- Author: Marcy Sousa
There's still time to send us your best work!
Search for Excellence is a statewide competition designed to recognize outstanding counties and volunteers for projects that support the mission of the Master Gardeners Program. This competition is a unique opportunity to celebrate and share our accomplishments, by showcasing the tremendous talent of Master Gardeners throughout the state in creating innovative outreach programs. This year the stakes have been raised and the prizes are bigger than ever before!
The extending deadline means programs have more time to submit their best work and allow those who did not previously consider this opportunity a chance to assemble an application. The extended deadline is May 12, 2017 by midnight. Please visit the 2017 Search for Excellence website for guidelines and application details.
Need inspiration? Take a look back at the 2014 Search for Excellence Winners
First Place: Riverside County – Gold Miners
“There's Gold in them der hills!” Riverside County is a big county, stretching from the Los Angeles metro area to the Colorado River. The challenge was how to better fulfill our mission of educating the community of Riverside County on sustainable gardening practices. The answer – “Gold Miners.” The county was divided into nine geographic areas with a Master Gardener in each area actively pursuing volunteering opportunities. Since 2011, we have increased the presence of Master Gardeners throughout the county, giving Master Gardener opportunities to volunteer closer to home and increase the number of people who are Master Gardeners from the entire county.
Second Place: Santa Clara County – South County Teaching and Demonstration Garden – Demonstration Garden Category
Third Place: Orange County – Composting/Worm Composting Video Series
If you think one of your county projects is a candidate, let your Master Gardener Program Coordinator or leader know about it!
Questions? Contact:
(Please include county name in subject line for all email communications)
Southern California (San Luis Obispo, Kern, San Bernardino, and south)
Scott Parker
Program Coordinator, San Diego
Phone: (858)822-6932
Email: mgsfe@ucanr.edu
Northern California (Monterey, Kings, Tulare, Inyo and north)
Marcy Sousa
Program Coordinator, San Joaquin
Phone: (209)953-6111
Email: mgsfe@ucanr.edu
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- Author: Lucy Heyming, Gold Miner Coordinator
As we are gearing up for the 2017 UC Master Gardener Conference in Long Beach, we thought we would highlight past winners of the Search For Excellence competition. Every three years the UC Master Gardener Program hosts a Search for Excellence (SFE) competition looking to recognize projects that exemplify the incredible impacts programs are making across the state. If your program is interested in showcasing projects happening in your county, you can find more information about the Search for Excellence competition on the 2017 conference website. The application deadline is May 1, 2017. In 2014, UCCE Master Gardeners of Riverside County took first place for their Gold Miners Program.
There's Gold in them thar hills! Riverside County is a big county, stretching from the Los Angeles metro area to the Colorado River. The main challenge of the UCCE Master Gardener Program of Riverside County was how to better fulfill their mission of educating their community on sustainable gardening practices. The answer - Gold Miners.
In November, 2010 the Gold Miner program was established with representatives from nine areas of Riverside County:
- Riverside
- Moreno Valley/Perris
- The Pass (Banning Beaumont)
- The Mountain area
- Desert areas
- Hemet/San Jacinto/ Menifee
- South County (Temecula/Murrieta)
- Lake Elsinore
- Corona/Norco
Before this, there was very little UCCE Master Gardener activity in any part of the county except the area around the city of Riverside.
There were two goals for the program:
- To provide UCCE Master Gardener services to all of Riverside County, including information tables, speakers and docent services for approved organizations, and,
- To provide volunteering opportunities for Master Gardeners all over the county
Each representative of an area is referred to as the Gold Miner, and they are charged with finding the “golden” opportunities to volunteer in their areas.
Right away we realized that the Gold Miner from each area would need to have their own Information box, EZ Up style awing, table cloth, banner, and table so that they did not have to drive to the UCCE Office to set-up an information table each time. It took some time, but the UCCE Master Gardener Program has provided most of this to all of the areas over the past six and a half years. Among the responsibilities of each Gold Miner is to house these properties and to refill their information boxes with brochures, etc, for the events in their area. UCCE Master Gardeners can pick-up information boxes from the Gold Miner in their area for an event.
