A proclamation honoring the Master Gardeners of Greene County (MGGC) for their 30th Anniversary that occurred in 2014 was dated and approved at the Greene County Extension Council meeting Monday, January 26, 2015. The completed document was presented to Missy Sanford, MGGC, president during the 2015 Greene County Extension annual meeting and dinner by George Deatz, Greene County Extension Council Chair and Patrick Byers, Master Gardener coordinator and horticulture specialist assigned to Greene County.  The complete text of the proclamation is shown below.

University of Missouri

WHEREAS, January 2014 marks the 30th anniversary of the Master Gardeners of Greene County; and

WHEREAS, the Master Gardener program is a popular and successful statewide volunteer community-service organization administered through University of Missouri Extension with a goal is to train gardeners who are willing to share their knowledge with others; and

WHEREAS, the local chapter has 275 active and emeritus members who volunteer in the community, serve the chapter, and have even hosted two successful statewide Master Gardener conferences; and

WHEREAS, in 2014, volunteers in the Master Gardeners of Greene County contributed over 20,687 volunteer hours to the residents of Greene County, including 2,365 volunteer hours at the demonstration garden in Nathanael Greene Park, 1,897 volunteer hours operating the Master Gardener Hotline inside The Botanical Center, 1,176 volunteer hours maintaining the Xeriscape Garden on South National and 4,178 volunteer hours working in other gardens at the Springfield Botanical Gardens; and

WHEREAS, the Master Gardeners of Greene County maintain a demonstration garden and conduct horticulture programs in partnership with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board and Friends of the Garden, to help make the Springfield Botanical Gardens a nationally recognized and honored destination:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, that we, members of the Greene County Extension Council, hereby salute the accomplishments of the Master Gardeners of Greene County in Springfield, Missouri, on this, its 30th Anniversary. We commend the trained and dedicated volunteers who have worked so hard to educate the public about all things related to horticulture in Greene County in order to improve the life of all citizens.

Approved on this day, Monday, January 26, 2015.

David L. Burton
Greene County Extension
County Program Director

George Deatz
Greene County Extension Council
Chairman

*Original post: Friends of the Garden Daily News- The FOG Blog

**Photo by David Burton