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Barbara Low

Mar 31

April JCMGA Working Groups Summaries

By Beet 2024 04 April

 

Community Outreach Working Group

Chair, Ronnie Budge

  • Update on Community Gardens:
    • Sherri Morgan held her first meeting with the Community Gardens Network. They discussed JCMGA’s grant program and set a deadline of May 1 for applications. Sherri will work with Barbara Low to update the grant and contact information on JCMGA’s website.
  • ­Update on Josephine County Home Show:
    • Sandy Hammond reported that it was well worth the time of the seven JCMGA volunteers who staffed our information booth over three days. They sold $700 worth of Garden Guides and garden hats, distributed numerous flyers, and took names of persons interested in being contacted about upcoming JCMGA activities.
  • Update on Bee City Phoenix Earth Day Celebration:
    • Kathy Rogers, Barbara Low, and Grace Florjancic will staff a JCMGA information booth at Blue Heron Park on April 20.
  • Update on Medford Open Streets Project:
    • JCMGA will have an information booth in downtown Medford on May 17 from 4-8 pm.
  • Update on Speakers Bureau:
    • Colet Allen is beginning to plan a fall series of programs for the Medford and Rogue River libraries.
  • Update on Friends of the Gardens:
    • A promotional flyer has been prepared using the new logo. It will be reformatted for rack cards and there will be a page about the program on the JCMGA website. An orientation video is being prepared. There will be an informational meeting on March 22 which people can attend in person or via Zoom.
  • JCMGA 2024 Strategic Plan:
    • The draft Strategic Plan was reviewed with an eye towards the COWG’s role in carrying out the activities listed, and suggestions were made for adding or removing the COWG at various points. Barbara Low will make the revisions. It was agreed that all of the activities the COWG is currently involved in should be continued, but at a level that can be sustained with available volunteers. For example, booths should be informational only, without trying to sell plants, which requires much more effort.
  • Volunteers:
    • There was discussion about the need to involve more members in the work of JCMGA and to train individuals to take over from current leaders of activities.

Fundraising Working Group

Chair, Jane Moyer

  • Met and discussed the upcoming Spring Garden Fair. We will be selling the Garden Guides at the Earth Day event on April 20 and at the Medford Streets Event on May 17.

Garden Working Group 

Chair, Janine Salvatti

  • The Demonstration gardens are starting to be cleaned up. The Fig Garden pruning project is on hold because of Janine’s injury.
  • They are scheduling several volunteer work parties in the gardens.

Marketing and Technology Working Group

Co-Chairs – Barbara Low and Keltie Nelson

  • We have worked on a JCMGA Marketing plan.
  • We are looking at training people for the different areas that we manage so that more than one person is able to do the task.

Member Services Working Group

Chair, Barbara Low

  • JCMGA Chapter (Membership) Directory is just about ready to be sent to the printers..
  • We finished the details for the Information Meeting on the Friends of the Gardens which is Friday, March 22. This program will start in April.

Program Support Working Group

Chair is Grace Florjancic

  • I am very happy to announce we have been awarded funding to pursue some horticultural therapy activities with older adults in our rural libraries. It is a short 6-month grant, so we are quickly getting this ball rolling! Check out the Coordinator’s Colum for more details.

Spring Garden Fair Working Group

co-Chairs – Marcie Katz and Lucy Pylkki

  • They are busy getting ready for the Spring Garden Fair, which is May 4 and 5 at the SOREC Extension.
  • Volunteers are still needed. Colet Allen and Barbara Low are working on getting volunteers.

Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Working Group

chairs are Colet Allen, Susan Koenig, and Barbara Low

  • We are getting the presenters for the 2024 WDSG!
  • We have taken the suggestions from the 2023 WDSG Survey to help decide what topics we wanted to include in the 2024 WDSG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar 01

March JCMGA Working Groups Summaries 

By Beet 2024 03 March

March JCMGA Working Groups Summaries 

 

Community Outreach Working Group 

Chair, Ronnie Budge 

  • No volunteers have come forward for the Jackson County Home Show – but we would like to see if we can get a few volunteers to work it. 
  • Sandy Hammond is organizing our booth for the Josephine Home Show on February 16-18. We have volunteers to work the booth. 
  • We decided to participate in the Medford Open Streets Project this year. It will be held in downtown Medford on April 19 and/or May 17 from 4-8 p.m. We decided to participate on May 17th only. Barbara will organize this event. 
  • We are continuing to work on the details for the Friends of the Gardens program – which will start in April. 
  • We discussed the coir donation. Sherri will check with Community Gardens to see if they are interested (maximum of 2 per garden). 

 

Fundraising Working Group 

Chair, Jane Moyer 

  • There wasn’t a meeting this month. 

 

Garden Working Group   

Chair, Janine Salvatti 

  • We had our first meeting for this year. 
  • Plans are underway. 
  •  

Marketing and Technology Working Group 

Co-Chairs – Barbara Low and Keltie Nelson 

We will be focusing on updating our JCMGA Marketing Plan. 

 

Member Services Working Group 

Chair, Barbara Low 

We are continuing to work on the JCMGA Chapter (Membership) Directory, which we plan on having sent out the end of March. 

We are continuing to work on the details for the Friends of the Gardens program – which will start in April. 

 

Program Support Working Group 

Chair is Grace Florjancic 

The Plants for Gramps grant proposal has been submitted! We would know in the middle of March if we received funding to initiate this program. Thank you to everyone for helping support this idea and getting us closer to making it a reality. 