The Gold Miners meet monthly from September – June of each year on the fourth Thursday of the month to discuss ideas and concerns and report on their activities. Besides looking for new opportunities for UCCE Master Gardeners to volunteer in their areas, they are responsible for finding volunteers for these events and any others that may become available through other sources. Although the most common way to inform and procure volunteers for activities is through VMS, often they will call UCCE Master Gardeners in their area to ask for help. The Gold Miner is not responsible for volunteering for activities themselves (unless they want to), but for making sure there are volunteers for approved events. There has been a lot of cooperation between the areas over the last six and a half years to make sure events have the volunteers they need.
I am extremely appreciative of the wonderful UCCE Master Gardeners who have volunteered their time these past years to create and grow this project. Because of them we have greatly increased the number and quality of events that are staffed by UCCE Master Gardeners of Riverside County. As an outcome of providing more services to the county, more people found out about the UCCE Master Gardener Program and wanted to volunteer to be one.
- Author: Scott Parker
- Author: Marcy Sousa
UC Master Gardener volunteers, program coordinators and advisors from around the state are invited to submit their innovative educational and outreach projects by the May 1, 2017 deadline.
Search for Excellence Prizes
The stakes have been raised and the prizes are bigger than ever before! For the first time the grand prize winner of the Search for Excellence awards will receive $1,500 for their county program. Second place winner receives $1,000 and third place winner receives $500 for their county program.
Search for Excellence Categories
Search for Excellence gives county programs the opportunity to share successful and innovative projects in the following seven areas:
- Community service
- Demonstration garden
- Innovative project
- Research (applied scientific methodology)
- Special needs audience
- Workshop or presentation
- Youth program
All applicants, regardless of award status, are strongly encouraged to submit a poster for display at the conference as an opportunity to share their ideas with other county programs. Winners to be announced June 2017.
For questions about submitting a project contact your local program coordinator or advisor. Additional information and forms can be found on the conference website on the Search for Excellence webpage, ucanr.edu/sites/2017MGConference/Activities/SFE/
We look forward to learning about the creative and impactful projects from counties big and small!
Questions? Contact:
(Please include county name in subject line for all email communications)
Southern California (San Luis Obispo, Kern, San Bernardino, and south)
Scott Parker
Program Coordinator, San Diego
Phone: (858) 822-6932
Email: mgsfe@ucanr.edu
Northern California (Monterey, Kings, Tulare, Inyo and north)
Marcy Sousa
Program Coordinator, San Joaquin
Phone: (209) 953-6111
Email: mgsfe@ucanr.edu
- Author: Melissa G. Womack
UC Master Gardener programs in Riverside, Santa Clara, Orange and San Diego counties have won the program's Search for Excellence competition, announced Missy Gable, director of UC's statewide Master Gardener Program. The triennial Search for Excellence awards afford county programs the opportunity to share successful projects, including demonstration gardens, workshops, presentation or hands-on programs, community service, horticulture therapy, research or youth programs.
Educating the public was the focus of the Search for Excellence 2014 competition. The entries were judged by a team of experts selected from throughout the state.
"Congratulations to all the Master Gardeners involved in carrying out these innovative projects," Gable said. "This competition celebrates the hard work of dedicated UCCE Master Gardener volunteers across the state."
The Search for Excellence competition winners will be honored at the 2014 UC Master Gardener Conference, Oct. 7-10 in Fish Camp, Calif. The next Search for Excellence competition will be in 2017.
“There's Gold in them thar hills!” Riverside County is a big county, stretching from the Los Angeles metro area to the Colorado River. The main challenge of the UC Master Gardener Program of Riverside County was how to better fulfill their mission of educating their community on sustainable gardening practices. The answer – “Gold Miners.” Riverside County was divided into nine geographic areas with a UC Master Gardener volunteer in each area actively pursuing volunteering opportunities for their peers. Since the program began in 2011, “Gold Miners” has increased the presence of UC Master Gardeners throughout the county, giving volunteers the opportunity to provide outreach closer to home, engage new members of the public and increase the number of certified UC Master Gardeners from all regions of the county.
UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County developed a one-acre teaching and demonstration garden on the grounds of St. Louise Hospital in Gilroy. The demonstration garden was designed to create educational outreach opportunities in the far southern portion of the county. UC Master Gardener volunteers provide hands-on public workshops in the garden as well as classes in both the hospital boardroom and community libraries. The objectives of the St. Louise Hospital garden includes teaching residents about low-water vegetables, fruits, and ornamental plants well-suited to local growing conditions, and modeling sustainable gardening practices reflective of UC research-based horticultural principles.
