SARASOTA COUNTY – Sarasota County residents interested in becoming Master Gardener Volunteers are invited to learn more about the program at either of a pair of informational meetings next week that kick off the application process.
| Master Gardener Volunteer program members work together in preparation for an annual plant sale. [CREDIT: UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County] |
UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, which administers the local Master Gardener Volunteer program, is hosting meetings Aug. 6 and Aug. 8 at Twin Lakes Park to showcase the program’s horticulture training opportunities and the myriad ways participants provide volunteer service.
“Being part of the Master Gardener Volunteer program gives people a way to continue with lifelong learning, and helps with their desire to give back to the community,” said Pat Williams, the Sarasota County Extension residential horticulture agent who coordinates the county’s Master Gardener Volunteer program.
“Volunteers are respected and in demand across the county for their knowledge and educational support.”
The informational meetings will be held at the Extension office in Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota. Learn more and register at https://rebrand.ly/ufsarasotaext_mgrecruit, or call 941-861-5000 or email sarasota@ifas.ufl.edu.
Participants in the Master Gardener Volunteer program receive extensive training about sustainable growing, Florida-Friendly Landscaping™, leadership and more through a program designed by the University of Florida. They then provide a range of volunteer services, from working with homeowners on irrigation and landscape issues to dispensing plant and pest advice at Plant Clinic help desks.
Last year, nearly 150 local Master Gardener Volunteers contributed more than 10,000 hours of service across Sarasota County.
County residents interested in joining the program should contact the Sarasota County Extension volunteer coordinator at 941-861-9900 or sarasota@ifas.ufl.edu to request an application package, and submit it no later than Sept. 13. Interviews to enter the program will start in October, with training kicking off in January.
The Master Gardener Volunteer program launched in Florida in 1979 and has trained nearly 5,000 residents since. Each county administers its own Master Gardener Volunteer program for local residents. Learn more at http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/mastergardener.
For more information, call the Sarasota County Contact Center at 941-861-5000 or email sarasota@ifas.ufl.edu.
Sarasota County prohibits discrimination in all services, programs or activities.
View the complete policy at scgov.net/ADA.