament to her dedication. Pat's ability to build strong relationships with community members and organizations has created a program that benefits both the Children's Home staff and clientele, as well as serves as a hub for youth educational outreach in the county.
Each of these remarkable individuals demonstrates the power of passion, dedication, and community connections in creating lasting, positive change. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Donna, Lesley, and Pat for their incredible service and the impact they have made on the lives of countless individuals. Thank you for your invaluable contributions as UC Master Gardeners!
About National Volunteer Month and Gardeners with Heart
- Author: Melissa G. Womack
UC Master Gardeners are known for their passion for gardening and their commitment to sharing knowledge with their communities. Today, we want to shine a light on some extraordinary individuals who have gone above and beyond in their roles as community connection leaders. These "Gardeners with Heart" have not only made a significant impact in their respective communities, but they have also inspired others to join them in making a difference. In this blog post, we will feature the incredible work of John Duran, Barry Hoffman, Hector Vera-Uribe, and Joyce Hill.
John Duran
John Duran has been actively partnering with the UC CalFresh Healthy Living Program in Madera County for three years, working closely with low-income families. Fluent in both English and Spanish, John organizes events for parents and children to attend and brings in support and expertise from other special statewide programs such as the UC Master Food Preserver Program. He encourages youth to garden at home and follows up with site visits to schools for gardening support. John has a collaborative partnership with the Madera Unified School District that helps the community learn and engage with many of UC ANR's community-supporting programs.
Barry Hoffman
Barry Hoffman has been a UC Master Gardener in Santa Clara County since 2017. Barry is a co-lead for the program's 4-acre flagship demonstration garden at Martial Park in San Jose. His dedication to the UC Master Gardener Demonstration Gardens and Educational Center at Martial Cottle Park is inspiring. Apart from his hands-on work in the garden, Barry writes a weekly newsletter, coordinates the teaching pavilion, and manages administrative duties for educational programs. His efforts have greatly enhanced the connection between the UC Master Gardeners in Santa Clara County and the community.
Hector Vera-Uribe
Hector Vera-Uribe, a UC Master Gardener volunteer in Stanislaus County, is known for his personable demeanor and generosity. ”Before I even knew he was helping others, I heard from these organizations that he had dropped by or even taught a class,” says Anne Schellman, Stanislaus Program Coordinator. Hector has played a key role in helping community gardens get started, providing the needed support to ensure success. Hector has been working with at least four sites across the county to improve food access by teaching communities how to grow vegetables. In addition to his work with community gardens, Hector has helped the UC Master Gardener Program expand its outreach by teaching vegetable gardening classes in Spanish, enabling a wider audience to benefit from his expertise.
Joyce Hill
Joyce Hill is a UC Master Gardener who meets the diverse needs of her community. After the tragic Camp Fire, Joyce Hill led a team of UC Master Gardeners to research and educate the public on wildfire preparedness and firewise landscaping. Since then, she has shifted her focus to educating school-age children and their teachers, developing the “Living Lab” project, and participating in the planning and development of a unique educational community garden at the Dorothy Johnson Center. Joyce's garden journaling workshops have reached hundreds of people and helped spread valuable gardening information throughout the region.
These four UC Master Gardeners, John Duran, Barry Hoffman, Hector Vera-Uribe, and Joyce Hill, exemplify the dedication and impact that passionate individuals can have on their communities. Through their tireless efforts, they have connected with and inspired countless people, enriching lives and creating lasting change. We applaud their outstanding contributions and look forward to witnessing the continued growth and success of the UC Master Gardener Program as a result of their work and work like it.
About National Volunteer Month and Gardeners with Heart
During National Volunteer Month (April 1 - 30), the UC Master Gardener Program celebrates its 6,300 incredible UC Master Gardener volunteers and their contributions to California communities. Throughout the National Volunteer Week, will feature stories of special volunteers or Gardeners with Heart from across the state who use their skills to improve program delivery. Gardener's with Heart volunteers were nominated by their local county leadership for the impact they make every day in their communities.
- Author: Melissa G. Womack
As we celebrate our exceptional volunteers in the UC Master Gardener Program, it is essential to highlight the incredible work and dedication of Sharon Radish, Marion Cantor, Ann Wright, Joanne Crawford, and Chrissy Freeman. These individuals have made significant contributions to the program through their communication excellence and commitment to our mission!