 

Spring Garden Fair Working Group 

co-Chairs – Marcie Katz and Lucy Pylkki 

Plans are underway for the 2024 Spring Garden Fair which will be May 4 and 5 at the SOREC grounds. 

Mark your calendars. 

 

Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Working Group 

chairs are Colet Allen, Susan Koenig, and Barbara Low 

We have started meeting to plan for the 2024 WDSG! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar 01

JCMGA Needs YOU! 

By Beet 2024 03 March

The Jackson County Master Gardeners Association is a part of the Oregon Master Gardeners Association. 

Our mission is: Cultivating resilient and healthy communities through sustainable horticulture education and gardening projects that are rooted in science and that are supported by Oregon State University Extension volunteers. 

We have been able to accomplish this mission with our working groups, main events, community education classes, OSU Master Gardener Class Practicum – to name a few. 

I want to thank all who have been involved in helping JCMGA stay active in Jackson County! 

You have been amazing in helping us get the word out about responsible, productive gardening and to encourage others in our community to get involved. 

We are a volunteer organization, and we need many volunteers to help us maintain and grow our organization. 

We are looking for VOLUNTEERS! 

There are Demonstration Gardens to work – in alongside of our experiences GEMS.  Contact Janine Salvatti – our Gardens Working Group Chair. 

We are also in need of BOARD Members.   

Please consider being a Board member.  The JCMGA Board is the governing body of our organization. It is a required element for our organization to continue.  Without it, we wouldn’t be allowed to exist.  We would provide support and be there to help guide you.

We are looking for — 

  • Member-at-Large 
  • This is a one-year commitment 
  • You would attend our monthly Board meeting. 
  • You would attend our Board Retreats – 3 per year. 
  • We would want you to attend at least one Working Group monthly meetings. 
  • President-Elect 
  • This could be one or two people sharing the position. 
  • This is a 2–3-year commitment 
  • You would attend our monthly Board meeting. 
  • You would attend our Board Retreats – 3 per year. 
  • We would want you to attend at least one Working Group monthly meetings. 
  • Chair or co-chair special Board Committees 
  • These are short term committees 
  • The next year you would become President or Co-President. 

I hope that you will seriously consider becoming a part of our wonderful JCMGA Board. 

If you are interested in either position,  

please contact Barbara Low barbaralow@msn.com or call 541.840.1516, 

Mar 01

President’s Corner 

By Beet 2024 03 March

 

Spring is on its way!   

Trees are budding and flowers are starting to bloom.   

What a great time of year! 

 

We started 2024 off with a bang. Jackson County Master Gardeners Association has been busy!  We’ve embarked on many activities: 

  • JCMGA held its Winter Board Retreat at the end of January.  We had great discussions concerning our Strategic Plan for 2024.  The data from our Member Services Survey, completed in November, was used to help make some of our plans.  Thank you to those who took time to complete the survey.  We continue work on our Strategic Plan for 2024 and will complete it at our March Board meeting.  It will be in the April Garden Beet.   
  • Our Working Groups are very busy working on different aspects of JCMGA.  Together we can accomplish a great deal in a small amount of time.  In the process we build friendships, share knowledge, and especially have FUN. 
  • The Master Gardener Class of 2024 started their optional Practicum.  This involves hands-on activities concerning home gardening.  They are busy planting seeds for our upcoming Spring Garden Fair. 
  • We are planning several activities and hope that you will join us.  Please mark your calendars: 
  • Spring Garden Fair – May 4-5 at the Southern Oregon Research Extension Center 
  • Medford Open Streets Event – May 17 
  • JCMGA Annual Meeting – June 14 
  • Annual Picnic and Awards Ceremony (with educational component) – June 29 

One of the things that I truly enjoy about working with people at JCMGA is their focus on gardening and all its aspects.  We all have so much knowledge to share, and can all continue to learn. But also, we enjoy each other’s company and provide support in the tasks we do.  

Thank you again for all that you do for JCMGA. 

Mar 01

Welcome the Friends of the Gardens! 

By Beet 2024 03 March

Last year the JCMGA Board approved this programming expansion to help us reach more gardeners who are either unable or uninterested in going through the full Master Gardener Program but still want to learn and volunteer. We are happy to announce the Garden Friends is kicking off this spring! 

What is a Garden Friend? Garden Friends are volunteers who are not Master Gardeners but want to get hands-on learning by maintaining the demonstration gardens alongside our GEMs (Garden Education Mentors). In the past, MGs have brought their spouses, children, and close friends to work together and help in the demo gardens. With the official launch of the Friends of the Gardens program, we are opening this opportunity to everyone in our community.  

 

This expansion will bring more community involvement and awareness to our demonstration gardens. These gardens take many hands to maintain and can feel quite large when working in them. Not many people know these gardens are here to view unless they have already visited the Extension Office for an event or class. Inviting more people to volunteer builds a wider community while splitting the load of work for everyone. It gives our organization another fun opportunity to interact with and educate the public with hands-on practice.   

Last year we had a handful of people interested in doing this type of volunteering instead of going through the entire Master Gardener Program. With advertising this opportunity, we hope to get even more people excited and involved in the Garden Friends initiative. Hope to see you out in the demonstration gardens this year! 

 

 

Mar 01

Come One, Come All! 

By Beet 2024 03 March

 

We will be having an informational meeting concerning our new Friends of the Gardens program.  We plan on starting this program in April. 

 

When: Friday, March 22nd 

Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. 

Where: SOREC Auditorium – 569 Hanley Road, Central Point 

 

Refreshments will be served. 

Come with your questions  — bring family and friends! 

 

Contact Barbara Low barbaralow@msn.com