2012â2013 Issue - Outreach & International Affairs - Virginia Tech

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‘Theyare theface of theLinda King knows that it takes a village — a village ofvolunteers, that is. King, a 4-H youth agent in PrinceWilliam County, relies on more than 640 volunteersto help her reach upward of 38,000 children with Extension’s4-H youth programming.Adria Bordas manages more than 400 Master Gardenervolunteers in Fairfax County. Some of her programs are runtotally by volunteers.Volunteers serve as 4-H club leaders, give gardening advice,provide cooking demonstrations, assist with after-schoolprograms, and teach financial literacy. Volunteers are essentialto Virginia Cooperative Extension’s mission of helpingpeople put scientific knowledge to work to improve theirlives.One reason Bordas can rely onvolunteers to assist with programmingis the extensive trainingExtension provides.Initially, Master Gardener volunteersmust complete 50 hoursof training and contribute 50volunteer hours before they earnthe title. Annually, they mustcomplete eight hours of continuingeducation and work 20 volunteerhours.“They have a thirst for knowledge.They go out of their way to seek morecommunity’education,” Bordas says. “The volunteersfeel like the classes we provide for them aresomething that they would not get anywhereelse.”By Lori GreinerMaster Gardener George Graine, of FallsChurch, Va., has spent more than 25 yearsseeking and sharing knowledge. “It gives me a great senseof enjoyment helping others as well as learning skills andknowledge for my own benefit,” Graine says. He volunteersat plant clinics (where people bring their plants for diagnosis)and helps identify topics and speakers to developadvanced Master Gardener training.Master Gardener and six-year volunteer Elaine Homstadvalues Extension’s emphasis on research-based information.“We show people how to find information that theycan rely on. Being associated with Virginia Tech and havingresearch-based information available is important to theunion of Master Gardeners and Extension.”The successful Master Gardener volunteer model now appliesto other Extension programs covering such topics asMaster Food volunteersundergo 30 hours of training over thecourse of four weeks. They learn about basicnutrition, meal planning, cooking techniques, food safety,and how to work with diverse audiences.Outreach NOW 10
finances and health and the newest offering: the Master FoodVolunteer Program.The resurgence of home canning and food preservation, plusthe need to promote healthy lifestyles, provides the opportunityto train volunteers to help agents with programs on nutrition,food safety, cooking, and physical activity.“These folks have a real interest in helping others,” says MelissaChase, state coordinator for the Master Food VolunteerProgram. “They enjoy sharing knowledge and seeing the changein behavior. It motivates the volunteers when they can see theimpact of their hard work.”For others it’s about giving back.Sandy Arnold, a fourth-generation 4-Her, knows firsthand what adifference volunteers can make on a child’s life. “4-H really formedmy life and was a huge influence,” Arnold says. “For me as a kid, Iremember focusing on a project outside of school. It was a very affordableway to get involved in a horse project. I got so much out of it. Somany adults inspired me.”Arnold is now the horse project leader for the Nokesville 4-H Club,where she is inspiring a new generation. While teaching kids abouthorses, she also helps them build good character and leadership skills.The 4-H members incorporate a community service activity intoevery club meeting. Through projects like creating Christmas cardsfor a local homeless shelter and assembling care packages for thehomebound, 4-Hers learn about their community and the needsof others. “I want to teach my kids about giving, and 4-H is anavenue to teach those skills,” Arnold says.“Our volunteers are incredibly good at their jobs, whether it isfundraising, educating, or simply caring,” King says. “They arethe face of the community.”In addition to providinggardening advice andeducational programming,many Master Gardenervolunteers help maintain thepublic gardens within theircommunities.“These folks have a realinterest in helping others.”– Melissa ChaseHow Extension’svolunteers make adifferenceVirginia Cooperative Extension serves all95 counties and 12 independent cities inVirginia with varying levels of programmingsupport. “Volunteers are the backboneof these activities,” says Director EdJones. “We could not conduct many ofour programs without them.”King, the agent in Prince William County,offers 4-H in 80 schools and supportsmore than 30 clubs and camps. “If 4-Hrelied solely on paid staff, we’d reach only1 percent of the number of children withour Extension programs.”In Fairfax County, Bordas says, “Volunteersreally build capacity within our programs.”Over the years, Extension has had toweather some severe revenue cuts ofits own. In the past six years, its budgetdeclined by more than $10 million. Extensionwas facing additional budget cuts in2010 when its volunteers and supporterslet the Virginia General Assembly knowthat enough was enough.Jones credits Extension’s volunteers fortheir support and advocacy to help getsome of the funding restored to hire additionalagents in the field. “Volunteers cancommunicate to additional stakeholdersand funders that we cannot reach with ourstaff.”Master Gardener Elaine Homstad saysthe value of volunteerism in a depressedeconomy can’t be overlooked. “We can’tdepend on government to provide everything.So often it is the volunteer organizationsthat fill in the gap. The public-privatepartnership makes the whole communitythrive.”photos courtesy of Lori GreinerOutreach NOW 11
Page 2: Outreach NOW 2012EditorAndrea Bruna
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Page 10 and 11: By Jean ElliottCherub-cheeked Siste
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Page 18 and 19: RobMasriChristinaBrogdonHelping sma
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Page 23 and 24: Jim StroupAndrea Brunais“Partneri
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Page 33 and 34: PennyMcCallum,center director,in fo
Page 35 and 36: Jane Swan, DirectorFINANCE andADMIN

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2012â2013 Issue - Outreach & International Affairs - Virginia Tech