Sharon Radish
Sharon Radish, known as the tech guru among UC Master Gardener volunteers in Fresno County, is an invaluable asset to the program. Always working quietly behind the scenes, she ensures the smooth functioning of the program's technological aspects. Sharon has developed local registration systems for public education classes, board election nominations, and online self-correcting tests for new training classes. Thanks to her tireless efforts, public education classes have seen increased registration numbers in Fresno County, and UC Master Gardeners can easily access crucial documents. We are grateful for Sharon's vision and dedication in using technology to uplift and streamline the program!
Marion Cantor
Marion Cantor is a passionate volunteer who excels in promoting the UC Master Gardener name across various platforms, from social media to traditional newspapers. As the lead of the publicity committee for Yolo County, Marion skillfully directs her team to disseminate information about the program, its events, and volunteer efforts. With her guidance, the committee has reached more than 3,000 residents via email blasts, social media sites, and newspapers in Yolo County. All public-facing projects have benefited from Marion's publicity expertise, resulting in increased public participation and recognition for the UC Master Gardener Program!
Ann Wright
Ann Wright's writing prowess and warm personality have made her an essential contributor to the UC Master Gardeners of Nevada County. Her bi-monthly gardening articles for The Union newspaper offer valuable insights into local gardening challenges and promote workshops and educational events. Ann played a pivotal role in revising and updating the county's Western Sierra Foothills Garden Guide in 2020, which sold more than 700 copies despite the COVID-19 shutdown.
Additionally, Ann produces the local monthly Trowel & Error and Curious Gardener newsletters and frequently hosts the popular UC Master Gardener and Friends radio show on KNCO. As the webmaster for ncmg.ucanr.edu, she ensures the site remains updated with the latest information, making it easier for UC Master Gardeners to access relevant resources. Ann's exceptional writing and communication skills have significantly contributed to the program's positive reputation in the Nevada County community.
Joanne Crawford
A UC Master Gardener since 2019, Joanne Crawford has made significant contributions to the UC Master Gardeners of Orange County Speaker's Bureau with her outstanding communication skills. Joanne has meticulously reviewed, updated, and standardized more than 35 PowerPoint presentations, ensuring content accuracy and consistent branding. Joanne's attention to detail has greatly benefited the 1,400 in-person contacts and many more Zoom participants reached by the Speaker's Bureau. In addition, Joanne has taken a leadership role in the design project, instructing and guiding a group of UC Master Gardener volunteers in developing landscape designs for specific projects. Her dedication and versatility make her an invaluable asset to the UC Master Gardener Program.
Chrissy Freeman
Chrissy Freeman is the creative force behind the interpretive signage for the UC Master Gardener of Nevada County Demonstration Garden. The garden signage makes the garden it an educational destination for the community. Chrissy's work has not only increased visitor engagement but also raised awareness of sustainable gardening practices by covering essential topics such as plant selection, soil quality, efficient irrigation, insect pests, beneficial insects, and more. In addition to her work on signage, Chrissy has strengthened partnerships with local organizations like the California Native Plant Society, Redbud Chapter, and co-produced public speaking events to promote sustainable gardening practices. Through her commitment to communications excellence and collaboration, Chrissy has made a lasting impact on the Nevada County gardening community.
The UC Master Gardener Program is immensely grateful for the dedication, passion, and expertise of these remarkable volunteers. Sharon Radish, Marion Cantor, Ann Wright, Joanne Crawford, and Chrissy Freeman embody the spirit of Gardeners with Heart, using their skills to elevate the program and make a meaningful impact on their communities.
About National Volunteer Month and Gardeners with Heart
- Author: Melissa G. Womack
- Author: Marisa Coyne
In April, we celebrate National Volunteer Month, honoring all of the contributions that volunteers make in our communities. All month long, the UC Master Gardener Program featured stories of exceptional volunteers, or Gardeners with Heart, making a difference in California's community, school, demonstration, and research gardens. While the past program year presented many challenges to program delivery, the surge of interest in gardening has never been higher. The passion and support of UC Master Gardener volunteers have been essential in the program continuing to serve our mission.
This past year, with COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and limited safe activities, the UC Master Gardener Program saw a rush of gardeners looking for help and advice on starting a garden. Calls and e-mails poured into UC Master Gardener Program hotlines, Facebook groups, and websites. Today, we celebrate Gardeners with Heart, whose commitment to continuing program extension over the past year using new digital platforms and technology has helped the program stay connected to our communities.
Allen Buchinski – Santa Clara County
Allen Buchinski joined the UC Master Gardener Program in 2003 because of his love for gardening and its sense of community. “I joined the Master Gardener program in 2003 because of my interest in learning more about gardening and to become part of a like-minded community, looking ahead to the day I'd retire. I worked full time while also volunteering for thirteen years before retiring in 2016. I've continued (and stepped up) my UC Master Gardener activities since then,” says Allen.
