A sampling of projects we've worked on
Let's GO GARDENING
Is an annual outreach to gardeners on Saturdays in May, in collaboration with local nurseries and plant centers. Established by MGAWC volunteer Leo Blum in the mid-1980’s, Let’s Go Gardening (LGG) was replicated across the state because it is a Win-Win-Win-Win-Win-Win program.
STEWARDSHIP SATURDAYS
On the third Saturdays of the month join Master Gardeners and other members of the community interested in improving and preserving the environment of the natural areas on the campus of the University of Michigan – Dearborn. Meet at 1:00 in the Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC) on the UM-D campus to work on the current project. Projects range from helping with the removal of invasive plants to collecting seeds of the native plants to developing new areas. We meet at 1:00 in the EIC and work until about 4:00.
Growing with MASTER GARDENERS (GMG) CONFERENCE
Originally known as Gardening in the 90s, Growing with Master Gardeners (GMG) began in 1989 as a half-day workshop in Wayne. The next year it was a full-day program. Over the years, the conference has been held at RESA county facilities in Wayne, churches in Plymouth and Dearborn, Mill Race Historical Village in Northville, and Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn. Since 2000, the Growing with Master Gardeners Conference has been held on the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-D) campus and sponsored by the Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC).
In the early years, the conference included a children’s program organized by Rose Marsh and other volunteers. Building on that success, Mike Hoffman’s Budding Botanists class at GMG paved the way for the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) program that was founded by volunteers in neighboring Washtenaw County. In 1996, MGAWC member Mike Hoffman initiated the JMG program in Wayne County. With the help of many dedicated volunteers, the program expanded quickly. MGAWC funded the JMG classes as needed, including publishing and mailing a quarterly newsletter, and purchasing class materials and T-shirts for children. Later, Michelle Telerski-Rees helped other volunteers continue the program until 2003, when MSU Extension assumed responsibility. MGAWC volunteers continued to support JMG programs at various elementary schools. The half-day children’s component of GMG was retired in 2002 due to low enrollment.
In the early 2000s, a core team of up to ten volunteers, all with significant family, employment and community responsibilities, met monthly from March through September to organize the conference. In addition to the conference organizing team (COT), dozens of experienced MGAWC volunteers donated their time, talent, energy, expertise, contacts and out-of-pocket expenses to make this annual educational conference a success.
To put on a conference, a team of several volunteers meet to organize the event. They contribute considerable time, talent, energy and expertise to make the conference a success for attendees, speakers, vendors and volunteers. Additional volunteers help out on Friday and Saturday to make Growing with Master Gardeners run smoothly.