Passionate volunteers from the UC Master Gardener Program of Orange County developed a series of 15 educational videos. Nine videos provide a comprehensive overview of the composting process and six videos concentrate on worm composting. Each series begins with an explanation of what composting is and shifts into how to start, maintain and troubleshoot a compost pile or worm bin. The videos are designed to instruct and encourage the gardening public to compost either at home or in community gardens. All of the educational videos were filmed and narrated by UC Master Gardeners. The videos are published on the UC Master Gardeners of Orange County public website.
First Runner-up - Orange County
Recognizing the need to reach a significantly larger number of home gardeners than demonstration booths and Farmers Market tables were engaging, the UC Master Gardeners of Orange County developed a speakers bureau. The criteria was simple: fulfill the mission of disseminating up-to-date, research-based information and to deliver "wow" presentations for the public. UC Master Gardeners created teaching plans, incorporating the statewide program mission and the ANR Strategic Vision to cover important topics such as gardening for improved nutrition and healthy living. Additionally, the UCCE Master Gardeners of Orange County engaged the help of Toastmasters International, an undisputed authority for training speakers.
Second Runner-up - San Diego County
UC Master Gardeners of San Diego County created a program called MG Growing Opportunities (MG-GO) which provides research-based horticulture education to teenage youth involved with the juvenile justice system. Under the guidance of UC Master Gardeners and a vocational horticultural therapist, incarcerated youth learn about ecosystem friendly, sustainable gardening. In the process, the youth acquire vocational and life skills, such as teamwork, problem solving, self-esteem, and leadership. The goals of MG-GO are to introduce sustainable gardening practices to an under-served population, highlight gardening as a healing endeavor, and develop a replicable model for statewide use.
About us
The UC Master Gardener Program provides the public with UC research-based information about home horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and pest management practices. It is administered by local UCCE county-based offices that are the principal outreach and public service arms of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The UC Master Gardener Program is an example of an effective partnership between the UC Division and passionate volunteers. In exchange for training from University of California, UCCE Master Gardener volunteers engage the public with timely gardening-related trainings and workshops. With programs based in 50 California counties and 6,048 active members, UC Master Gardener volunteers donated 385,260 hours last year and have donated more than 4.2 million hours since the program inception in 1981.
- Author: Melissa G. Womack
As University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardeners, we are all doing great things. Search for Excellence (SFE) awards is an opportunity to celebrate and share accomplishment by showcasing the tremendous talents of Master Gardeners statewide. Master Gardeners are invited to submit an educational and innovative county project for consideration April 1 – July 1, 2014.
What is the “Search for Excellence”?
Master Gardeners have successfully developed outreach projects in their local communities and have dedicated an huge amount of time and resources to ensure the project's success. The Search for Excellence awards are a small way to recognize and thank Master Gardeners for all that they do.
Search for Excellence is a statewide competition which recognizes county UCCE Master Gardener Programs for outstanding projects that support the mission of the UC Master Gardener Program.
What are SFE Categories?
Projects must fall under one of the following categories:
- Youth programs
- Demonstration gardens
- Workshop or presentation
- Community service
- Innovative projects
- Special needs audiences (senior, disabled or horticultural therapy)
- Research (applied scientific methodology)
What Projects Count for SFE Award Considerations?
Project submissions must fit the following parameters to qualify for SFE awards:
- Projects judged on merit for work completed between 2011 – 2013
- Projects must be completed for a full year to be considered
- Entries must be group, not individual, projects
- Each county may submit multiple SFE applications, only one project per category will be considered
Search for Excellence awards are designed to highlight the statewide conferences and we hope you will consider submitting an application for a project in your county that educates the public in a special, fun and creative way. Additional details including guidelines and an application for the 2014 SFE awards are attached below and also available on the 2014 UC Master Garden Conference website.
If you think one of the projects is a candidate for an award based on its' development, implementation and impact in the community, let your Master Gardener Program Coordinator or leader know about it!
Questions? Contact Kevin Marini, 530-889-7399
2014 SFE Application
2014 SFE Guidelines