Allen has played an instrumental role in the development and ongoing maintenance of the UC Master Gardener Program in Santa Clara County's website. He became the chair of the website team following his retirement in 2016 and took on the role of co-chair for the program's help desk. On the first Friday of each month since 2003, Allen has helped answer gardening questions from the public at the help desk. Since COVID-19 and the surge of interest in gardening, Allen helped the program quickly switch its help desk to be a remote, virtual space. “The help desk has been especially interesting during the past year because of the pandemic. We needed to adjust our processes to work from home as well as deal with a 50% increase in the number of questions. We answered more than 2,100 questions from March 2020 to February 2021!” says Allen.
Not only has Allen helped bring the program's help desk online, but he also coded an online storefront for the program's support group to sell seedlings and schedule pick-ups. “[Allen's] website know-how and swift action saved thousands of plants from the compost pile,” exclaims Katherine Uhde, program coordinator, “these sales bring in tens of thousands of dollars to our partner non-profit, Friends of Master Gardeners, used to support outreach and our demonstration garden Although both sales were limited to UC Master Gardeners, friends, and family last year, all of the plants were sold or donated to non-profit agencies throughout Santa Clara County. This would not have happened if it weren't for the quick work of Allen and his team. Because of their efforts, the demonstration gardens and the advisory board had funding in 2020-21.”
Michele Willer-Allred, Ventura County
“Social media has been a great tool, especially with promoting our virtual workshops and interacting with other Master Gardeners throughout the country. But there is so much more we want to do,” explains Michele, “We plan to start an e-mail newsletter; create educational gardening videos and virtual tours of local gardens; profile more of our amazing garden volunteers; and go outside our county and visit with other UC Master Gardener Programs. We also hope to increase our reach to a broader, more ethnically diverse audience, as well as younger gardeners in our community, since they are indeed our future!"
With all in-person events and limited activities due to COVID-19, Michele felt it was important to still communicate about all of the dedicated volunteers still making such an impact in the community. She developed a series of interviews with UC Master Gardeners to learn from them and share their advice with the public. With so many people starting “victory gardens” during quarantine, she also felt it was important to continue sharing gardening resources and science-based gardening information with the public.
Rita Evans - Fresno County
Since 1993, Rita Evans has been an active UC Master Gardener volunteer in Fresno County. In her 28 years with the program, she served many roles and shared her many talents and skills to serve the program's mission. “I am a born volunteer and the program gave me wings to serve, to stretch and grow. I have strong organizational skills and love team building,” says Rita, “the UC Master Gardener Program has allowed me to use those skills to create and serve in many leadership positions.”
When the pandemic hit and COVID-19 forced the closure of the UC Cooperative Extension Fresno County office and most volunteer activities, Rita immediately came up with a plan on how volunteers could stay connected and continue to earn hours. “Rita shared her idea on how we could offer a UC Master Gardener “refresher course” similar to the new training course for our current volunteers. She quickly began to gather a group of volunteers to transfer course classes online to a digital format,” says Denise Cuendett, program coordinator in Fresno County. UC Master Gardener volunteers immediately started pulling together tech teams and presenters and scheduled bi-weekly classes on Zoom.
“When the pandemic hit, our online refresher course was born. It is a 16-session 'refresher' using the UC Master Gardener Handbook with our own UC Master Gardener volunteers being the featured speakers. It is providing a path for volunteers to earn their required hours, to socialize virtually with a study buddy and to refresh their horticulture knowledge ... it's a win-win,” explains Rita.
After seeing the success of the Zoom classes, Rita was inspired to continue the county's annual volunteer awards program on Zoom last December. Rita is part of a team of volunteers that created a “party-in-a-bag” that included a dinner, mask and other small gifts to awardees. The creative planning provided a way to celebrate the volunteer impacts COVID-19-style, but still in a festive way.
Digital Superstars Team, Marin County
The UC Master Gardener Program in Marin County recently completed a huge renovation of its public website, marinmg.ucanr.edu. The new website launch was made possible by a team of more than 40 volunteers, who spent eight months to make sure the site was visually appealing, easy to read, and navigate. Three key members of the team were recently nominated by Nanette Londeree for their hard work and dedication to the project, Kathryn Parkinson, Roxanne Ansolabehere, and Linda Stiles.
“This past year, a group of us decided to transform and rebuild our organization's entire website. We started as a small group, which ultimately grew to nearly 60 volunteers. It became a focused and vigorous goal for all of us, and I felt lucky to have been involved in the endeavor. The result is a beautiful and well-organized website that richly serves our community,” shares Roxanne Ansolabehere.
