Today, there are nearly 100,000 Extension Master Gardener volunteers active in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Earlier this month, the Whitley County Cooperative Extension Master Gardner program added 13 more to that number.
On Nov. 15, Marsha Juarez, LeAnna Hinkle, Rosalee Hinkle, Dolan Hayes, Bailee Young, Margie Vito, Barbara Crawford, Jody Canada, Johnny Lawson, Jeff Brown, April Brown, Stacy Modica and Linda Vore graduated the Whitley County program.
These Master Gardeners endured a yearlong program.
They sat through numerous subjects throughout this long year, such as cooperative extension/volunteerism, botany, soils and fertility, plant pathology, entomology, pesticides/pesticide safety and environmental issues.
“Volunteer workers are one of the most important and unique aspects of the cooperative extension service. This is in keeping with extension’s philosophy that active citizen participation in planning and implementation ensures program success,” the Whitley County Cooperative Extension Office wrote.
82nd Rep. Nick Wilson was the guest speaker during the graduation ceremony.
Wilson is an American reality TV star and politician currently serving as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. His district includes Whitley County and parts of Laurel County. He also competed and won on the reality competition show Survivor.