Roxanne developed numerous digital organizational tools to layout the new website navigation, schedule writers and editors, track progress, and allow for submission and retrieval of documents and photos. These tools were vital to the success of the new website project.
Linda Stiles, a gifted graphic designer, helped make the project “sparkle.” Her knowledge of technology, incredible aesthetics, ability to visualize the final product, and generosity of time were elemental to the success of this project. Linda designed the overall look and feel of the website and built every page using the existing required platform, focusing on user appeal and ease of use for all devices. She developed nearly a hundred unique banners, chose photos that promoted diversity, and did it all with grace and wry humor.
About National Volunteer Month and Gardeners with Heart
Special appreciation to Nanette Londeree, UC Master Gardener volunteer leader in Marin County, Alexa Hendricks, program coordinator in Ventura County, Katherine Uhde, program coordinator in Santa Clara County, and Denise Cuendett, program coordinator in Fresno County, for sharing these stories.
/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Marisa Coyne
- Editor: Melissa Womack
- Author: Valerie Borel
In April, we celebrate National Volunteer Month, honoring all of the contributions that volunteers make in our communities. All month long, the UC Master Gardener Program will feature stories of exceptional volunteers, or Gardeners with Heart, making a difference in California's community, school, demonstration, and research gardens. While the past program year presented many challenges to program delivery, the surge of interest in gardening has never been higher. The passion and support of UC Master Gardener volunteers have been essential in the program continuing to serve our mission.
Today, we celebrate Gardeners with Heart whose diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership has transformed program delivery, outreach, and administration. These volunteers embody the UCANR Strategic Goal to Improve Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) through their commitment to serving audiences historically underinvested by Extension and developing the community engagement and cultural competency of their fellow volunteers. Because of the nature of COVID-19 restrictions, many of our Gardeners with Heart nominated in the community stewardship category also display outstanding technological skills, using new virtual platforms and approaches to support their efforts.
Jennifer Kwoon – Los Angeles County
Jennifer is an amazing UC Master Gardener Program volunteer from the Los Angeles County class of 2019! She's always looking for ways to use her skills to help the UC Master Gardener Program grow and be more helpful to the diverse communities here in Los Angeles County. Before the pandemic, Jennifer could often be found volunteering at the Alhambra Farmers' Market, sharing gardening information with our community. As a fluent Mandarin speaker who also understands Cantonese, she has helped the program reach Chinese-speaking community members with which the program previously had limited interaction.
In recent months, Jennifer has been very active in Los Angeles County's recently formed UC Master Gardener Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force. Last fall, Jennifer approached UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) staff and offered to analyze program data to help us have a better understanding of the trends in diversity of UC Master Gardeners and trainees over time and of course, we were happy to take her up on this offer!
"I am deeply honored to be nominated for the 2021 UC Master Gardener Program Gardeners with Heart volunteer recognition. Like many people, the global pandemic changed my perspective on how I could still be involved and continue to serve my community in this year of isolation,” says Jennifer, “In addition to a lover of all things green, I am also a fervent proponent for justice and equity. So as a data scientist, it seemed like a natural step to assist the UC Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles County in analyzing years of UC Master Gardener Program applicant and volunteer data to help build a more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming program for all. The UC Master Gardener Program's DEI initiatives are a result of the combined efforts of many caring, dedicated, and extremely generous people. I am privileged to work among them and am continuously inspired by their warmth and commitment to the community.”
Jennifer's contributions have added a layer of awareness to the entire UC Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles, and in turn on every project, by highlighting the urgent need for improvement in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of our program. Jennifer offered her advanced data analysis skills to analyze anonymous UC Master Gardener applicant data from 2010 through 2020 to illustrate the gaps in our applicant selection process concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion. After Jennifer painstakingly analyzed ten years' worth of program data and presented her findings to the group, the DEI Task Force made practical suggestions based on those results. “Jennifer's work was foundational to allowing us to see where we need to improve our volunteer outreach to reflect the diversity of Los Angeles County better. She also promoted cultural competence, relationship building, and communication among our volunteers,” explains program coordinator Valorie Borel. Along with DEI task force members, Jennifer helped design a final project for 2021 trainees, which prepares them to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in their volunteer work.
Sherwood Demonstration Garden ‘Veggie Team' - El Dorado County
In 2019, the UC Master Gardener Program launched a partnership with Motherlode Rehabilitation (MORE), a non-profit that provides services to adults with developmental disabilities and empowers individuals with disabilities to enhance their quality of life. Twice a month, MORE clients visited the Sherwood Demonstration Garden to learn about gardening and nutrition with UC Master Gardener Program volunteers, including Kitty Howard and the Veggie Team: Deb Helleseth, Karen McNeil, Elissa Bunn, Gail Fulbeck, Barbara Brydon, Muriel Stephenson, Dave Hale, and Suzanne Surburg.
“When COVID-19 hit, MORE participants could no longer visit the garden, so the ‘Veggie Team' pivoted,” explains program coordinator Tracy Celio. Despite not being able to meet in person, UC Master Gardeners continued to engage MORE clients. A team of volunteers developed learning opportunities and videos to share about various gardening topics and projects like how to build a birdhouse and growing succulents. “Our partnership with the UC Master Gardener Program has had a significant impact on our clients. It opened up a whole new hands-on experience, and our clients learned about where food comes from, how it grows, and the miracle of harvesting. UC Master Gardeners treated our clients with such respect that they felt part of the community. While in-person activities had to pause because of COVID-19, UC Master Gardeners actively supported MORE clients. We can't wait to return in-person to the garden!” says Susie Davies, Chief Executive Officer at MORE.
In addition to this community partner work, the 'Veggie Team' kept the Sherwood Demonstration Garden thriving in 2020. Their work enabled the UC Master Gardener Program in El Dorado to donate large quantities of vegetables to local food banks, launch community training on Facebook Live, produce videos for the public, and develop contact-less gardening kits for existing community projects.
Thurman Howard – Riverside County
In 2020 UC Master Gardener Program volunteer, Thurman Howard, joined fellow UC Master Gardener volunteers in Riverside County to create a new program effort: Diverse Community Projects. Diverse Community Projects is an umbrella effort combining several existing projects with new ventures, designed to engage and support communities often underinvested by Extension. The project focuses on partnerships with organizations serving Black, Hispanic/Latino/Latinx, Asian and Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native American, and people with disabilities. "For many years UC Master Gardeners in Riverside County have been involved in reaching out to various communities to provide gardening assistance and information. However, we have become increasingly aware that several ethnic populations are either not served at all or who are considerably underserved," says Thurman.
According to fellow volunteer, Georgia Renne the team increased outreach to their existing project serving Women Infants and Children (WIC), a federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program. Currently serving nine WIC offices throughout Riverside County, the team is now working to expand its footprint. They have developed materials in Spanish, recruited bilingual volunteers and speakers, and partnered with Beaumont Head Start to provide education and bilingual assistance in a local children's garden. These efforts have increased UC Master Gardener Program contacts in the Latino community in Riverside by 1000%! In addition to work with WIC and Headstart participants, the Diverse Community Projects team, collaborates closely with Faith Temple, a predominately Black congregation located in an ethnically diverse community of Black, Asian, and Hispanic families. UC Master Gardener Program volunteers worked with congregants to develop a one-acre community garden and orchard and gardening programming in collaboration with Cal Fresh and the Faith Temple's garden committee.
Thurman worked with his team to support the 'Cultivating Inclusion Garden' located in Murrieta, Calif. to help address the need for vocational skills for people with disabilities. UC Master Gardener Program volunteers organize and train community volunteers on how to manage the citrus orchard and several raised beds for vegetables. Volunteers then work alongside adults and children with disabilities to care for plants and harvested produce to be donated to local food banks. From July 2020 to January 2021, this orchard produced over 2 tons of citrus for their local food pantries.
Finally, Thurman Howard's years-long personal relationship with the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians in the San Jacinto area resulted in the development of a community resource garden, the Soboba Elder's Garden. Thurman's approach to this partnership reflects his deep respect for community partners, humility, and understanding of the importance of trust-building. "At the beginning of this project,” says Georgia, “Thurman worked to visited with Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians tribal members twice per week to discuss soil building, project goals, and project budget.” As a result, the Soboba Elders' Garden today has become a huge success. The site now has multiple fields planted with seasonally appropriate crops, a robust composting and vermiculture program, and various types of irrigation. The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians has nominated several members to complete the UC Master Gardener Program training and funded a full-time coordinator to deliver garden produce to tribal members. Current plans include planting a summer crop of corn, beans, pumpkins, and yams or sweet potatoes as requested by the Elders. In the late spring of 2021, members continue to harvest crops daily with a bumper crop of carrots, beets, mustard greens, onions, and three varieties of lettuces.
About National Volunteer Month and Gardeners with Heart
Special appreciation to UC Master Gardener Program coordinators Valerie Borel (Los Angeles) and Tracy Celio (El Dorado) and lead volunteer Georgie Renne (Riverside) for contributions to this story.